[Local Lore] A Cacophony of Color at the Corvallis Farmer’s Market

September 19, 2018December 4, 2018Leave a comment

Moving to Corvallis after living in California for the last thirty odd years, there’s a lot of change to wrap my head around, ranging from the menial and small to mind boggling large. I know that I shouldn’t compare Apples to Oranges, but when all you’ve known are apples – when you find an orange, it’s like OH MY GOD, THAT’S ORANGE?! Corvallis is like continually discovering that there were other fruits in the world when all I wanted to look for where Apples.

There are more farms and less people, more seasons and less oppressive heat all the time, more clouds and rain and less sun, more rural roads and less highways, a heightened sense of calm versus a continual sense of anxiety, the list could go on and on,

If you think the colors of Autumn are astounding, have you even seen the colors at the local farmer’s market?? Sure, there are Farmer’s Markets everywhere, and I don’t mean to diminish your personal experience, but the variety and vivacity of the fruits, vegetables, dairy and locally grown meat you can find here are simply out of this world.

Feasting on seasonal change, I’ve loved taking in the cacophony of colors at the Corvallis Farmer’s Market. Running both mid-week on Wednesday mornings, as well as Saturday morning on the weekends, the local Farmer’s Market has become my church. I revel at the productions, and am not so secretly plotting to enter my crafts into their Saturday fair. Here’s just a taste of my favorite scenes from the local Farmer’s Market; enjoy!

For more on the Farmer’s Market here in Corvallis, take a trip downtown on Wednesday or Saturday between 9 and 1pm to see for yourself; or simply head to their socials!

[LA Life] South Pasadena Farmers’ Market Finds

March 1, 2016March 1, 2016Leave a comment

Though I’ve often joked that maturity is simply understanding when to be mature, the older I become, the more I understand about the ways of the world – or at least American culture. I’m more aware of the impact of large corporations, menageries of manufacturers and big businesses on the smaller, more sustainable markets, local lore and mom and pop stores. Even with streamlined supply chains and an eco-conscious attitude, there’s no greater feeling than being economically supportive of your outlying community and being an educated member of society; and this is coming from someone who works in Operations for Disney and Wal Mart – so, trust. Small businesses have an incredible influence on local economies, including increased opportunities for employment within the community, environmental sustainability and economic innovation. The biggest plus about local businesses is understanding that your money is being recycled back into your neighborhood, and – in my personal opinion -the greatest example of this is your local Farmers’ Market.

Like in most large metropolitan areas, Los Angeles plays host a menagerie of places to foray into food shopping, with a niche for every type of nutrition freak. I’ll be the first to admit that at my last apartment in the Fairfax District, I was a bit spoiled: I was just a stone’s throw from Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Farm Fresh, Erewhon and even the fabled Farmer’s Market at The Grove – but where did I find myself doing most of my food shopping? Locally owned grocery stores like Cochran Produce had a lock on fresh fruits, hearty vegetables and tasty herbs while Dimond Bakery opened at 5am and sold out of their salacious sourdough baguettes before 8am, every damn day; it was such a lovely set up that leaving the area was a bit difficult. When I moved to Eagle Rock, I was excited to see that I could walk to the local Trader Joe’s but the local Farmers’ Market barely reached a whole city block and hardly merited shutting down the street. So, believe you me when I say that I’m thrilled that Danny discovered an amazing Farmers’ Market that’s just a hop, skip and a 10 minute drive away .

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The South Pasadena Farmers’ Market lays claim to the area right next to the Gold Line South Pasadena Station, and runs every Thursday afternoon from 4pm – 8pm in the Spring and Summer, and 4-7pm during the Fall and Winter. The market itself is rain or shine, but in LA you can be pretty sure it’s almost all shine. Hands down, it’s one of my new favorite weekly activities and I’m already giddy about going back. Last week, we loaded up on micro greens, farm raised pork + bacon, duck eggs, delicious pressed juices from Pulp Story Juice and a menagerie of mushrooms from LAFungi.

The weekly event is fully equipped with fun for the whole family – featuring a quaint park perfect for picnics, live music, food trucks ranging from mouth watering oysters from the Shucks Oyster Truck to properly roasted corn from and sushi and snacks from Mama Musubi and farm to table fruits, veggies, poultry, exotic herbs, milk, cheese, olive oils, pressed juices and bacon – yeah, farm to table bacon: put that on your stove and grill it.

Your local Farmers’ Market is the perfect opportunity to support small businesses and get to know your community. Next time, invite your squad and make it a group outing – and who knows, if you keep frequenting the events you might even make some friends while you’re there.

