To Market, To Market

greetings, friends.

i am currently in a wonderfully whimsical cafe in gloucester.  if i could choose anywhere to do work, catch up with friends, read or blog, it would absolutely be at a cafe.  one can't help but feel trendy and hip (and c'mon, don't we ALL strive for those two qualities?!) with a dash of artistic pretentiousness whilst at a cafe.  something between the groovy music playing, the caffeinated inspiration handed to you in a hot mug (or icy cup, depending on the weather), and smells of the lattes and pastries always get me.

in fact, if i didn't currently have a meter ticking away my time in my parking spot, i probably wouldn't ever leave this cafe.

however, i do have some time before the meter's out, so i thought i'd tell you about a little adventure i went on with some friends yesterday.

to market, to market! the farmer's market, that is!

look at all those beautiful vegetables!

two friends of mine and I went to our local farmer's market yesterday.  i've only ever been to one other farmer's market, last summer when i went to chicago, but i love them. with rows and rows of vendors all selling something delectable, from fruits, to vegetables, to baked goods, to honey and homemade jams, you can find it all at a farmer's market!

bins and bins of fruit! a dream come true

what's really cool is you can talk to the very farmers or bakers whose goods you are buying.  they are always so friendly and love telling you stories about their food.  for instance, at fille de ferme, the owner told us she's been making these jams her whole life, from passed down recipes. 

what a beautiful display!

we even got to try some samples of her jams!

they were so good! very interesting flavors, like orange lavender and three berry.
that's another cool thing about farmer's markets-free samples! i was able to try cheeses, jams, tea, breads...it was a mini feast! i am all about my free samples, too. what is better than free food? nothing, friends. nothing.

sarah and briana with some bread samples and lemonade. a perfect afternoon treat!

while i don't eat much bread, (gluten, you know...) Piantedosi had some very intriguing and tempting bread flavors like dark chocolate chip and mocha chip. mmmm.....

a sample of cranberry orange bread. later i tried their rosemary olive oil bread. omgsuhgood.

this just made me laugh: how green of them! only a t a farmer's market...and perhaps portland, OR.

amongst all the fruits, veggies, and bikes, there were also flowers being sold!



my favorite flower-the sunflower!

i found i felt really good about each purchase i made.  not only was everything extremely reasonably priced, i knew i was supporting local farmers and businesses.  i could talk to the very person who pulled my vegetables from the ground, and be assured that there were no harmful pesticides or other unspeakables sprayed on the precious things. what a relief!

in the end, i bought swiss chard (ever tried it? i hadn't, and they looked so plump and pulsing with health i just couldn't turn them down.), zucchini (which i am extremely excited to turn into zucchini muffins) and apricots (i've never had these little guys either! my world of vegetables and fruits truly was grown thanks to my farmer's market trip.)

my loot

as soon as i got home, i chopped up some of those luscious greens and threw them into my blender to party with some fruit and oj. 

smoothies make me smile.

fruit+greens=best power smoothies ever! i always throw a green into my smoothie, whether it's spinach, lettuce, or now swiss chard. i love that you get all the benefits and nutrients of the leafy green while you only taste the sweet and tangy fruit!

all in all, it was a lovely trip to the farmer's market.  i am very blessed to be living in a town where it is just a few blocks away from my apartment, so it is very easy to walk to.

my challenge for you, dear reader, is to go find a local farmer's market near you and stop by! i promise you will not regret it!

now go eat a leafy green!
cheers,
julia