One Thousand Miles: Sunday At The Farmer's Market

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Sunday At The Farmer's Market

Kids love the Farmer's Market

This morning, when we woke up, I told my husband I really wanted to stop and check out the local farmer's market. They have it every Sunday morning. We drove there last weekend but unfortunately, by the time we got there, everyone was packing up. So, this time, we planned to get there early. We stopped off at the bank and got some cash just in case we found something we wanted to buy. Most vendors accept credit cards, but its always easier to pay cash.
The weather cooperated. No rain yet. And every now and then, the sun peeked through the clouds teasing us. I grabbed my camera out of my purse and announced to my husband that I was going to take a few photos...for the blog. He just smiled and took my free hand in his. Suddenly, this little walk felt less like blog research and more like a date. It was nice just being outside in the fresh air together. We haven't walked together in ages. It wasn't crowded. Lots of kids were running around. It was peaceful, natural, a warm and friendly kind of atmosphere.
We talked about buying a tomato vine, but decided against it. There wasn't really a place to put it. We have already established plants around the house and inside isn't really an option with the cat. Our youngest used to grow tomatoes by the side of the house years ago. They were all gone now, replaced by camellias and roses. Maybe, at our next house, I'll have a garden. Its funny. Maybe its a military thing, but even as retirees, we seem to know we won't be here in this particular home...forever. The inevitable move is always in the plan.
The first purchase we made was with Great Harvest Bread Co.. The vendor had samples out for customers to try. I told him I'd like to try the honey whole wheat loaf. He gave me a slice. I swear it was as big as a slice of bread..huge. My husband and I had to share. Anyway, I told him about the blog and asked if I could get his card, maybe take a photo. He was extremely nice and the bread was some of best I've ever had. My only wish is that I'd tried the scones. Next time, for sure. http://www.greatharvestburke.com/
Our next stop was at the Sweet Valley Farm Dairy vendor. I guess everyone's favorite is the cheese. The crowd was pretty thick. We finally got through and tried the goat cheese dips. They were really tasty. We didn't buy any to take home this time, but only because we had to go somewhere else afterward. We weren't sure about refrigeration needs. We talked about getting strawberries, but they were pretty expensive. Its still a better deal to get those from Costco. After that, I walked around and took a few more photos while my husband bought fresh vegetables...collards, spinach and such. The greens didn't need refrigeration.
When I came back, I jokingly asked my husband if he thought I should include the Kettle Corn vendor in my blog. He actually thought I was serious. "That's not very healthy." Maybe I don't do sarcasm well. We passed right by and started talking about the whole grain popcorn we had in the kitchen cupboard. There was a time not long ago when we would have not been able to resist fresh kettle corn. We would have gotten the extra large bag. That's all changed now that we are making better, healthier choices. There wasn't much left to see, but before we left, we took a quick stop at the Holy GraEL guy's spot in the market for a small lemon sorbet we could share. http://www.cstone.net/~landovel/aboutus.htm The GraEL guy and his sweet sorbet have been at the farmer's market every time we've gone. He's difficult to resist. This time, he even posed for a photo while holding his grail. Tonight, we are having fresh collard greens. If you have a local farmer's market available to you, or your local grocery store sells locally grown produce, please support them. Remember what I always say...fresh is best. And if nothing else, its an opportunity to be outside on a beautiful day holding hands with your husband. : )