As I start this post, the weekly noon-time tornado siren test is going off. It's over 80 degrees outside, the sky is blue-blue-blue, everything is green, my plants could probably use some water, my cat is lolling around the cool stone floor, and it feels a lot like summer.
Probably because it's July. Summer felt like it took ages to get here this year. But finally. Finally!!
I traipsed over to the farmer's market this morning -- the big one this time. It was busy, but not too busy -- sometimes it's insane. It is 4th of July weekend, though, and I suppose a lot of people are out of town. It was nice. There was a lot of selection; we even splurged and had mini cinnamon-sugar donuts for a mid-market snack.
The one thing I'm not too happy about is the bread that I bought specifically for the Scottish berry dessert I made -- will show later -- because it was a little dry. So, experiment overwith, I've determined that the best bakery in town is to be found my own local once-kind-of-dinky-now-actually-pretty-good farmers market one block from my apartment. But even kind of dry bread makes good French toast. ;)
Otherwise, the produce was much better this time around. Strawberries, blueberries, sugar snap peas (guh! yum!), and red potatoes. I plan to eat the strawberries and the peas plain for snacks, the blueberries have already gone into the Scottish dessert, and the red potatoes are going to get smashed up and roasted.
Can't go wrong.
Since I live on my own and have to cook for one person (challenging, I find, because there's a lot of potential waste if one isn't careful), going to a farmer's market is a challenge in self-control. Because I WANT EVERYTHING. And considering it's still early in the season and there isn't a gigantic selection of produce yet, there's still enough to be tempting (too tempting) for one person alone.
So I tend to stick to the fruits, things that can be eaten quickly (preferably by the handful) so that they don't spoil... and fruit doesn't necessarily have to have a meal planned for it. Sure, I really wanted garlic scapes, but I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head that in the next week I would REALLY NEED garlic scapes for. ;) That's the beauty of the market, though; if I figure something out, they will likely be there next Saturday.
Although the state's second largest farmer's market is only a fifteen minute drive from home, I opted to head to the one here in town, which has a steadily growing selection of things to choose from. There are a few crafts and plant vendors also, but my mom orders pasture-raised beef (delicious!) from a farmer there, there are a few Hmong family booths with a wide variety of whatever is in season (along with a Hmong spring roll/egg roll stand that I can't avoid no matter how hard I try). I think maybe my most exciting discovery was an Amish bakery from which I bought the. most. AMAZING seven-grain honey bread. I seriously just ate about half of it. Plain. So great. I know where I'm getting my bread from now on -- made in little loaves just perfect for a singlette like me!
After the market, I went to the home improvement store and bought paint for the kitchen (!!!), and also found at a local thrift shop some shelves that I am revamping (photos to come, of course). While I intended to start painting the kitchen, it seems as though my bathroom suddenly became the center of redecorating attention. So we'll see where that leads me...
So back to what I said about Wisconsin not having much of a springtime? Right, about that: Springtime in Wisconsin is cold and dreary and wet and icky. Like today. It's the sort of day that's close enough to June (June is summer, right!? Why wait until the 21st!) where I expect I should be able to ride my bike a lot and get outside to garden anytime I want. But no. Wishful thinking. So it rains, and I don't get to spend much time outside, kind of a bummer... except there is this great place in my very own apartment called a kitchen! and in it, is food! Put the two together, and KABLAM!! Rainy days suddenly become alright after all.
The great thing about today? I stopped into my favorite local grocer, which I'm sure will pop up here in the future, The Green Gecko, for some of their shrimp & asparagus pasta salad and kalamata olives. Not only was the pasta salad made in-house, but the asparagus was local. Can't beat that. And then, while I dropped off some cherry pie for the family to enjoy a little later, my mom whipped out a carton of farm-fresh eggs procured from a friend's chickens. It was back to the kitchen with me and my treats.
A carton of eggs is a wonderful sight. The variation in colors is so gorgeous. From browns to white and sometimes pinks and blues, or even greens. Different sizes, different weights. A few months ago, since I'm on the topic of eggs, my entire family vacationed in the U.K. and spent a number of nights at a bed & breakfast on the western coast of Scotland. Every morning we were fed eggs fresh from their own chickens, and maybe part of the magic was that we were eating them in Scotland (for crying out loud), but those eggs were amaaaaazing. And so are these.
Olives are one of my favorite foods. Always in moderation, they're very healthy, and perfect for snacking or cooking. My life would not be complete without them.
I'm really looking forward to the start of the Saturday morning farmer's market next month. The big area market is the second largest in the state after Madison's famous market on the square. Satellite markets have set up around the area, too, and with little to no trouble, one can get local grass-fed beef or goat, free-range chicken and eggs, and an abundance of produce and local cheeses, baked goods and household/body products. Point being, I wouldn't necessarily peg northeast Wisconsin as any sort of mecca for homegrown, and maybe I just never paid much attention before, but food is excellent here! And I sure enjoyed it today.
