This particular market is actually held on the premises of an old farmstead that looks like it may have been around since before any of us were born. We have loved it since the first time we saw it, long before they started holding a market there, just for the beauty of the quaint farmhouse and all the rustic outbuildings that surround it. The photo above is one John took there a long, long time ago, which he then photoshopped to make it look like a charcoal drawing.
We arrived at the market a few minutes early today, and found one fellow in the garden picking eggplants, which he then carried straight over to a table in the market shed. Now that's what you call fresh produce! Chickens and cows were just a few feet away. That eggplant, some peppers, maybe some okra, are about all you're gonna find in the way of fresh produce, with the weather we've been having, and we're lucky they had that much. A lot of farmers have just given up trying.
Fortunately, they carry lots of other good stuff besides produce. There was fresh bread from one local baker, and pies from another, some salsas, and some potted plants. One lady was there letting us sample honey from her hives in two different locations. Turns out it really does make a difference, what plants the bees have been buzzing around! I bought a jar from her S. Texas hives, where they've got a lot of mesquite mixed in with the wildflowers. The real treasures though, are in the little shed they fondly refer to as "The Store."
They pack an awful lot of goodness into that tiny little space! Today I grabbed me some more of that cow's milk feta, some greek yogurt, and a bag of baby bella mushrooms.
When we first saw this homestead, I had all kinds of romantic notions about what it would be like to live on such a quaint place, and how fun it would be to walk right out your door for fresh veggies, eggs and milk. Now I know better. It's a damn hard job, and I'm ever so grateful to the dedicated people who are willing to tough it out, for lazy doofuses like us.
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2 comments:
It's heartbreaking. At my own place, we've a couple of fruit trees that look like they're gonna bite it, even with the deep watering (recycled duck/goose pool water) they're getting every five days. Two are nectarines we planted this spring, and one is an established three-year old (to us) apricot (was probably already three years old when we bought it). The sun, along with the super hot winds, just fry the leaves.
I know, just this week we've suddenly noticed several of our trees that went crispy practically overnight!
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