Thursday rolls around and every week I find myself literally skipping as if it’s friday. Oh, thursday is a regular working day, and I’m not suffering from calendar dyslexia. It IS Farmer’s Market day in this beloved little town in the bountiful Rogue Valley.
Blue skies + many tents = happy people
I suspect most populated areas have these tented treasure troves, from the big cities, to the quaint townships. But, there is something about this one mine. Funny, but I lived in a much larger city for 10+ years, never having stepped foot on any farmer’s market ground. Maybe it was because I had four small kids in tote back then. It could have been the twenty minute drive to get there, the additional ten minutes to park my minivan vehicle, and the lack of a four-seater stroller. I have wondered if maybe the inconveniences would have been worth a trip or two. I wonder what I missed?
Back in the present, it’s thursday again, 10 am, and I pop my head over the blue cubicle wall to see if my sister co-worker is ready. Oh, and is she ever! She has attained a liking obsession for these local potato doughnuts… served by the most hard-working and polite children, who don’t bat an eye at making correct change. Lo-and-behold the tent across from donut heaven sits a table-full of the most fragrant basil plants. I claim one all mine for a whopping $3.50, and we’re talking gallon size pots here folks!
Fresh herbs, yes please!
But we are really here for work, so off we go hunting for the latest and greatest local products. We browse over tables of naturally flavor-infused popcorns, hand-milled cheese wedges, and canned fruit syrups & jams, prepared with all-natural & local ingredients. Oh, the many things we could happily tuck inside a gourmet gift basket, giving others a sweet taste of our very own and locally grown delicacies!
Beet mine!
Let’s find some bread, quick!
Our Farmer’s Market jute bag now heavy with samples, and the tops of our heads nicely sunburned sun-kissed, we stop for a nibble of nourishment. I would say “treat,” but this spinach & cheese empanada is so jam-packed with spinach, that “nourishment” is really the winning word. I’m savoring the final warm & stringy & gooey & salty bite of deliciousness, when my eyes fixate on this nifty sign;
Look away if your mouth is full…
Not quite fitting for gift baskets of the gourmet consumer kind, but hand-clapping perfect for a lil ditty about being a fan of our local Farmer’s Market! And yet… spinach must be brain food because I envision how worms could be the new thing in fishermen’s master-gardener’s baskets (Oh, thank you Google for saving me from utter lack-of-worm-knowledge embarrassment!)
One hour later, and we shoppy McShoppertons can officially be renamed as pooped-out McPoopertons (now that just doesn’t sound ladylike.) But, we’re ready to call it a day before noon! And what must one do when she works her fingers to the bone and risks her once healthy scalp in the hot, Rogue Valley sun? She snags some of these natural beauts!
Resist these, no way, now how!
Our thursday now complete, we walk off into the distance. Little angelic voices sing something delightfully twangy and perfectly harmonized, serenading our departure. Not our voices mind you, but those of two little guitar & violin playing & singing schoolgirls. I think their dollar bill stuffed violin case has more than likely covered their college fundage. Right on, you two precious & talented little smarty McSmartypants!
Is the local farmer’s market calling your name? Follow the voices, I tell you. Become a fan like all of us farmers market frequenters, the Shoppy McShoppertons, those Pooped out McPoopertons, and join the ranks with all of the Smarty McSmartypants!
Wanna spy with your little eye on some of the local goods that I bragged about mentioned up there? Check out the; Taste of Oregon, Together at Last, the Ultimate Gourmet Snacker, and the Anna Maria Chardonnay Selection… just to name a few that include local yummies. Plus, we are always on the lookout for the next “IT” item, hopefully locally!
And to top it all off, every single gift purchased through Donate Fruit gives back to help fill our nation’s food banks. We donate a pound of fresh and healthy fruit for every pound purchased (we always donate a 5lb minimum, even if your gift is of the small & lightweight kind). All day, every day. Because hunger happens in our own backyards, and giving gifts with a cause is double the pleasure.
Before Pinterest: Conjure up a mental image of a corkboard, if you will. Hold out your hand as I pour out a slew of pushpins. Your corkboard(S) will be labeled for each category, to view and organize your area(S) of interest, such as; Wedding Ideas, Recipes, Gardening designs, Remodeling Projects… you get the point. Before Pinterest you would be off to buy, stack and store all of the magazines and images to snip, or you could always print out the images from the computer… If you can only remember that one website that had that one thingy called… shoot.
