Super Size Me!

Welcome Weekend! It's cold, raw and raining here in New Yawk. We seem to be having our "April Showers" in May. Clinton Kelly is in sunny California for Macy's, leaving the rest of us to scavenge dry wood for just one more fire to chase away the chill...

This post is dedicated to my good friend Jackie. Not my artist-friend-Jackie....remember I said that I have two friends named Jackie? (I think it's important for everyone to have double of the things that you really love...)

I met Jackie (deux) in the spring of 2005 and we became instant friends. She's incredibly smart and wickedly funny and she's gorgeous as well. So, with all that in COMMON, of course we hit it off immediately. (HA.You can stop laughing now...it's not THAT funny.)

Jackie's having an ongoing love affair with food. I've never seen anything like it. I've often wondered if her husband realizes what serious competition he's got awaiting him right there in their kitchen...as close as the fridge. Thing is, she appreciates food...and way beyond taste...she's into texture and smell...and ALL-NATURAL. Evidently, Jackie's mom was a pioneer-woman in organics, WAY before the rest of the country realized that Cheez Whiz is about as healthy for your body as...say...a cigarette. So, it shouldn't be all that surprising that she's seriously into healthy eating. She'll be telling me about the dinner she made with something-sprouts, mixed with something-germ and how she had something-with-whole-wheat-flour for dessert. (What she doesn't realize is that I'm silently biting into a Hostess cupcake, hand cupped under my chin to catch the errant crumbs so as not to attract attention from the dog...all this whilst trying not to inadvertently disconnect the call with my chewing.)

I'm kidding. I hardly ever eat Hostess cupcakes...

Anyway, on her last foray into my neck of the woods, I took her to a local family-owned place that's right up her alley. They've got ALL-NATURAL up the caboose...so to speak. They've also got their own greenhouses, and cheese from countries I never even knew existed. Shopping there is a real treat. I especially love the super-fresh fruits & veggies....but I'm wondering if I should be concerned:


I'd had a few sugar snap peas and two or three strawberries left over from the market and decided to pick up some more today. Can you tell which ones are new?! Exactly what kind of fertilizer are these people using, anyway??

Oh, and for the record...the bottle is purely for a frame of reference on the relative size of things...just in case you were wondering.