Yesterday I was able to visit a second farmers market in the Orange County area, and this time I came back with  several “prepared” foods as well as fresh-baked whole grain bread and a bouquet of fresh flowers.

One company that had some really delicious offerings was Baba Foods (headquartered in San Diego, Calif.). Baba Foods sells a large variety of hummus, tapenade, assorted “dips” and fresh pita bread. You can sample everything. Everyone in the KeepWell office recommends the Triple Layer Appetizer which consists of feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, pesto, parsley, basil, oregano and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). The roasted garlic and artichoke hummus is also a hit. Besides the great taste, I appreciate the short, all natural list of ingredients.

Another product with a very short, easy-to-understand list of ingredients is tamales from Gourmet Tamales, located in Oceanside, Calif. Gourmet Tamales offers more than 20 different types of fillings, from chicken and pork to vegetarian and even dessert tamales (how did I not know about these?). The chicken with red mole sauce is excellent as is the spinach, feta and tomatillo vegetarian tamale. My husband, who leans toward being a meatatarian, even enjoyed the veggie version. I think because it wasn’t soy trying to taste like chicken. They are a little heavy on the masa, but the filling is delicious. I have yet to try the orange mango dessert tamale, but I’m looking forward to it.

I enjoyed my conversation with the proprietor of the fresh-baked bread stand. She educated me about spelt, an ancient grain that is a sort of predecessor to our modern day wheat. But I preferred the whole grain wheat so I took home a fresh-baked loaf. The only downside is that the bread is unsliced (she told me the key is to cut the bread on its side, not the top). I am concerned that my kids will end up slicing off 2-inch thick pieces of bread and we’ll only get 3 sandwiches out of the loaf. She also told me how to store it so it will stay fresh as long as possible.

I encourage you to visit a farmers market in your area. Just make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to check out all the vendors, sample products and talk to the sellers to find out how foods are grown and/or prepared. As one mother explained to her two young children while they sampled a piece of fruit, “You know how we buy fruit at the grocery store? Well, this is where the grocery store gets their fruit.” Yes, and it’s fresh and delicious.