Gotta Love Farmers Markets!!

[Addie]

My sister and I used to drive up north to Topsfield and other towns near there and stop at farms that were selling what they picked that morning. And sometimes they were also selling their over abundance of fresh eggs along with what was left over from what the woman of the house had cooked up the night before. After all, just how often can you serve fresh green beans before the family yells, "Enough with the green beans Mom! You know we have other veggies out there in the garden."

[larry_stewart]

For those In the Connecticut area , they have an " Open Farm Day" where 10 + farms participate. They open there farms, some give tours of the farms, others lectures on how to grow certain things, some tastings... We did it last year and it was a lot of fun. I think you can download a map of the participating farms, hours, and what they have to offer.

Granby Agricultural Commission - Open Farm Day

It was kinda cool getting a behind the scenes view of the farms, and speaking to the pro's

[Just Cooking]

We have a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday farmers market in our largest mall parking lot.. Only for 4 hours, 8 to noon... Lots of local farmers, including many of the outlying Amish/Mennonite farmers.. Good veggies and wonderful baked goods...


Ross

[larry_stewart]

Originally Posted by Just Cooking

We have a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday farmers market in our largest mall parking lot.. Only for 4 hours, 8 to noon... Lots of local farmers, including many of the outlying Amish/Mennonite farmers.. Good veggies and wonderful baked goods...
Ross

I love going to Lancaster PA, and hitting the Amish/ Mennonite Markets. Ive seen cabbages larger than a basket ball there. And their baked goods and pretzels are great.

[Cooking Goddess]

larry, that Granby Farm visit sounds a bit like what we would go on back home. The Medina County Parks District hosts a Fall Foliage Tour each October for one weekend. Farms do the "pet the goat, watch us milk, we'll be shearing sheep this weekend" kind of thing then. The town of Chatham usually runs their apple butter festival at the same time, and lots of farm related businesses along that year's tour route do extra special things to lure people in even if they aren't officially tour stops that year. You just got me to thinking that instead of visiting the kids next month, as kinda planned, we'll go so that we'll be there mid-October so we can do the tour thing like when they were young...and not so young.

Originally Posted by Just Cooking

We have a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday farmers market...Lots of local farmers, including many of the outlying Amish/Mennonite farmers.. Good veggies and wonderful baked goods...

But not as good as yours, right, Ross? A Mennonite family sets a stand up near the Rite Aid store by our daughter's place. If we need to make a drugstore run, we time it to coincide with when the stand is open.

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by Cooking Goddess

Wow, K-Girl, lots of choices! But...those fish are all dead. Before you think "that's how they have to sell them" let me tell you about what our niece can shop at. She moved to Taiwan with her hubby when he was needed to go home to care for his aging parents. I am amazed with that part of the world more and more by her posts. One place they shop has not only iced fish, but also living fish you can select from displays that look like pools of water cascading down between more pools of water. And the fish are busy swimming around! Like going fishing, except no dangerous hooks and yucky worms.

I have seen live fish in NYC in Chinatown. The store staff kills the fish when someone buys it. You can't get any fresher than that.

CD

[Just Cooking]

Originally Posted by Cooking Goddess

But not as good as yours, right, Ross? A Mennonite family sets a stand up near the Rite Aid store by our daughter's place. If we need to make a drugstore run, we time it to coincide with when the stand is open.

Their bakery goods are so superior to my simple desserts..

Knowing the shelf life of the bakery goods, I still have to fight purchasing one of each item they offer.. My tummy is happy that I don't live close to one of their bakeries..


Ross

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by Just Cooking

Their bakery goods are so superior to my simple desserts..

Knowing the shelf life of the bakery goods, I still have to fight purchasing one of each item they offer.. My tummy is happy that I don't live close to one of their bakeries..


Ross

A couple of months ago, I had dinner with one of my big customers at Capital Grille (the "e" on the end makes the food more expensive). After dinner, he looked at the dessert menu, and order one of EVERY item on it for us to share -- there were only three of us.

CD

[Cheryl J]

Our little 'farm stand' has expanded over the past couple of years to an actual Farmers Market, and we're really excited about it. It's on Saturday mornings from 7 to noon, in the back section of the Tractor Supply Company parking lot. There are about 20 vendors including fruits and veggies of course, but also canned and baked goods, eggs, and recently some craft vendors have joined in. A well established cattle ranch about an hour away now offers fresh butchered meats to order and comes down once a month. It's fun to browse around, support the vendors, and chit chat with folks.

