>It’s too easy to spend money at the Downtown Farmers’ Market. Here you see the bounty of week one. Strawberries, lettuce, cheese curds (freshly made that morning!), asparagus, etc. etc. etc. Most of it fit in my big bag on wheels, but the two boxes of strawberries required two of us to carry.
The strawberries became jam, cereal toppers, and desserts. The bread from the Amish bakery became toast and PBJs. Lettuce was salads and bunny food. Asparagus is one of the rare vegetables that the entire family will eat. I’m buying it every week as long as it’s in season!
I didn’t buy as much the second week. Lettuce as usual, breads, and whatever is in season. It seemed like almost every vendor had strawberries this time. I didn’t buy a whole flat, but I bought a lot! Some of these will be frozen for future jams and future desserts, and some will top cereal and ice cream this week.
It felt right, though. I didn’t need a lot. The spinach in my garden is still growing like crazy, and my lettuces are coming up, too. We’ll need very little lettuce next week.
Shopping a farmers’ market isn’t just about buying food. To me, it’s also about getting fresh food in season, spending my money locally, and getting food that’s grown in a local range, too. One little red pickup truck had Georgia peaches. As delicious as they might have been, I took a pass and bought local strawberries instead. We’ll eat peaches in the fall when they’re ripe around here.
