Why you need a Mason Jar Vacuum Sealer.

 

Is your summer produce coming in as fast as mine? I have so many tomatoes coming in that I’m struggling to keep up. In fact, the night before last I had a dream about them. That’s how much they have taken over my life. I also have cucumbers, onions, and jalapeños that I’m picking daily. If you are as inundated as I am, it’s helpful to be able to get that produce to last as long as possible. Naturally, when you grow your own, it is going to last longer than what you get at the grocery store that is who knows how old, but it can still be difficult to keep up.

 

 

 I have found that a great way to keep my produce super fresh is to store it in jars that I have sealed with a Mason jar vacuum sealer. This thing is amazing! This past week I used it for salads. I made a different salad for every day of the week, and do you know that salad stayed fresh for longer than seven days? Not only that, but every salad tasted perfectly fresh, even the one I enjoyed at the end of the week. I love salads, but I hate making them. Now, I mass make them all in one morning, and enjoy them all week long.This works exceptionally well for fruit, chopped vegetables, cubes of cheese, salami, etc. It makes it so easy to put together a salad and the makings of a charcuterie tray with little to no effort. If you don’t have one of these Mason jar vacuum sealers, get one. I am not kidding you. It takes up only a tiny amount of space wherever you choose to store it, pays for itself in food saved, and does such an incredible job at keeping your food fresh. If you are worried about food spoilage, you owe it to yourself to get one (get two!) and share with a friend.

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The Fresh Market

Truth be told, I've become disillusioned of late with both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. The former with its narrow aisles, uppity employees, rather high prices, and surprisingly un-tasty fresh foods (I'm talking about their insipid slices of pizza, lifeless chicken salad, and fishy crab cakes to name a few), the latter with frozen food products that seem to rival Banquet in both mushiness and lack of taste, the complete absence of any type of in-store bakery, not to mention that soccer moms and their kids tend to use the aisles as places to hang out, and then snarl at people with carts who are actually trying to shop. Do I sound a bit cranky? Maybe I am, but after years of shopping at both places, the bloom is definitely off the rose.

Enter The Fresh Market, a North Carolina-based chain of gourmet supermarkets that recreate the feeling of open European-style markets.

Open, airy, pleasant, clean (sparkling, in fact), with produce that beckons, and baked goods (cleverly placed throughout the store in addition to being located in an eye-popping in-store bakery) that are positively mouthwatering. We succumbed to the buy-one-get-one-free pie offer and were not disappointed. In our defense, the pies were small ones.

The seafood and meat counters were packed with delicious looking and fresh items. It was such a sensory overload that it wasn't until we returned home that I realized we hadn't actually purchased the crab cakes that I'd been drooling over. No problem! I'll be back.

Don't let the “gourmet” aspect put you off. This store has sales, great sales. Their fresh, beautiful, red (with no gray meat hidden in the center, a la large supermarkets, for shame!) ground chuck is on sale every Tuesday in June for $2.99/pound!  This is but one of many Tuesday specials.

If a supermarket can have an aura, this one had a beautiful one. I had such a lovely, relaxed feeling while shopping here. Plus, the employees were nice! Very nice. Outgoing, pleasant, and not at all hassled or annoyed by my questions. They made me feel as if they were pleased to have me in their store.

Is this place the “be all” of grocery stores? Well, no. I have yet to find such a place, but that could be because I am continually in search of less than common ingredients and this often involves specialty or ethnic stores. But with money tight for nearly everyone these days, I'm going to spend mine at a place that offers good specials and makes me feel as if my patronage is both welcomed and appreciated. If you happen to live in one of the areas that has one of these stores, check it out.

This is not a sponsored post. I am just a really happy customer.

This post is linked to:

Mosaic Monday

Inspire Me Tuesday

Making Memories Mondays

The 5-Minute Centerpiece

I'm not gonna lie, I have a lot of dishes. I’ve had a passion for setting a pretty table ever since college when all I had was a card table with a bum leg, four mismatched place settings, and a piece of cloth.  I managed to turn it into an attractive setting, and with that I was off and running. I would gladly take other people's cast offs, single plates, anything I could find.  I loved the challenge of being able to create order out of chaos, I still do. So, I guess you could say that having a lot of dishes is my one indulgence. And because I indulge myself, I also tend to have a bit of a storage problem.  So, in the spirit of minimalizing (to a degree), I have been thinning out my supply of decorative pieces.  This can sometimes present a bit of a problem when putting a centerpiece together. Solutions for the present are often born from problems of the past.

