Today, we went to the Farmer's Market for fresh vegetables. Some of my friends from whom I buy gave me more than I paid for. YaY!
What I bought: new potatoes, two portions of yellow squash from different vendors, a flat cabbage, and zucchini. Since I had a weekly doctor's appointment, we were late getting home. I intended to cook all this, and ended up cooking just the cabbage and yellow squash in the same pan. Sliced tomatoes rounded the meal out. These were the third meal of fresh vegetables for the year. MMMMM, so good.
When I asked one guy why all his cabbage were so flat, he said they were Dutch Flat Cabbage. I thought he was covering for a crop anomaly and laughed. Well, it is true. Cabbage was delicious!
Dominique will love the trimmings.
Tomorrow, I will go back for ripe tomatoes.
Oh, there were no more tomatoes except green ones. So, WM had those. Since I cannot eat beef, I cooked up some stupendously long smoked hotdogs for exbf. The rest he took home.
Oh, I forgot the best part. One guy had lemonade with fresh lemon and real sugar. I may stop by and get this often. He only charged $1 for a generous cup without too much ice. I really wanted some of the small zucchini breads, but I refrained.
All farmers MUST raise their own produce. Some "markets" just go to a big city and buy from a truck from CA or elsewhere.
And, I bought a new camera. This is my money I won at the spelling bee.
Your turn
Have you ever heard of or seen Dutch Flat Cabbage? Do you shop at the Farmer's Market in your town?
After visiting the 'acclaimed' farmer's market in my area I no longer go. It's obvious to me (I have been gardening, veggies mainly, for the past 45 years) here's no way one farmer can be growing tomatoes, peppers, green beans, watermelons, cantaloupes and pineapples, which take 18 mo. to mature, all ripe in January!! I know it's Florida, but really? Oh, and the celery was in the same plastic bags as Walmart carries (Duda Farms from FL). They must go to the wholesale market in Tampa and buy their produce.
ReplyDeleteTom,
DeletePineapples in the northern part of AL would be a dead giveaway! I always ask about veggies I want to buy and am told they are not ripe yet, so I trust the farmers did grow them instead of buying imported ones.
I sure would feel duped to think I bought the same produce as Walmart. I like our little market, they post signs of where their farm is located. they sure could top off elsewhere but I hope not.
ReplyDeleteThere is one produce market here that sells mostly what I can get at a chain.
DeleteI do shop at our Farmers' Markets when I can get to them. Lovely produce usually. And I like knowing that my money is going locally.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, my market is only three blocks from me. Everything is lovely.
DeleteMy husband and I go to our local farmers' market every week - it's one of the ways we keep our grocery spending under control and we look forward to it each week. Prices here are much lower than what they were back on the mainland. Here in Hawai'i the growing season lasts all year, so the markets are year round, but we've learned that even though the sun shines all the time there are "seasons" for certain things. A few of the farmers had the Dutch flat cabbage - we love it and enjoy it while we can get it (season is over though). Some things you can find all year though: lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, bok choy, many herbs, green onions and so forth. Farmers at the market can only sell what they grow. In the past couple of years we've gotten to know some of the farmers and learned this is how they make a living - selling at the markets. There's one every day of the week here on our island, and most of them sell at 2-3 of them.
ReplyDeletenomad,
DeleteThanks for the view of produce and farming in Hawaii. I think the Dutch flat cabbage was better than the round. Or, maybe it was because it was so fresh.