Farmer's Market

I went with Hannia to our local Farmer's Market this morning. First of all, I had every intention of getting there around 8ish. That didn't happen. But we did make it there by 10. I was a little disappointed that there was not more veggies, but its still a little bit early for a lot of the things that I was hoping for. I wanted some fresh corn. There has been some pretty corn at the grocery store, but I guess its too soon for the local corn. Hannia wanted peppers, and none of those were to be had either. There were lots of beautiful tomatoes and squash. And lots of greens, too.

What I wasn't expecting was the ton of other stuff there. OMG!!! Hannia and I went to find healthy foods...LOL. But there were stands with ALL kinds of homemade baked goods. Breads, cakes, pies. So much yumminess under one roof. We bought fried Mango turnovers for breakfast. How healthy does that sound? Those were pretty tasty though. There were some local strawberries, but we just had a ton of those last week. I went with the blueberries this time around. They were grown on a farm just a couple of miles down the road from us. And peaches. Those were brought in from SC, but they look really delicious. Oh, and I FINALLY found local honey there. I was so excited. It is hard to find, and I have been told that a small amount of local honey every day will help alleviate allergies. Your body builds up a tolerance to the pollen. I have no idea if it really works, but I want to try it. My allergies have been wicked this year. I also bought goat milk soap and mint plants...(for Mojitos-I figure if the honey doesn't work, I will just drink my ailments away. Sounds like a viable plan, doesn't it?).

Anyway, I was surprised how much that market has changed. It used to be a few local farmers selling veggies. Now its full of stuff...seafood, jams and jellies, fresh eggs, roasted nuts, and gourmet coffees....I can't even list it all. And it was really packed with people, too. I had trouble finding a place to park. But it was a nice experience. I definitely will go back. And maybe soon the corn, peppers, and melons will come in. I look forward to that!

Erica participates in a local produce co-op program up there in her town. Its really kind of cool. She pays a set price per year (I think its $400 for her), and twice a month she goes to a certain location and picks up her share of what is available at that time. She got lucky that her pick up point is literally just at the end of her street. And she gets some yummy locally grown foods, including local honey. Lately, she says she has been drowning in greens like spinach and kale. Things have been a bit delayed due to a really rainy spring. But the other veggies will be coming in soon. It sounds like a really nice way to promote local food producers and I wish we had something like that here. I guess the Farmer's Market will have to suffice.