Spicy Edamame Tofushi

As I mentioned, I’m totally on this healthy eating / moderately macrobiotic kick lately. So, this morning I took my parents to the Kapiolani Community College (KCC) Farmer’s Market, Down to Earth (Moiliili) and Marukai for a whirlwind health food shopping expedition.

Choy Sum

Today was the first time I’ve ventured to the KCC Farmer’s Market, mainly because I really didn’t have much interest in organic/locally-grown produce in the past. Whatever was available at my neighborhood Long’s or Safeway was pretty much good enough for me. After all, KCC is pretty darned far from where I live and the Farmer’s Market begins and ends early on Saturday mornings (7:30 - 11:00 am). But now that I’ve got a vested interest in eating healthier, I’ve decided to make the effort.

Spicy Ahi Tofushi

First of all, I was shocked to see the droves of patrons and the madhouse that the KCC parking lot becomes at the height of the rush. The stalls seem pretty narrow and it doesn’t help that people driving large SUVs don’t think twice about parking crooked with a tire or two over the line, which renders the neighboring stall useless unless you’re driving a moped. If people took the time to straighten out their car, more parking would be available for others. Can you tell that inconsiderate drivers bug me?

Kimpira Gobo

Despite the grim parking situation, we got lucky and managed to find a stall relatively close to the action. Tons of vendors offering hot food of all kinds, bottled/pickled/preserved fruits and vegetables, fresh cut flowers, plants, and of course, farmers with their fresh produce. If I wasn’t so grouchy after contending with the parking lot situation, I would have taken some photos, but alas, the throngs of people deterred me from taking my camera out of my purse. However, the excitement of discovering new and exciting wares quickly melted my foul mood.

I saw veteran shoppers with collapsible crate carts to roll their purchases in as they browsed the aisles of vendors. (Mental note: Get one!) My poor dad ended up carrying almost everything, since I’m surrounded by people who are ultra-paranoid about me lifting anything these days. So, what did I buy? Papayas, lichee, corn, beets, cabbage, Japanese cucumbers, a green onion plant to grow on my patio, and various prepared foods (2 kinds of tofushi, kimpira gobo, and hijiki).

After the farmer’s market, we headed to Down to Earth in Moiliili where I discovered that shopping organic is anything but cheap. On the up side, I managed to find the elusive organic genmai (brown rice) miso for $8.59 and mugi (barley) miso for $10.49 that I had been looking for. I also purchased a one-ounce bag of agar agar flakes for $8.79 (!).

Our last stop was Marukai, which didn’t hit my pocketbook nearly as hard as Down to Earth. I managed to refrain from picking up a $12 package of Shincha (first harvest) loose tea leaves. They were giving out samples and my affinity for good green tea almost compelled me to buy it, despite my better judgment to avoid caffeine. (The doctor says I can have two servings per day, but I have been trying my best to limit my caffeine intake as much as possible.) I actually had it in my cart, but I put it back before I hit the cash register. I always say that it’s best to have buyer’s remorse before you buy something. It saves time and money.

All in all, it was a very productive day. I attempted the Berry Cherry Parfait with Tofu Cream recipe today. It’s currently setting in my refrigerator as we speak, so I don’t know how it turned out yet. I think I messed up the tofu cream part though, since I ran out of vanilla extract and added an extraneous ingredient (2 T. of brown rice syrup) by mistake. I might pick up a tub of Cool Whip later tonight, just in case I ruined the tofu cream. If it’s photogenic enough, I’ll take a picture later.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS