Welcome to Family and Forks! I’m Lisa and I live with my husband and two teenage girls in Northern Virginia. I began this blog back in 2013 when our girls were young and I wanted to share easy meals to enjoy together as a family. Fast forward, my girls grew into teens who love their vegetables and I found myself making weekly visits to our neighborhood farmers markets that began to blossom year-round. So, the blog evolved to support both our local farmers markets and my family and friends who are interested in ideas to help transform their market basket full of vegetables into delicious meals. We’ve never looked back.
I’m a home cook and self-trained, not a trained chef, and although I have worked as a recipe developer and tester in the distant past, the recipes I share and tips are from my own experiences. I also try to share good ideas, tips and resources I have learned along the way.
I hope a visit to Family and Forks will help you make the most of your visit to your local farmers markets and get dinner on the table without much effort. While it requires a slight change in your approach to shopping and meal preparation, you will quickly find joy in being a part of your community and tasting fresh vegetables, sometimes for the first time. A visit through Family and Forks will hopefully help make your farmers market and beautiful meals an enjoyable part of life for your entire family.
How to Use Family and Forks
If you are visiting Family and Forks for the first time, I am so happy you are here! Sign up as a subscriber if you would like to receive a newsletter on a seasonal basis with recipes and ideas for making the most of your local farmers market.
Guide to the Farmers Market
If you are about to head out to the farmers market, first visit Family and Forks’ Tips for the Farmers Market to learn some tips to make the best of your experience. You can also check out the Vegetable Guide pull down menus organized by season to know what to look for throughout the year and how to prepare and store your haul. (I live in the Mid-Atlantic region but the differences nationwide are not terribly different unless you live in an extreme climate).
Search
If you have just returned from the market with a basket full of vegetables and feeling a bit overwhelmed, check out Recipes in the header or use the Search feature in the sidebar to search by vegetable and get some ideas.
Seasonal Pantry
Use the Seasonal Pantry pull-down menus in the header for lists of ingredients to always keep in your pantry for quick and easy meals depending on your taste and the season.
Spotify
Need some tunes to go along while you prepare your meals? Visit Family and Forks on Spotify for seasonal playlists with a big mix of music we find ourselves listening to for inspiration or just for fun. Join us!
Shop
Lastly, I will occasionally offer some suggestions for gear (I love gear). These are tools that make my life easier when preparing vegetables or going to the market. I might also sometimes sneak something in because, well, I think it is clever or cute. Some of the links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. I cultivate this list of products because they are helpful and useful and that I think you will like, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something.
So, take a look around and let me know what you think! Most importantly, don’t worry, be confident, and have some fun. The freshest vegetables need just a little nudge to transform into delicious meals. I hope you leave here inspired and maybe with a few good ideas to help you enjoy beautiful meals and a stronger connection to your community.
xo,
Lisa