Saturday, August 9, 2008

Cool Tool

I absolutely LUV fresh vegetables! My most favorite way to ingest them is in salad form. We lived in Valdez, Alaska for a time. While it may be hands down one of the most beautiful places in the world; it's no mecca for fresh food of any sort. Everything comes by truck from Anchorage by truck over Thompson Pass (a six hour drive on a good day) or by barge. Either way, things aren't at their peak of flavor once they arrive in that fair village. In fact, most stores in the lower 48 would send that produce to the compost bin once it reached that condition. To top it off, the cash you fork over for these sad offerings is astronomical! So I used to do my very best to prolong the shelf-life (or fridge-life) of my pricey, precious tidbits. The only thing I could come up with was using reams and reams of paper towels to dry the lettuce as regular cloth towels were too heavy, and the nearest kitchen specialty shop was in Anchorage. I wasn't yet shopping online, because of my phobia of all things tech-y! (Silly, I know.) So a couple of years later we moved to Los Anchorage, as some of the old sourdoughs "affectionately" call it. They hold a bazaar each weekend during the summer dubbed "The Down-Town Market." There you can find anything from live plants to live belly dancers; from beautiful hand made pottery to tacky Alaskana touristy keep-sakes. All varieties of crappy carnival fare to graze on (though I do highly recommend the halibut tacos! Teh awesome!) There are also commercial vendors who hawk items such as pet supplies, embroidered ball caps, all sorts of clothes and Tupperware. This is where I found the bestest gadget ever! It's their version of a salad spinner, and OMG I love it! The proprietress only had one, and while I wasn't crazy about the colours, red and white fast-food joint graphic IMO, I was thrilled by the design. It was geared, no cord to wear out and break and LARGE- just what I had decided was best for us from my research. Woo-Hoo!!! Ensalada Nirvana! So happy! I know; I'm a freak! ;)

10 comments:

NameChanged said...

In other news, Bounty stock just plummeted.

kkryno said...

Now that's funny girl!

GR said...

Dry humor...

Doug and Amanda said...

I'm so proud of you! Now I can hope for my children to enjoy the beauty of trees...or at least paper towels.

Q said...

Hi Vikki,
I also love my salad spinner.
I was tickled with your commenters comments. Saving the planet one roll at a time.
Sherry

kkryno said...

Dear Sherry; Gotta love family! Actually, I did feel very guilty about the ridiculous amount of paper towels I went through. My kids were sure their mom was crazy! I wanted the right one, and probably could have bought several for the amount spent on Bounty. I love your comment, too! ;)

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Now if Alaska only had more seasons besides Winter and almost Winter, LOL! Still, spin those veggies while you got 'em, girl!

Happy Hump Day! ;o)

Love and hugs,

Diane

kkryno said...

Diane, No kidding! I looked outside today and I spied yellow leaves! Noooooo! I'm not acknowleging this. Mind cannot process. Auuugh! Thanks for the hug; I needed it. ;)

The Cunning Runt said...

Eat up. My Dear, winter's commin'. I kid you not.

Nothing beats fresh veggies, except for home-grown veggies, which I eat on my hands and knees as I weed between the good stuff.

I understand that your growing season doesn't allow for that, but have you tried the "spring" produce, like lettuces and snow peas? I bet you could grow a butt-load of that stuff right at home if you planned your garden as though you only had Spring to work with...

kkryno said...

Hey , CR! I haven't tried peas (I hear the mouse LURV them!) but I planted romaine in barrels all over and yummy! Even the farmers in Palmer say that they feel an early winter. BRRRRR! :}