Sunday

 Groceries.
A few posts ago someone asked about my grocery routine.

Generally we do our shopping for the week on Sunday: first at the farmers market, then at the co-op.
At the farmers market we usually buy veg and fruit, plus something seasonal like ramps that you can't get at a grocery store (sadly there wasn't much today).
I find it best to get two of each type of green, since they cook down so much (chard and collards) and we eat them pretty much everyday.
Leeks, onions, and garlic are essentials we just get because we know they'll get used in one way or another. 
Then at the co-op we get a chicken, which we roast on Sunday, eat the rest of the week and then make a stock from when we're finished.
Other things I like getting at the co-op (mostly because they're cheaper) are a huge bag of organic carrots (I grate these into salads for lunch, roast with the chicken, or use in stock), daikon radish (also to grate into salads), farm eggs, some type of grain (here it's pearled barley), beans (navy), and any other ingredients I plan on using for lunch or dinner.
In addition to roasting the chicken I cook a big batch of grains or legumes to spoon into salads for lunch during the week.
This week I really want to make an eggplant/navy bean gratin from the Greens cookbook, hence those two ingredients, otherwise we just wing it and pick up anything else we may need on the fly.
I am looking forward to the CSA's starting back up soon!
That way you have to make do with what you've got.
What's your routine?

9 comments:

Sarah said...

Thanks for sharing, I love seeing other people's groceries (for some reason)!

Your routine sounds similar to mine. I'm lucky to live near farmers markets, Whole Foods, coop, Japanese market, and several other small grocery stores, so I do my shopping when I'm on the go.

My current staples are: Rice, wheatberries, onion, garlic, wine (to cook with), eggs, steel cut oats, lots of greens (kale, gailan) and veggies. Not a vegetarian, but I find myself eating little meat (if I buy some, I tend to buy it in large quantities and freeze portions).

I should eat more fruit, but I'm allergic to so much of it now that I usually forget to look. Exception: Juicy berries making their debut at the farmers markets right now.

ane pixestos said...

Since I live in one of those countries with tiny fridges, I go to the green market almost every day and buy whatever is fresh, including small portions of meat a few times a week. I love fresh herbs, most of all.
Other food staples include a fantastic whole grain bread with natural yeast I buy at a bakery: the kind that slices thin and lasts a week.
I am currently especially keen on organic polenta.
Most lunches are 'one pot soups' and salads! :)

joanna said...

this is such a wholesome way of shopping and cooking! i wish i could say i did the same more often, but i have a crazy travel schedule which means i usually end up eating out a lot before i leave town. i look forward to being at home and getting into my routine which is usually a stop at trader joe's for basics (grains, dairy) and whole foods for what i like to call luxury items - ha. i've perfected the whole foods shopping -- that means knowing what to buy so that i don't end up spending $1,273 which can easily happen there. a farmers' market run takes place on saturdays when i'm home for fruit and veggies. we eat a lot of brown rice pasta over here, and i usually rotate between 5 or 6 pasta recipes or experiment with a new recipe in the kitchen. my husband just found out that he's allergic to gluten so things are about to get all crazy up in here.

trees and what not said...

recently I'm trying to take as much home as possible from the community allotment I volunteer at, also I have an organic veg-box delivered once a fortnight, I do nip to supermarkets too, for some items that are hard to get else where but usually only once a month, I get meat form the local butcher when I know what we're having and I'm the same as you with a chicken, cooking a chicken is one the things I look forward to most because it is a plentiful bounty, it just keeps giving, stock is a vital to all my cooking. I love your images and way of life, lovely to peek into it, thanks x

natasha said...

wow, everyone is so healthy, including you, haha! i love good food but i'm not a virtuous eater by any stretch. my shopping 'routine' is nonexistent and unpredictable - i probably buy groceries here and there every single day! i love going to the market, so it makes me happy to go there as much as possible. : )

ashley said...

i love going grocery shopping to natasha! we just moved practically next door to the co-op and stop in close to everyday to grab stuff as we need it, a true luxury to us since we used to walk an hour just to grocery shop!

Jia said...

my boyfriend and i try to eat at home on weekdays, so we usually sit down on Sundays before we go grocery shopping and plan our meals for the week. we cook about 4 meals each week, with enough left overs so we can bring it to work for lunch the next day...

first we go to the asian store to buy tofu, noodles and asian sauces. then we go to the fruit and veg market, where we usually get an amazing bargain (less than 20AUD for a week's worth of fruit and veg). because it is autumn in Sydney now, we are buying more root vegetables and making more soups! afterwards we may stop by the supermarket to buy things like pasta or eggs.

lauren said...

yay i love seeing groceries! while my ideal situation is to be able to go to the market every couple of days and buy what's fresh, these days it's not an option.
we go grocery shopping on saturday and prepare the food for the week on sunday. try to make it to the farmer's market and whole foods... can't wait until my crazy month is over so i have time for both more grocery shopping and more food preparation!
add some thick-cut bacon, aged cheese, and mixed beef bones for stock and we have an eerily similar grocery haul!

Tiffany said...

Oh, this is such a nice look into how you make the magic happen. There is this delicious thing I've been eating that I discovered only recently. It's called panisse, and you can buy it pre-made in a tube like polenta. It's made from chickpea flour, and is such a nice addition to salads. I'd like to make my own one of these days.