Produce

As part of my reacclimation exercise, went to the local farmer's market yesterday. The town closes off a couple blocks of a street near downtown for local vendors to sell what's supposed to be locally grown food. I was astounded by the variety and quality of the available fruits and vegetables. Having gotten used to a limited selection, I was overwhelmed by the choices. Want tomatoes? There are several types. Everything was in great variety, especially nice were the stone fruits, something I hadn't had in quite a while. Nectarines, peaches, apricots, cherry's of several types as well as fresh sweet corn, perfect carrots, and everything else California has to offer in July.

Some of the supposedly local products were a bit of a stretch, why did a painting contractor have a booth? And the trio providing background music was just excreble, but cheerful at least. We bought a watermelon that the guy assured us was sweet but it wasn't really. I guess my next quest will be to find a watermelon with seeds. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the peaches, just heaven.

The whole affair is conducted in a kind of smug silence that I guess I'll just have to get used to. Everyone walking around like they were some kind of famous chef searching for just the right flavors for that fabulous meal they had planned. Similar to the attitude you see at intermission at the ballet, everyone showing "Hey look at me, I'm at the ballet". I was actually just looking for some food. Better remember to shell those peas today. That always reminds me of being a kid visiting the relatives in Minnesota. We would inevitably buy a bag of fresh peas along the road on the way home from wherever we had been and then us kids in the back seat would shell them as we drove back, usually with the thunderstorms gathering for the afternoon performance.

No papaya or pineapple at this market though. But plenty of good stuff to take my mind off those delights, at least for now. It was fun to see a woman shopper carrying a really nice Ghana basket, the kind with the leather wrapped handle that makes it so pleasant to carry. I wonder where she got that?