Once more into the farmers market, dear friends, once more
Gina and I will be heading out to the farmers market here soon. I would really like to encourage everyone out there to visit their local farmers market at least once a month. I mean around here there are several different markets, thus far Gina and I have decided that the Sunset Valley Farmers Market is the best one in town.
We have visited a couple of others around town, the one that is in downtown austin, the historic one that is on Burnet, but the Sunset Valley is the one we visit, almost every Saturday. The market is 24 miles from our house, as per Google Maps. We usually grab a coffee on the way down and make a morning of the trip.
I have recently fallen in love with the bread that this one vendor makes. He has been there the last 3 or 4 weeks, though I don’t remember him being there last year. He makes fantastic artisan breads, I favor his Rye breads. He said that he has made pumpernickel on occasion, but that demand for it isn’t really high enough for him to bring it to the market.
From looking at his setup, he bakes probably about 50-60 loaves of bread. I might ask him today, to see if my judgment of how many loaves his setup holds is anywhere near correct. His bread ranges from $7 - $9 (I need to check and see if he has anything more expensive than $9).
Now, we are talking about a circle of small artisan bread. My last loaf of bread could not have had a diameter of more than 7 inches and was no taller than 2 inches. It cost me $7.
Seven dollars of mustard rye goodness. I have to say that while, it is the most expensive bread I have ever purchased (even surpassing the bread obtained at Central Market), the mustard rye is worth every penny.
Today, though I am going to go out of my comfort zone. I am going get something other than a rye from this vendor, I am also going to try and get a name, his or his businesses’, so I can quit referring him to as ‘vendor’.
I have a feeling we will also pick up another cauliflower. We are still good on cabbage, got 2/3 of a cabbage left that I need to turn into slaw. I might try to smoke some chicken and turkey tomorrow, those don’t take too long.
Gina might find some various organs from the meat vendors to feed the dogs. The time before last, she found a lady selling chicken hearts and gizzards. MMMMM, bleh.
But the dogs loved them.
I will have to ask her about the lamb hearts she bought, I don’t remember if she fed those already or not.
If you do plan to get meat from a farmers market, I would definitely advise going early. The meat vendors always seem to sell out. There is this one stand there that sells some sort of goat cheese, milk, and various cuts of pork (not sure if I have seen beef there too), but I know they sell pork.
More often than not, their stand has a line. It seems to be a mix of folks waiting for cheese and meat. But I know the meat sells out.
There is this one stand that sells Basil (when it is in season) for a steal. Like $1 for a decent sized “bunch”. Even if they raised their prices to say $5, it would still be a steal over prices you pay at a regular grocery store for Basil.
Also, arugula is another great find you get at the farmers market. There are several vendors selling salad greens. Mixed spring style greens, arugula, spinach, and bibb lettuce.
I remember that when I was little my dad would take us to the farmers market in downtown Lansing. The experience of walking into a building with lots of hustle and bustle going on. I haven’t been in quite a long time, but I remember there being only one long row of vendors with little alleys at the various entrances on the sides of the long building.
It is kind of funny, all of the markets I have been to here in Texas are more like a traveling bazaar, whilst the Lansing market is in a big brick building. I mean, if the Lansing one wasn’t in a building it would only be able to be open at the end of spring through the beginning of fall.
Next time I am back in Lansing, I will need to swing through the city market and see if I can find myself an artisan rye.
I was poking around for artisan bread references while writing this and ran across the blog for the following book, “Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day…” I have to admit, that the man’s rye bread makes me want to bake. Not so much to avoid paying him that $7, but to hopefully be able to make something so tasty myself, at home anytime I want it, not just after a 30 minute drive on a saturday morning. I say this, because I am pretty sure my loaf of rye ran out on Wednesday. I mean, what am I supposed to do then?
Bake my own maybe.
I need to get ready to go to the market.