[caseydog]

Ross, I found this iPhone shot of the dessert bonanza from Capital Grille...

Sorry about the thread-jack, but it is kinda' funny.

CD

.

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

In our little town, we have a Farmer's Market at the local community college's parking lot on Saturday mornings, from 8am-Noon.
Not many folks were showing up so early on a well needed day off, so they changed their hours to 10a-2pm, smart, very smart.

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by Cooking Goddess

Wow, K-Girl, lots of choices! But...those fish are all dead. Before you think "that's how they have to sell them" let me tell you about what our niece can shop at. She moved to Taiwan with her hubby when he was needed to go home to care for his aging parents. I am amazed with that part of the world more and more by her posts. One place they shop has not only iced fish, but also living fish you can select from displays that look like pools of water cascading down between more pools of water. And the fish are busy swimming around! Like going fishing, except no dangerous hooks and yucky worms.

True dat CG!
But, these are rather large seagoing fish (can you see some of the "tags" with their weight?)
I can also go into Honolulu's Downtown and get live fish if I want smaller, fresh water fish for supper too as well as prawns, lobsters, limpets, all matter of wild looking stuff I'm afraid to ask about too I haven't had the guts to try Sea Cucumber yet

[cjmmytunes]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

Have you ever been to Brothers Farm Market in Elizabeth City? They bring produce up to the farmers market in my town every Saturday from April through November. Love their stuff They have a fall festival with a corn maze, farm animals, etc., in October that your grands might enjoy.

Haven't had a chance to go out there yet, but I have their directions saved on my phone so we can go when we get a chance. If the grands get up here in October, we'll try to go out there.

[Just Cooking]

Originally Posted by caseydog

A couple of months ago, I had dinner with one of my big customers at Capital Grille (the "e" on the end makes the food more expensive). After dinner, he looked at the dessert menu, and order one of EVERY item on it for us to share -- there were only three of us.

CD

I'd bet that he and I would get along well...
Ross

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

I just love the Farmers Market in Honolulu,
(look at that Avo!)
VERY crowd but there was so much,
even plate lunch from a noted restaurant ...

[Cooking Goddess]

While wandering through the Berkshires this week, we stopped at the West Stockbridge farmers market. Lots of interesting stuff like local honey, and hand cream with CBE oil. And, of course, produce! One stand had items I had read about or hadn't seen in decades, and did we put a dent in our spending money. Farmers markets around New England are not cheap. We got sweet white turnips, watermelon radishes, multicolored carrots, baby potatoes, mixed baby lettuces, and husk cherries. Also two loaves of bread, a baguette and a loaf of "Death by Chocolate". I'll be making overnight French toast with the chocolate bread, adding in cherries and toasted almond slivers, for Sunday brunch...if I can wait that long!

[Mad Cook]

Originally Posted by larry_stewart

Was in NYC , the past few days, and strategically planned our wanderings to pass by the Union Square Greenmarket. Im usually in the city on days its not there, but any time I know the market is open, I make it happen. There have been times that instead of actually going out for lunch, we're just walk through the market selecting a bunch of stuff and turning it into lunch. Any time wego on a road trip, I always try to make it a point to hit the local farmers markets or the most popular city market. When in Philly, Reading Terminal Market is a must!!.

No real question here, just plugging farmers markets and unique food markets in cities. Im looking forward to hitting a few on my road trip in October.

The reputation of the Union Square farmers' market has even reached here - Ina Garten featured it on one of her "Barefoot Contessa" programmes.

[Cheryl J]

Originally Posted by Cooking Goddess

While wandering through the Berkshires this week, we stopped at the West Stockbridge farmers market. Lots of interesting stuff like local honey, and hand cream with CBE oil. And, of course, produce! One stand had items I had read about or hadn't seen in decades, and did we put a dent in our spending money. Farmers markets around New England are not cheap. We got sweet white turnips, watermelon radishes, multicolored carrots, baby potatoes, mixed baby lettuces, and husk cherries. Also two loaves of bread, a baguette and a loaf of "Death by Chocolate". I'll be making overnight French toast with the chocolate bread, adding in cherries and toasted almond slivers, for Sunday brunch...if I can wait that long!

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Looks and sounds wonderful, CG! Our local farmers market is about a mile from my house and like the one you went to, there are all kinds of goodies - not just food. If I can get myself up out of bed and put together early enough tomorrow morning, I'm headed over there. It's set up in the shade trees of the Tractor Supply Co. parking lot.