Maybe just a little obsessed........

Ya know, this blog was suppose to be about the flower farm. Maybe a little knitting and spinning. An occasional nod about canning. OMG! Its a bloomin' foodie blog!!

Some women shop the malls weekly. They read the latest issue of Elle magazine. They never have been a Glamour Don't. They know the latest colors, the hottest trends and they care. They watch Project Runway. I am not that woman!!!!

I am obsessed with food. Good food --- no fast food, no pre-packaged meals, no ingredient lists that look like chemistry experiments. Delicious things like artichokes and capers and wild rice and anything with mushrooms. Personally, I think the obsession began with the guy that gave me 5 pounds of American cheese for Valentine's Day. Or maybe it was the tomato farmer that brought me a bushel of tomatoes when he picked me up for the drive-in movie. Or maybe it was when Honey bought me a bushel of green beans for my birthday.

So when sheepie neighbor suggested going to the Stringtown Grocery in Kalona, IA......... I was ready with cash in hand!

The Stringtown Grocery is an Amish bulk food store. I would have loved to have taken a picture but it would have been disrespectful. The store is filled with the most wonderful things.

Sheepie neighbor and I were walking down the aisle ......... "Look, they have filberts" "Can you believe the large pearl tapioca?" "Have you ever seen whole wheat spinach spaghetti?" We were amazed ........... in awe ........ mouths hanging open. OK -- my mouth was hanging open because I didn't have breakfast and there was some good lookin' junk food!!!!

I bought a lot of stuff and can't show you everything but here are some of the goodies..............

Ok -- do a Google search on Stringtown and you will read alot about the Raspberry chocolate chips. I haven't tasted them ........ yet. These are going to make awesome brownies. They are not found anywhere else -- getting these alone was worth the trip! Heck -- the drive home with the smell of raspberry-chocolate wafting through the car --- that was worth the trip!!!! Yummm.





Seriously, could there possibly be anything better than artichoke spaghetti? Spaghetti..... artichokes................. unless you put a creamy parmesan cheese sauce on it. That should pretty much describe heaven!






I love hominy. Unfortunately, the moment it goes into a can -- it suddenly has its sodium content go through the roof. With dried hominy, I can soak it and then add it to tacos. You just have to keep me from frying it with pork chops!





I know this isn't a big deal to most of you --- but I live in the boondocks. Finding pastry flour is a big deal. Whole wheat pastry flour is impossible to find. But I did and I have almost 5 pounds to use in muffins and pie crusts. I think this will gets its first work-out this weekend with a blueberry cobbler.



There was more -- a lot more. Lots of great goodies for granola, some wonderful seasonings that are more difficult for us to find and treats like dried dates and filberts.

Now you know my dirty little secret ............ don't give me Park Avenue. Just take me to Stringtown!