A number of years ago, during a move, when I lost track of almost every Christmas decoration that I owned, I had no other choice but to get creative with organics - pine rope, cranberries, greenery, etc. Honestly, it was the most peaceful season ever because shopping for decorations in the produce department is just all kinds of easy. It also makes clean up a breeze, and the best part is that there is nothing to store. In addition, doing this kind of decorating every year means that you'll have something fresh and new each season and won't be pulling out the same old dusty pieces, wondering if they have another year of life in them (The answer is 

“no!”). 

This fall centerpiece is an example of what I like to think of as “organic decorating.” The base is the same one that I used last week (and was actually a part of a floral piece that had seen better days years ago, so it was disassembled for parts).  I kept the moss in the bottom, and just piled up some organic seasonal produce from Melissa's. I love the pumpkin-shaped Butterkin squash with its pale color. The two of them provide a nice neutral background for baby pomegranates, quinces, and both real and faux grapes. I had a couple Alstroemeria left over from an arrangement, so tucked them in with the produce. Isn’t it lovely?

The next time you are wondering about what kind of centerpiece to use for your table, linger in the produce section of your local market and see what you can find. Pile things up in a bowl and sit back and wait for the compliments.  

This post is linked to: 

Amaze Me Monday

Inspire Me Tuesday

The Scoop

Wow Us Wednesday

Work It Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday

Thursday Favorite Things

Home and Garden Thursday

Show and Tell Friday 

"Produce-ing" a Great Centerpiece

 

 Decorating a seasonal table or assembling an eye-catching centerpiece need not be difficult nor expensive.  In fact, pretty much all you need is a trip to the produce section of your local market, a fist full of colorful leaves from your neighborhood, and a seasonal decorative piece. 

This owl is really old. My husband acquired it years before I married him, and we hung it from a 100-year-old Redbud tree for 18 years until the tree was taken by a tornado. During the excavation and clean up process, I found the owl, partially embedded in a water-filled hole in the ground created by an uprooted tree. I scrubbed it, dried it, and packed it up to take to the new house where it stared at me from the corner of the garage every time I got into my car. 

It was pretty dusty, so I ran it through the dishwasher (no, I am not kidding) and today it is quite a conversation piece as he watches over the fruits and vegetables that make up my seasonal centerpiece. Originally the owl was black, but the years have weathered it into the most wonderful colors, but then I think the years, wisdom, and "weathering" makes us all more beautiful.  I couldn't be happier with it, and I do believe that it's going to appear every fall in one display or other.

The rest of the centerpiece is made up of a pumpkin platter, that once belonged to my mother, as a base, a variety of unusual fruits, and a grouping of seasonal squashes. Not only can I enjoy the centerpiece, but I can eat it when I'm finished!

The table covering I dearly love. It is fabric by Michael Miller called “Nevermore.”  I've tried to include a different angle in each photograph so that you can see the skulls, bugs, poison bottles, frogs, owls, and other spooky components. I love the neutral colors. So many seasonal fabrics are infused with so much color that it can be hard to decorate. This fabric with black, cream, and light amber is perfect. 

The plates are from Pottery Barn and are also called “Nevermore,” are you beginning to detect a theme?  

The pumpkin mugs are years old and from Starbucks. 

Shiny or colorful flatware would have been wrong for this table, so I pulled out the bamboo flatware from Crate & Barrel that I find more uses for than I ever imagined. 

Pumpkin S & P - Gift
White plates - Old Time Pottery

Wine Glasses – Wine Enthusiast
Orange plates - David Harden

“Freaky Fruits” – Melissa’s Produce
Black napkins - made for me by my dear, and much missed mother

This post is linked to:

Amaze Me Monday

Tabletop Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesdays

 The Charm of Home
 At The Picket Fence

Let’s Dish!

Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

Inspiration Gallery Thursday
Transformation Thursday
Open House Party

Tablescape Thursday

Home and Garden Thursday

Feather Your Nest Friday
 Show and Tell Friday

Be Inspired Friday

Seasonal Sundays