Your Local Farmers Market ... Are you there?
Leucadia Farmers Market:
Sunday 10 - 2
October 9, 2011 A Journal Entry………
Today I began my Farmers Market shopping, as I do most Sundays, with the egg man. There's only one egg seller at our Leucadia market and he is so reliable that he only misses two Sundays a year. An honest farmer who grows many vegetables that my family enjoys each week; he feeds his chickens from his gardens, harvests the eggs Friday eve before Sunday market, and answers everyone's questions about gardening, chickens, and the weather. I was pleased to see yellow Yukon potatoes back today. His wife explained to me that the curious weather has all their crops out of order so they keep planting and they harvest whatever's growing this week. This stand often offers potato fingerlings and purple potatoes and many other potato varieties. I encourage her to keep trying because we love all of them.
Next, I cross the aisle to my sweet potato man. He's such a sweet soul himself; always knocking off the extra cents on the total and helping everyone find what they're looking for. He seems quite proud of his purple sweet potatoes, I feel I should buy more of them, but in keeping with conservation, I only buy what I know my family will eat.
Today I also looked forward to the winter squash lady. She grew up on a Kansas farm and she knows her vegetables. Enthusiastically she describes what's growing back on the farm, and what she's about to be out of, to be replaced on the stand with something else special next week. She's unusual because she sells organic nuts and exotic fruits in addition to all her beautiful winter squash. The price on the walnuts is so good, I try to splurge by filling a bag with them, but I still pay less than $5 and we will enjoy these all week, if I don't decide to bake some cookies with them!
Carrots from another local farm look long and strong today. My spouse shows up and I show him our plunder so far. He takes one canvas bag while I take another and we hit each side of the aisles.
There's a dear family that I always buy beans from; today she has huge flat beans. I drop the overflowing basket, enough for two to three meals, into one of my recycled plastic bags and happily pay the husband $4 small dollars...I hope these prices keep them farming.
We are on the lookout for avocados and do not have to look very far to find another little family's booth selling healthy organic avos for a worthwhile price. I choose three medium sized avos of different ripening levels and appreciatively hand over a five dollar bill.
Sending my spouse to Kristie's booth for greens, I relax in Suzy's Organic stand to the music of the women growers' voices describing the weekly harvest box and fielding recipe questions from the customers. I cannot locate the fresh stevia but one of the wholesome gals smilingly shows me that stevia is front and center of the pepper and herb table. I choose some fresh mint too, to go with the stevia for an infusion “cool drink” this hot autumn week. I see Suzy has gorgeous cucumbers this week too and grab one to slice up for our eye treatments. Suzy's broccoli is knock 'em dead voluptuous this Sunday...four large full crowns will go into the Thursday casserole...mmmMm! And a pepper is suggested to fill in the last ten cents to make the total of all these choice items an even ten dollars.
One of the many organic fruit stands continues to offer all their stone fruit for $2.50 a pound across the board; yellow peaches, white peaches, yellow nectarines, white nectarines, plums of all sorts, pluots, the juices of which dribble down your chin regardless how proper your table manners.
There was plenty more today: including the Englishman’s coffee, a burrito for our 15 year old, breakfast special crepes made on the spot to order using the farmers market foods; an upbeat musician playing his original songs from New Orleans; happy children dancing and playing; neighbors and new folks to meet.
This description barely scratches the surface of all the healthy goodies out each week. I purchase what I know will feed my family for seven days and look forward to returning every Sunday for more fresh, as fresh as you can get without growing it yourself, nutrition. I call this the fun way to grocery shop. There's organic or free range meats, breads, cheeses, oils, teas, coffee beans or ground; there's multi national meals and fresh-made refrigerated spreads to take home; pastries; homemade pastas; pet food; seasonings and other herbals; flowers, garden starts, and worm castings; local made crafts including clothing, purses, kitchen tools. The list goes on and it's all at the weekly Farmers Market.
Are you with me yet? Let's keep our community thriving and our families healthy. Your participation is vital and we'd all enjoy your input. So please come on down! I will meet you at the coffee cart, if you like....or would you rather a gluten-free sugarless pastry that melts in your mouth? Too healthy? There's 5 or 6 other pastry stands any week to choose from. Think of this as a party and you are our beloved guest.
See you all soon!