I don’t know about anyone else but I’m sick and tired of consuming things that make no sense to me. Ingredient labels that look like chemistry essays are my personal Roman Empire. I obsess over them at the grocery store – and at home too whenever the ingredient list of something I’ve bought is either too long or contains unfamiliar items that I know didn’t exist a hundred years ago. And a little research didn’t take long for me to realize that I’m far from the only one concerned with the quality and standards of the things I nourish myself with.

I stumbled across some insights from the global market insights provider, Innova, who track industry trends in six continents and highlight that “consumers are increasingly seeking value from high quality ingredients,” and product differentiation is being driven by ingredient quality. It would appear that ingredient quality isn’t only influencing my purchase decisions.

When I first moved back to the United States, I suffered from never actually feeling nourished after I’d eaten. No matter what I ate. I think I’ve acclimatized a bit after living here consecutively for almost three years, but, as a lover of food and eating, it does concern me. I haven’t had a meal here where I am astounded by the taste or flavors. I’ve yet to be transported. And I’m not quite sure why that is. I mean I’ve stopped eating pork altogether! And not because of any moral standing, but I just can’t stand the smell – or taste – of it here. It’s downright mind boggling to me!

Last week, I made the decision to cut out the middle man as much as possible and I ventured to my first farmer’s market armed with my Aldi reusable shopping bag. It was the second time I’d ever gone to a farmer’s market and the first time I’d ever gone to one with the intent to do my grocery shopping there. The experience was expensive (as you can imagine), but it was also very rewarding and exactly what I was looking for.

First off, I was determined to source fresh, truly organic eggs, and let me tell you, the eggs I bought have been the freshest I’ve cracked in years. So fresh that the white still firms around the fresh yolk. It made me happy and let me tell you my scrambled eggs now taste halfway decent again. I also bought my bread for the week and some chicken liver pâté that I plan to try out after I finish with work today. I didn’t come prepared enough to purchase any proteins, but the fresh fruit and vegetables made me happy. I found delicious looking fennel that will be going into a chicken recipe I found online last night (and plan to share with you tomorrow).

All in all, I’m hoping this works for me – at least until I’m able to grow my own vegetables (and home my own chickens??). This week I plan to purchase some beef from the market to test it out. I’m really excited about that and as always, will keep you posted.

Til another time!