Fresh from the Farmers Market

Saturdays are farmers' market days here in our town. I got up early this morning with my boys to shop for fresh produce.


Here, we're picking out the juiciest peaches for the peach crepes I'll be making


Sweet corn on the cob for lunch with grilled pesto chicken.


Cucumbers & onions for the salad. Try sliced cucumbers drizzled with red balsamic vinegar, dash of salt & pepper, and brown sugar. A tasty, refreshing summer side dish.


We love these granola bars from the Amish. These make for healthy quick snack, especially for our little guys.


Loading up on these greens!


And don't forget the carrots. We love snacking on these. Blanch it in hot water then drizzle with agave syrup to cap off your sweet cravings.

Can't wait to cook things up for an al fresco dining with family today.

Have you been to the market today? Share your photos too.

- Posted from my iPhone

Sweet Twee Feature

Sweet Twee Blog has graciously and proudly featured my Fruit and Veggie Baggie.

For a mix of everything cute and fun, head over to Sweet Twee.

Thanks again for the sweet feature Sweet Twee.

Why it Pays to be Green

Fruit Market Baggie, $17.

Did you know that one less grocery bag per person in a year would reduce waste by 5 million lbs. and save $250,000 in disposal costs?  

So, shop smart and stay 'green'.   These reusable and washable baggies are my best bets.  

I'm totally saying 'bye' to plastics.  How about you?

An Apple and a Brush

Click on Photo to Buy this Painting.
Watercolor on cold press 140lb Montval watercolor paper, 6 x9 in.
Watermark not present on original artwork. Price $90.

Two interesting subjects but an unlikely combination. Why together?

The apple. One of the most beloved fruit. The symbol of man's first reproduction. An easy meal replacement or snack which is also conveniently nutritious. 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' won't be a popular phrase for no reason. It's pleasant to look at and boasts the prettiest primary color - red. For centuries, this succulent fruit has been the popular subject of still life paintings. The fine art masters painted it incessantly.

Which brings me to the brush. What will be a palette and a paint without it? Unless you're a finger painter, this bristly tool is indispensable. It's art's most esteemed metaphor. Museums and collectors have prided themselves not by just procuring and displaying works of art but with historic finds of antique brushes used by the masters.

So this is not 'just' a still life painting. It's a toast to two of life's greatest symbolic creations. One by God, the other by Man. Two incomparable beings brought together.

Just like my apple and my brush.

Pineapple

Click on Photo to Buy this Painting.
Watercolor on cold press 140lb Montval watercolor paper, 6 x9 in.
Watermark not present on original artwork. Price $90.

The icon of the tropics. It melts the winter blues away just looking at it. I bet whoever discovered this edible fruit long time ago, was very adventurous.

Who would think that inside the rough surface and spiky leaves is a sweet, tangy, slightly sour (when it's not overripe), juicy and fibrous meat. That's a lot of adjectives for one fruit. And don't forget the vitamins and cancer-fighting agents you get too. And again, the dietary fiber that is so good for you. I can almost hear my mom saying 'Eat your fiber.'

We ought to be more like that person who discovered it. Be more adventurous, look beyond the surface, love and appreciate others more despite their rough surfaces and spiky characters. Be a little more forgiving.

I can't wait to slice it and divulge on its sweetness. But first, let me paint it.

Still Life

Click on Photo to Buy this Painting.
Watercolor on cold press 140lb Montval watercolor paper, 6 x9 in.
Watermark not present on original artwork. Price $90.

Can life really stand still, I wonder.

Even if we resist to move or compelled to be stationary, our life moves with every breath we make. Time passes with every brush stroke.

But how about those destined to be inanimate like my still life subjects. They may be still (for now, before I or my husband take them for a bite) but they give life to my painting.

Thus, the name 'still life'.

That makes sense.