We haven't spent much time at the farmers' market this summer as we've been growing so much of our own produce. But it was so nice to wander around the stalls this past weekend and see what everyone else has been up to. And there is definitely a lot more than just produce at the farmers' market!
It's amazing what people are producing right in our neighborhood, so many beautiful crafts, delicious cheeses and a whole rainbow of fruits and vegetables.
Sam became an expert at eating samples off toothpicks and was open to everything I offered him.
We decided on some edam cheese from Rockhill Creamery. It's so amazing what a little friendly bacteria can do. The ingredients in this cheese are whole raw milk and... nothing! Okay, olive oil and salt for the rind, but seriously, is that not a magical alchemy? It's aged for a whole year and has that delicious melt-in-your-mouth quality. I really, really want to take a cheese making class one of these days.
I love getting to know the people who make my food. Isn't that the way it should be? Shouldn't we be on a first name basis with the people who milk the goats and make the cheese that goes into our omelet in the morning? Really, it's quite strange not to have a relationship with our food and its producers. It's only a relatively new phenomenon, for most of history you either raised, grew and made your own food or traded it with your neighbor. I had a nice chat with a guy from Drake's Farm where we've started getting goat milk and also enjoyed chatting with the woman from Rockhill Creamery and reading her charming blog.
I love the flower stands!The prices are unbeatable and the arrangements are so much lovelier and more interesting than anything you'd find in a store.
We got a half dozen organic peaches. They're the #1 worst fruit to buy conventionally grown in terms of pesticide residue and yet, it's often so hard to find local, organic peaches. These are delicious!
We loved listening to the banjo pickers and guitar players scattered throughout the market and browsing through the booths full of handmade goodness.
One of my favorite artsy things we saw was this fantastic fairy house! It was so completely magical.
And how charming is this little critter?
I also ran across this booth with native plant seeds! I've been looking for some pretty flowering desert plants to replace the water hogs currently growing in the backyard.
And then when we'd just about had our fill of fresh peaches, artisan cheeses, and homemade jams, when our eyes were swimming with the colors and our ears full of the sounds of the market, it started to drizzle. Just a little bit. Not eneough to make me quicken my pace as we headed in the general direction of the car. Just enough to cool the air a bit and remind me that it was about time for Sam's nap.
