Summer Vegetable Trips

This is a guest post by my friend Amelia Quenton!

My husband and I are big supporters of Farmer's markets and roadside stands. We love fresh produce so much that we started taking a summer trip to New Mexico to get roasted peppers and fresh veggies. Mexican food being our favorite, we like to stock our freezer for the winter months as well.

We usually stay with family and friends when we go and get up early to hit the stands. One morning when my husband and best friend were talking about setting his new adt alarm from allhomesecurity.com, the smell of roasting peppers filled the kitchen. We decided that we needed tomatoes and some heirloom beans for some good southwestern food, so we set out on our journey.

We found a few stands here and there, picked up corn a meat pie for my husband and tomatoes. We found a market a few towns over that had beans, so we bought many pounds to take back home with us. At the end of the day we had a great meal, with homemade tortillas, fresh veggies and beautiful stuffed chilies.

This is one trip that we can't make and are sad to leave every time. We usually learn how to cook something new every time, try a new bean and are introduced to many spices. We load the car with our coolers full of chilies, paper bags full of beans and spices and a few to-go containers with food for the road. On the way home we stop in a few places to drop off chilies with friends or relatives and share a bite or two of authentic food.

I love our trips to get vegetables, enjoy beautiful raised bed gardens and the aromas that come from cooking fresh authentic meals. The vegetables never taste the same when they are store bought and we crave our summer trips to get garden fresh food. The cost of the trip is well worth the flavors, education and time with friends.