My husband (we will call him "Thrifty" to give him some sense of anonymity) humors me and goes along for the ride, but I haven't convinced him yet that what we get and what is provided to our community is so much better in the long run. In fact he quietly giggled at me all the way home, while I made a case for buying from the local farmers instead of the grocery store. He listened, and smiled, but I could tell I don't have him where I want him just yet. Thrifty tells me later that he is giggling at me because he grew up in East Texas and what he finds at the farmers market just isn't that big of deal, so basically it amuses him that I find so much pleasure in something so simple. I am also informed that I am no longer a "city girl", which adds to the mystery for him of why I love the market and all its wares.
So today I saw cheese, made not in Nacogdoches, but Waco. Local, well no, but still cheese...made in Texas...who knew? I would have loved to buy this, just to try i,t but remember Thrifty was with me and I knew since I was breaking him in, I needed to not get too crazy with the purchases today. I will definitely put this on my list for another time, I have a little crush on cheese and can't wait to try some. I also found some soap that was made with lavender that smelled divine, didn't get that either today, but I plan too add that to the list as well.
What I did manage to get away with was 2# tomatoes, 2# green beans, 2# zucchini,2# yellow squash, 2# peaches, 2# new potatoes, kale, and cabbage. Yes, I felt like I had hunted and bagged our meals for the weekend. I was very proud of my selections and could see that Thrifty was closely but quietly watching my purchases add up. I came away from the market having spent less than $20.00. Quite a deal I think, especially considering my arm was about to fall off carrying it back to the car. See, look how pretty! That big thing in the back and right of the picture is a banana squash and I will post more about that later.
I used a recipe from my go=to website for recipes www.allrecipes.com. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southern-Peach-Cobbler-2/ , this recipe is outstanding you won't be disappointed!
So what is the point of all this? Really it's just to encourage you to go out and buy local. See what is offered in your area, I think you might be surprised and delighted! For those of you who are local citizens I have provided a link about the farmers market at the bottom, maybe make a point of going at least once, meet the people, see what wonderful things are offered and made/grown right here. Less time you have to spend in a cold, crowded grocery store makes it worth the trip. Let me know how it turns out. If you try a new fruit or vegetable, let me know how it tasted and what recipes you used. I would love to know, its a better experience for both you and me.
The Nacogdoches Farmers Market is open on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings, its right at the railroad tracks off of Pearl St.
http://farmermktnac.blogspot.com/
http://www.localharvest.org/nacogdoches-farmers-market-M17207
