Saturday's New Tradition

Saturday arrived once again, and once again we took our stroll to the Statham Farmer's Market.  This is our fourth week shopping at the market, and for the last two weeks Ma Luffin' Mayun's brother and his wife, Phillip and Becca (and the resident bun-in-the-oven we get to meet in late August) have come along for the venture.

Little Big Man decided to wrestle up
some cowboy boots and a ten-gallon hat
and mosey on down to the market.

Last week, everyone was encouraged to bring their pooches for the "Dog Days of Summer".  Though we opted to leave our two wiley coyotes at home, there were some cutie dogs.  If I remember correctly this one is named "Maggie".

This week there was a wonderful local saxophone quartet playing patriotic music.  Ma Luffin' Mayun is a UGA Redcoat alumnus, so he was all too thrilled to sit and listen.

Becca the patriot in front of the band stand.

Listening to the music

We've tried all kinds of new things throughout the weeks, including honey with the honeycomb.  Truly delicious.  It melts in your mouth like butter and after you've chewed it for a while, you just spit out the wax.

Trying the honeycomb

And here is our haul from last week and this week...

From top center going clockwise: bunch of sage,
two bags of lambsquarters (absolutely one of our new favorites), zucchini,
kale, pesto, crookneck squash, turnips, roma tomatoes, bowl of honeycomb,
bag of lettuce, and our cups of sweet tea
(from the market on 6/25/11)

Fourteen ears of corn
(from the market on 7/2/11)

From the top center going clockwise: kale, heirloom varieties of squash
including Peter Pan squash (shaped like flying saucers), sweet banana peppers,
all-natural lotion bar, handmade castille soap, all-natural skin cream,
honey, tomatoes
(from the market on 7/2/11)

Along with all the veggies we are picking up each week, sticking to our goal of only eating local produce from June through September, I love coming across products like these: handmade soaps, lotions, and creams made with ingredients that are natural and that I can use for myself and the kids (especially Little Big Man with his eczema).  This particular soap made by the Bartons of Sweet Tea is purely olive oil without any added perfumes which is perfect for his skin.  They also made the lotion bar that is absolute divinity.  The skin cream in the jar is made from olive oil, bees wax, water, tea tree oil, and vitamin E by the folks at Blue Sky Honey.  I have used it as facial moisturizer the last two days and love it.

I can't say enough about the market and our growing affection for our community as a result.  It is a blessing each week to see familiar faces, to learn the names that go along with them, and to happen upon old friends.

Here are some more shots from our last two weeks at the market...

My first batch of fresh pickles made from our
farmers market harvest

Ma Luffin' Mayun's BLT made with farmers market goodies

Here is a list, certainly not complete, of some of our favorite vendors.  We are proud to be their regular customers...
Lazy B Farm
Blue Sky Honey
Back In Time Farm
Sweet Tea
Bear Creek Farm
JessAnne Heirloom
Double Bridges Farm

Finding Community In Kombucha

For the first time ever our little town has set up a farmers market every Saturday morning from June to September right on main street.  Um, I love it.  From where we live we can make the round trip walk in just under two miles.  For the past two Saturdays we have gotten the kids up early, had a quick breakfast, and made the short jaunt.  It's already so doggone hot in Georgia that 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning is just about the only time that isn't too scorching to walk, so it becomes a perfect time for some exercise, too.

My friends the PostmodernPescatarian and BigMama have both piqued my interest in the 100-Mile diet challenge for some time.  There is so much good stuff that can come out of eating local foods grown on local farms and harvested by local hands.  Even though it may have a trendy edge to it right now, I love this kind of thing because it feels like a throwback to another era; back before anything I ever dreamed of or wanted could come wrapped in cellophane.  Everything old is new again.

When I found out about the farmers market in our town I decided right then that for the time that the market runs - June through September - our family will buy all of our produce from there and not the grocery store.  If it's in season, we buy it.  If it's not, we won't.  Again, we are only two weeks in, but I already love it.  Here is last week's haul:

Going clockwise starting at "noon": zucchini squash in the background,
kombucha in the foreground, kale greens, fresh ground beef, cucumbers,
crookneck squash, lambsquarters greens, devil's food cupcakes,
boiled peanuts, and local raw honey.

 

The lambsquarters is what's in the bag.  It is very comparable to spinach.
I sauteed it with olive oil and mushrooms this week.  Heavenly.

These cupcakes were so unnecessary . . . and so divine!

 

This kombucha was definitely the most "granola" purchase we made,
but we have enjoyed drinking it this week.  It is a "living" food and full
of probiotics.  You can find out more general information about it here.

Today's market was even better than last week's because of the crops that have come in since last Saturday.  Here is what we found today:

Going clockwise starting at "noon": carrots, swiss chard, kombucha,
kale greens, sauerkraut, red and yellow onions, lambsquarters,
lavender bunches, and zucchini & crookneck squash

 

Little Big Man loved picking out his carrots.

Ruth at BackInTime Farm makes a different flavor kombucha each week.
Last week was blueberry ginger, this week it's grape.

All total between last week and this, we have invested into the farmers market about $70.00.  I knew I would love buying these beautiful, flavorful local products.  What I have been most pleasantly surprised by really is the further discovery of our community.  The faces become more familiar each week.  We live and work and raise our kids side by side with each other, but can move so fast that we never notice.  But when you're all meandering around the same local market, making selections, asking questions, learning about produce or products that may be completely new to you or old favorites, it's slow enough to notice.  I know more names today than I did a week ago.  And more people know mine. 

That is the greatest thing we've found at the farmers market.  And that crop is likely to produce all season long.

A few more pictures to close:

starting out on our walk

Brilliant Beauty samples a boiled peanut.  A Georgia gal, indeed.

She'll have one of everything, please.

And Little Big Man's visit last week even made the front page of the
Sunday Athens Banner-Herald.  Have your people call his people and
maybe you can do lunch.