Odds and Ends

The West Frederick Farmer's Market goes all of the way til Thanksgiving. A lot of people don't know that. Now is a good time to put your holiday orders in, especially for meat.

Dan Goebel (Yeon's husband) has put up some cute pictures of the spinning demo that was at the market on October 3. See them here.

I am a week behind as usual on my Top Chef posts, but was given a reprieve by Bravo showing a reunion episode from previous seasons this week. It really seems like Bravo is trying to stretch this season out. Maybe it's because this season is really interesting and they keep picking up new viewers. Anyway, it's annoying.

And speaking of Top Chefs (I am not insinuating anything), I went to Volt last night with a few girlfriends as I normally do on a Friday night. Bryan brought out fresh truffles and let me smell them. I had never seen a whole fresh white truffle before and it was really pungent and awesome. I told him I am doing a 21 day medical cleanse to eliminate nine different allergens from my diet (I can't drink either- the only thing I had there last night was sparkling water), so he brought out other stuff for me to smell. Have you ever smelled a Tonka bean? Probably not, because until recently they were banned by the FDA: in large doses they act as a blood thinner. They have vanilla undertones, but the smell is even more complex, spicy, and earthy. Bryan and I chatted about how it's great about the publicity, but it also is keeping him from other things that he also considers important. He hasn't been making it to the farmer's market recently, and he doesn't like this. [But he has been buying a lot of fresh local produce] We talked about doing another chef's challenge next year and he is into it. Anyway I am excited for him and the restaurant, and think it's awesome he is doing so well on Top Chef. My friends and I complain halfheartedly nowadays about how busy Volt is, but we are also very proud. Oh, and check out this article in the Baltimore Sun.

On the cleanse- it's called MediClear, and it was prescribed to me by a naturopathic doctor along with this stuff called Isocort, which is an adrenal supplement. I've been on the Isocort now for a week and have already seen radical improvements to my energy and to some weird problems I've had for a while like pressure on the top of my head. I even had an MRI for the head pressure a few years back and they didn't find anything. But within a few days of starting on the Isocort it went away. I have narcolepsy, and I think it's being triggered by food allergies. Anyway, I am testing this theory out. The good thing is that the cleanse emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to the temporary elimination of foods that typically cause people allergies and immune problems. It's nice to know that I can not only keep doing the thing I love- eating from the green market- but that it may also be my path to wellness. I'm still doing the gluten-free thing and I feel better than I did- I'm not depressed anymore- but I think there may be other things that are causing me problems. We shall see. If you think this stuff is weird, that's okay. The proof is in the pudding, as my mom says.

Happy Saturday! Hope to see you at the market!

OH and PS, I need to change the header!