Sunday, July 15, 2012

Farmers Market Visit 4, Eco Friendly Treasures!!!

I had high hopes as I went off to the farmers market with my daughter, yesterday.  The first two visits weren't particularly good, but last week I began to see more of the vegetables I've been desperate for.  I hoped I'd see even more this week.


And I wasn't disappointed!


I practically bounced from tent to tent, staring at the yumminess that they had to offer.  The assortment still isn't particularly diverse. Most of the vendors have the same green goodness, with the only true variable being size of the produce in question.  The diversity is slowly growing, though!


There's a larger amount now, however.  More crops are ready for harvest, and showing up at their tables for me to "ooOOOoo" and "Aaaaahhhh" at.   


And I did a lot of that!


So what were the eco friendly treasures that I reaped this week?




1 kohlrabi (I've never tasted it before, so was hesitant to buy more than one)
1 golden crookneck squash
1 cauliflower (I'm thinking about making it into a puree)
2 jalapenos (I'm the only person in my house that eats them, and don't generally cook solely for myself)
3 cucumbers (I like the funny-looking ones.  They have character)
6 ears of corn
7 gigantic red potatoes


I also got my staple spaghetti sauce ( I swear that the vendors that sell it are culinary geniuses), a small, wood carved french horn, some bug spray (totally green stuff), and my daughter's favorite...




A small 2-pack of  caramel coated, pecan encrusted, gigantic pretzel sticks from Kristi's Cravings!  Those things ooze with yumminess, and have an almost supernatural ability that cause them to disappear in less than two minutes.  


Really.  They're that good.

What I was most excited about, however, were three specific treasures:


The first ears of corn have appeared at the farmers market!  

Eco friendly, organic sweet corn, to be specific. My husband and daughter both love corn, so it went without saying that I'd have to pick up these treasures immediately.  I caressed the green leaves that serve as a protective shell, and could actually feel how healthy the plants that produced them were.

The small wooden french horn was created by a man whose woodworking skills are all self-taught.

What I got was tiny, because I was running out of money, but I plan to go back to him in the future for a larger purchase.  My sister is getting married at the end of this year, and I'm curious as to whether he would attempt a custom design or not.  Even if doesn't wish to do so, there are so many amazing pieces of woodwork at his table that I could go seriously broke if I allowed myself to stay there for too long.

The last eco friendly treasure that I purchased was the bug spray.  

The vendor, Rhonda, blended various plant extracts into a mix of witch hazel and water to produce this four ounce piece of brilliance.  She swore by its ability to ward off biting flies, which is always a welcome effect!  She hadn't yet used it against mosquitoes, but said she was going to do so later that evening.

Naturally, I elected to test it, as well!

Could this be the eco friendly mosquito repellent that I've been yearning for?  My first attempt at creating one was a failure, and I need to go back to the drawing board with it, but in the meantime I'll happily try hers!

But what about the wooden token fiasco from the last few weeks, you ask?


Well, it's still a fiasco.  I've learned a great deal more this week, and my resolve to do something to make it easier for people to use them, as well as for vendors to accept them, has strengthened.

I've also had a change of heart about not buying from the vendors that flat-out don't want to accept them.  For the past two weeks, nobody from United Way has been there to accept the tokens from the vendors.  This, naturally, increases their stress levels.

See, once a vendor gives his or her tokens to the people from United Way, they don't get paid for them immediately.  The vendors' money gets stuck in bureaucratic limbo for 1-4 weeks.

That's a long time to wait, but it's doable.

The problem, though, is that if nobody is there to accept their tokens from them, that time becomes even longer.  They basically sit on these little pieces of wood, waiting to be able to cash them in so that they can get the money that they deserve.

This needs to be fixed.  I can continue to sit here and complain about it, or I can get up and actually do something.  I said this last week, but it needs to be said again...


So that I can actually force myself up and off of my soapbox and become a part of the solution! 

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