Good thing the sign is portable...the market made a move!
Have you noticed when I slip into a different voice when I'm feelin' homesick? Maybe it's the voices in my head?
Back when I was a grade schooler, my parents decided to try their hands at raising cows on a farm in East Texas. At the time, in the midst of an oil crunch, they thought having a "side business" would serve as a cushion for tough times. (It didn't. Not really.)
My dad used to come home at lunch from work in those days, because it was more economical to eat at home than out (still is....). As we had only two television channels (boggles the mind, no?), Dad would usually opt to watch a local market report...a folksy news show that updated farmers on prices for pigs, cows, grain and such. (The other option? A soap opera. Slim pickin's.) We subscribed to Progressive Farmer, too. I always read it...didn't always understand it...but even then I had a weak spot for magazines.
Anyway, in the spirit of that '70s small town newscast (farmcast?), I figured I'd create some space here for a periodic "farmer's market report" and give folks a chance to say what's going at their own markets.
Here goes....
This week, our farmer's market relocated to a new site...one with BIGGER lot. It's barely a year old. Is that great news or what? Here's what we bought Saturday:
- plums
- peaches
- tomatoes
- onions
- peach cider (to sweeten tea and mix with sparkling water---better than soda!)
Was planning to pick up some grass-fed beef, too...but the guy ran out! Since he's a new vendor, this too is a good sign. The market highlight for me? Watching the woman with megawatt diamonds buy grass-fed beef for her dogs. I guess she's afraid of the recall, maybe? Oh, and the vendor's reaction? As they say, "he laughed all the way to the bank." Small wonder. Including the dog food and the people food she purchased, Mrs. GotRocks wound up spending at least $200! (I split before the final tally...just as soon as I heard she'd bought the last of the ground beef.)Incidentally, I bought extra peaches and plums to make my first batch of freezer jam! With some space to spare in my freezer compartment, I figure this would be a nice, cool segue back into food preservation. I made five jars this morning...it was super easy and the end product is TASTY! Between the cling of the jars in water (I sterilized them but, as this is freezer jam, I didn't process them) and the click of the lids and rings in the sink when I washed them, I found myself remembering all kinds of things...my mom making pickles from cukes purchased at a roadside stand, the aforementioned cannery operation, and even my paternal grandmother's thrill at purchasing her (then) newfangled Daisy-Seal-A-Meal. (Remember those?)Oh, and before I forget...Sarah at Planetsave.com has a funny story about a controversy regarding bags at her farmer's market. Go read it. And if you want a really cute totebag to carry to YOUR market, then check out this one from American Farmland Trust.
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