Farmer Markets

Yesterday I went to a Farmers Market that happens ever Thursday near the Eastern State Penitentiary.  Its small, with about six different vendors. I simply stopped on my way home, it's a slight detour, chained up my bike and slowly wondered through everything. First I purchased two summer squash and a quart of apple cider, $3.50. Then I contemplated buying some goats milk, or goat cheese, but decided it was a little too expensive. I passed by some of the most wonderful looking vegetables, a visual symphony of various colors, textures, and shapes. Purple Carrots, Yellow Tomatoes and strangely shaped squash. I passed a table of homemade bread, and talked to the vendor. He makes all of his bread from scratch, but not only that, he makes his own flour. He purchases his grain from organic growers, along with his sugar, eggs and milk. I bought a small loaf, $4.00, of raisin bread. I decided against buying eggs (simply because I'm still finishing off the ones I bought last week). Also I could have purchased more veggies, but was nervous about getting it all into the basket on my bike, without squashing the bread.

The wonderful thing about Farmers Markets is that people are always nice. You really know where your food is coming from. You can ask about farming practices, how they raise their animals, and how they make their products. The sad thing about Farmers Markets is that it makes me miss being about to walk out the back door of my parents house, walk a couple of steps, and right into the garden. There is something absolutely wonderful about growing your own food. About picking a tomato or onion or a couple of pea pods, wash them off at the water faucet outside, and starting to eat them dripping and fresh. Yes sweet onions are amazing to eat like apples.

The funny thing about yesterday is that the whole time I was laughing at myself and the people around me. I know how to buy Mellon and know when something is ripe. So many people yesterday had no clue, while others just seemed to expect that no matter what they purchased it would be good, with no need to look at what they were buying. I guess I have my mother and grandmother for teaching me how to buy food.