Coventry Farmers Market

As expected, yesterday’s trip to the Coventry Farmers Market was a total success!

There was a slight bump in the road when we ran into miles upon miles of backed-up traffic but we made the best of it by jamming out to Justin Bieber and Usher. In that order. In lieu of waiting in said traffic, we parked on the side of the road and walked the 1/2 mile to the farmers market.

The two of us used our Oakley Women tote bags that we received at the Tone It Up Meet Up last month to carry our purchases. It should also be noted that this was an unplanned occurrence. We don’t call each other best blends for nothin’!

Upon arrival, we saw a slew of local vendors and long lines of hungry customers, waiting to get their fill!

RIPE Cocktail Mixers

As soon as I saw the words “raw organic smoothies,” I was sold! Raw Food Central was situated under a tent, making smoothies and selling kale chips (!!!), dehydrated corn, and dehydrated peas. I sampled some kale chips while the lovely lady blended my pineapple-mango smoothie. The kale chips were made with sunflower seeds instead of the typical cashews, and they were very tasty! The smoothie was made with organic frozen pineapple, mango, ice, and a bit of organic, raw agave. It was super delicious!

See that beautiful swiss chard on the right-hand side of this picture? It’s delicious. I would know, as it was the base of my salad today. Nom nom nom.

If you’re at all curious about the significance of the above tomato plant, it is dedicated to Matty and his former college roommates, Brian and Dave (hey guys!). Their apartment complex at UMass Amherst was called Brandywine, where I spent many a night, so this made me smile and reminisce. Did you know that brandywine is a type of tomato? I certainly didn’t!

There were so many tents and a wide array of fresh produce and legumes. These kidney beans looked so divine!

Check out those hand-painted, glass oil containers! I can barely draw a stick figure, so I could totally appreciate the fine craftsmanship of these beauties.

Fresh tabbouleh?! Sign us up!

Cait and I were all over this tabbouleh salad from Lazizah Bakery. The owner was a total character and told us it was made fresh that morning. I asked him why there wasn’t any falafel for sale and he told us that he would only prepare it fresh, which would require a fryer, and he didn’t have the proper portable equipment to do that. Clearly, he really values serving his customers high-quality falafel. I loved how he wasn’t willing to sacrifice its quality, even if it would allow him to profit a bit more. 

Oh, lord. If you know anything about my taste buds, you know that I am an absolute sucker for salty-meets-savory food. When I saw the above kettle corn flavors, I was so game for a taste. Keifer’s Kettle Korn knows what’s up! The garlic maple pepper variety was outstanding.

…and then, I died and went to heaven. Cait had pre-warned me about the multiple foodgasms that would occur upon tasting Yummy Hummy‘s hummus. Being the hummus devotee that I am, I’d already checked out their flavors and was dead-set on purchasing their carrot ginger flavor. Unfortunately, by the time we reached the booth, it had sold out! Instead, I opted for the roasted garlic & rosemary. Um, wow. Honestly, guys, this IS the best hummus I’ve EVER had in my life – and I’ve eaten a lot of hummus, people. The vendors were so nice, and we chatted with them for a few minutes about Cait and I’s passion for blogging. We learned that the vendors’ sister is a newbie blogger from Colorado! How cool?!

Shayna B’s & the Pickle makes vegan, wheat-free, and gluten free baked goods and granola. Cait had also told me many good things about this wonderful company, and we were certainly not disappointed. When we arrived at the table, Cait told the kind vendors about how excited I was to visit and sample an exclusively vegan company’s treats!

They gave us a Wendy Bite, a mini blonde brownie made with garbanzo bean flour, coconut oil, and almonds, and we nearly died. The slight hint of coconut was the absolute perfect addition. I didn’t have enough cash to purchase them, so Cait and I put our money together, but we still came up $0.50 short. The amazing women let it slide and allowed me to take home my Wendy Bites, despite the fact that we didn’t have enough money. We were blown away! We had to peel ourselves away from their booth. They had this amazing and contagious positive energy.

After perusing the market, we visited some baby animals!

This is Henry (yes, I named him). We were so in love and I am having Henry withdrawals as we speak. How insanely precious is he?!

While I bonded with Henry, Cait bonded with a llama.

Please note how they are making virtually identical faces. 

I also walked a goat. He almost pooped on my foot.

The skies started to gray and we began to feel a few rain drops, so Cait and I decided to walk back to the car. We also had a very important lady to meet up with: Jenny! I met up with Jenny (Jen, we missed you!) last month and was so pumped to see her again. We went to The Green Teahouse in West Hartford for a unique tea-drinking experience.

We picked our teas (see the selection the picture below) and waited for them to be blended. Our kind server, Caroline, first steeped the tea in boiling water before pouring it into a cup filled with ice. Honestly, it wasn’t my cup of tea (no pun intended!).  I appreciate the craftsmanship and passion of The Green Teahouse staff, I’m just more of a coffee girl than a tea girl. Cait and Jenny really liked theirs, though! 

The three of us had a great time just chatting and laughing. Standard. A short while later, we gave hugs and said goodbye. Quite the perfect ending to a perfect day. A special thanks to Cait for being an amazing friend and hostess. I love you, girl! 

Stay lovely,
Heather