Market Share

Today was the second to last market day of the year, so I’ve started hoarding for winter. It’s becoming painfully obvious that the days of fresh, readily available local produce are coming to a close, and I found it hard to resist taking more than I probably needed.

 

Saturday market trips are always fun, as it’s a time for me to hang out with my mom, doing what we both love best (she’s as much of a gardening freak and foodie as I am). The kids are really only keen to go if the woman from Bad Girl Chocolates is there on that particular day so they can buy a handful of classic caramels to savour while we shop (5 for $1), but unfortunately she isn’t there every week. There are a few things that will distract them momentarily, like tasting every single cheese sample (even though they could probably identify them blindfolded), and visiting the nice organic grower who gives them free pieces of fruit, but for the most part they think it’s torture. Today they decided that their grandmother is part snail because she takes so long to do the circuit, this is in spite of the fact that, at 56, she runs for an hour every day and is almost never seen sitting down. But surround the woman with gorgeous vegetables and various other edible delights and she’ll actually focus on what’s around her – it’s kind of spooky.

So far my stockpile consists of 3 kilograms of honey, numerous squashes, potatoes, grapes, some apples (although they likely won’t last through the week), and a couple of large bags of basil (I started to worry that I wasn’t going to have enough pesto to last the winter). Next week I’m thinking of getting a five pound bag of garlic, and twenty pounds or more of apples (for sauce, etc.).

I couldn’t resist also getting several Calliope eggplants. They’re too cute for words, and they’ll be perfect for my favorite eggplant dish.