Farmer's Market

One of my favorite things is the Saturday morning Farmer's Market.  After working diligently in my office Monday through Friday, (Saturday?  Sunday?) I love to get out to go to the Farmer's Market. 

Aside from the fresh, local fruits and veggies, it's a time of socializing.  In the short time we've been here in Trinidad, we've met some wonderful people.  So I make my way around the circle of tables and booths carefully choosing my produce for the week and chatting with the wonderful people I've come to know and even some people I haven't come to know yet. 

Last week the first table featured some local green chilis.  August and September is harvest time for the incredible green chilis of Southern Colorado and New Mexico.  Once they are more plentiful, I plan to get one or two bushels to last me until next year's harvest.  But because the chilis are just coming to harvest time, I bought only a few to enjoy with dinner.  Les isn't much of a chili guy, but DJ and I took pleasure in having freshly roasted chilis with our steak dinner.

Next is the corn and cantaloupe table.  They sell "Peaches and Cream" corn -- a very tasty bi-colored corn.  And the cantaloupe are from Rocky Ford, CO.  Apparently that's a well-known cantaloupe capital of the US!  They sure were yummy!  Sweet and flavorful.

Then I stop at the onion guy's table for some local, sweet onions.  They're almost like fruit they're so good and sweet.

The candle lady is next -- even though I've not purchased from her yet this year, I like the smell when I walk past her table.  I have obtained some soap from her neighbors, "the soap people."  Goat milk soap with lavender.  Lovely!

I heard my name and turned to find my friend, Jim.  He and his wife, Pamela, own Southern Colorado Realty and are just nice, genuine people.  Pamela's a kick in her own lovely, goofy way.  We talked for 5 minutes about nothing at all. 

Then there's the goat cheese booth and other veggies that I've walked slowly past every week.  By the time I get my corn and melons, my bags are too heavy to buy much else, but last week as I was making my way past some of these tables, there were 2 young men -- probably around 11 & 7 years old.  They were selling jam they helped their mom make.  Mom was no where around as it was these boys' job to sell their merchandise.  They had a sign in front of their table that explained the proceeds were for their college fund.  They were not about to let me pass without talking to me.  And after hearing about how the mixed berry jam was the younger boy's favorite and how good it tasted over vanilla ice cream, I was charmed into buying some. 

Then came my friend, Marie's table.  She has Aracuna chickens and sells their eggs.  Aracuna eggs are sometimes called Easter eggs because they're colored with blue, green and brown.  I love fresh eggs and hope to have chickens when we can finally get up to our mountain.  Of course, I had to stop to not only buy some eggs, but to chat and see how her week went.  She is working the Farmer's Market so that she can buy herself a new sewing maching.  She also bakes and sells brownies and scones.  A talented, down-to-earth lady who also happens to live in a straw bale house.

Next to her was my friend Jan and her friend Albert -- also known as Demitri.  He was up at 6am that day picking the young tender lettuces he was selling.  Boy-oh-boy were they good!  So Jan, Albert (aka Demitri) and I talked for several minutes about trees and plants, the weather and the goings on of the week. 

After about an hour I was on my way back home, loaded down with corn, jam, cantaloupe, onions, lettuce, brownies, eggs, chilis and I don't remember what else.

I love the Farmer's Market!