If one local Farmers’ Market is good – more are obviously better; so, now I’m on the prowl for a local haunt for every day of the week. I’ve heard that there usually aren’t many on Monday or Tuesday, but what I’ve learned living in Los Angeles is that anything’s possible Keep it locked to The Bouncy Kitty for more Farmers’ Market Finds and if you’re still curious about the South Pasadena Farmer’s Market, head to their website or socials:

Website | Yelp | Facebook

[Doing it Right] San Francisco, the City of Dreams

September 4, 2013September 26, 2013Leave a comment

This past weekend I took the love of my life up to my favorite city for a weekend full of eats, drinks, adventures and my favorite people. We spent a few days in the city with my family soaking in the beautiful and breezy weather, exploring the Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building, graffiti in the Mission, epic views from both Bernal Heights Hills and Twin Peaks and last – but definitely not least – and enjoying the Exploratirum and Pier 14 with a few of our close friends. On Monday, we took to the city just the two of us to see what trouble we could get into. Below are some of my absolute favorite moments of the weekend but even the pictures can’t do it justice; it was absolutely perfect and I’m more in love than I ever thought possible!

My step-mom just got back from Cuba; and gifted me with these!!

[The Audiofiles] Required Listening for HARD Summer, Day 1

July 29, 2013September 26, 2013Leave a comment

This morning I woke up, looked at my calendar and almost freaked out because this is the last week of July; I’m sure I’ve said this a few times already this year but where the hell has the time gone?! Granted, I’m far busier than I’ve ever been: last November I started volunteering at an organization called the Kitty Bungalow: Charm School for Wayward Cats and was quickly named the Board Liaison for the organization. During my time there, I lost track of a few very important mantras – like love yourself first, be cognizant of the way people treat those who are inconsequential to their lives and that with great power comes great responsibility. Thank goodness I have an amazing boyfriend, support system and family to keep me in check – I was losing perspective, soul and my positive perspective; there was something sucking at my soul and I needed to breathe and figure out why. Ultimately, I realized what was going on in that pretty little mind of mine – I was placing my dreams on the back-burner so I could go and chase someone else’s, and it was causing me the most strange kind of anxiety: that my dreams weren’t _____ enough to chase. And just fill in the blank with whatever you will: good, valid, amazing, wonderful, solid, proactive, achievable, doable. After a few weeks of minor anxiety attacks and frustrations, I realized that what I was forgetting/neglecting/ignoring was the most important part about these dreams: they’re mine.

I took a deep breath to re-evaluate my life’s trajectory and then I made a move: I left the organization. I love cats, I love people and I love making lives better – but it’s difficult to remain affable and altruistic when at the end of the day I’m unable to help myself. Beyond my dreams being deferred, the kicker was that owner of this amazing foundation built on the idea of saving feral cats couldn’t figure out how to treat people. I took a moment and mediated on an adage from an old friend – you can’t win’em all, but you can surely throw the game; so, after toying around with e-mail drafts for two weeks I finally took the plunge and sent in my resignation letter.

It hasn’t even been a month since I’ve sent it – twenty days to be exact – but in my adult life, I can tell you one thing for sure: my soul feels free again. I’ve had the chance to experience, embrace and cultivate so many new and exciting feelings within my heart, soul and head. Each day, I fall more in love with my soulmate – the term ‘boyfriend’ doesn’t do it justice and the English language lacks the capabilities to aptly describe the way I feel inside. He’s my biggest cheerleader, a shoulder to cry on and the best support system – and friend – a girl could ask for. We’ve been able to spend more time together – and productive time at that: laying down the groundwork of our goals and converting them into possible realities. He makes me believe – not just in myself, but in my dreams and the time I’ve invested into them; it’s surreal and I can only hope everyone finds this type of counterpart in their life.

What’s even better is that my dad came into town this weekend and I got to introduce my favorite men to each other – it was so much fun! We ate – oh, we ate – well, had wonderful conversation and I even got to introduce my father to Danny’s mom – best relaxing weekend I’ve had in a while! On Friday we headed over to the Farmer’s Market at the Grove to have some Brazilian BBQ and Pinkberry; on Saturday we got our Eggs Benedict on at an amazing place called Tres at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. They had feta foam on top of the eggs; just process that for a second and try not to drool on your keyboard. During the day, we had an adventure to Universal Citywalk to catch Despicable Me 2 in 3D – if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out. One of the cutest movies I’ve seen in a long time and probably the best sequel ever. Finally, we ended the day with some stellar Sushi and conversation. Sunday morning was for the parents meeting – and that went phenomenally. We all took a walk down to the Farmer’s Market and got some crepes – both sweet and savory – and the Waffles Versaille. I was tres full! Last but not lease we rounded out the weekend with some Abbey Road on vinyl – because why not!

Speaking of being a perpetual five year old trapped in the body of a 28 year old, there are certain things that will simply put never ever lose their meaning to me. There are little bits and pieces of my reality that I covet and keep close to my soul; n no particular order: bubbles, cotton candy, sprinklers that create rainbows, tanlines, live music, miniature bottles of liquor, costumes and fabulous people. There’s something uniquely special about each one of them to me, but if you throw them all together and put a little magic in it – you essentially get a music festival. And speaking of, we’re currently gearing up for one in LA right now! HARD Fest is proud to present HARD Summer – coming up at LA’s State Historic Park. Last year’s event was absolutely ridiculous and this year’s shouldn’t be any different! I’ve compiled a playlist of the Day 1 artists to get down to and I’ll hit y’all with a Day 2 playlist later this week =) enjoy!