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...
