The farmer's market

Stop what you are doing right now and go to your local farmer's market. Yes, you are reading correctly.

No, stop reading......go visit it right now. You can come back and read this later.

Kirsten and I spent the morning at our local farmer's market. I don't know what it is but I love the atmosphere of the outdoors market. Years ago my father took me to the farmer's market in Seattle, Washington. The tradition is (and you have to follow this tradition or you are doing it all wrong. ALL WRONG). You must start at one end and eat your way through to the other end.

Every year I get excited when it is farmer's market time. I love going from booth to booth seeing what each person or family is selling. The things they've made or have grown. I love knowing that these things are grown or made close by and haven't traveled for days and days in some refrigerated truck sitting flavorless and full of chemicals on the produce shelves in a grocery store.

Hard working folks trying to make a living and dang it...I can't buy them all out every year but I'll do my darndest by at least buying what produce I can from them that I've not grown myself.

Today was a bit different. I bought some produce but not a lot. Today was more of a day of exploring and enjoying what the local artists had to offer. After Kirsten and I came home with our produce I called my friend Kristen Randle and told her that I was kidnapping her and her daughter Chaz and we were going back to the farmer's market on a treasure hunt. Kristen's husband delighted us in coming along and we set off.

We walked up and down and up and down looking at all of the treasures and bought things behind each other's backs and surprised each other with our gifts. It was like Christmas in the middle of July! My only regret was that I didn't have more money!!! When all of my money was spent we knew it was time to go..........only for a week though........there is a farmer there that I was so thrilled to see again this year. You hope and you pray that each year they'll be able to hang on and make it again yet another year. To my delight he and his lovely family were there.

I bought corn from him today. He had a basket full of pickling cucumbers that were calling to me and if I were ready I'd have bought him out but I'm not ready.........I'll do that this week so that next week when I go back I'll be ready to buy his cucumbers and spend next week pickling them.

I love the farmer's market!