Summer Markets

While in San Franscico all week I kept asking Billy funny questions....like, "Where do dogs go poo?  It's all concrete here?  Where do these people go to the grocery?  I 've not seen a Publix.  Where is the Chick-fil-a?  I'm not sure we could go a week without that.  And gasoline?  Where's the gas station?  Do they not allow cats in the city?  I've not seen one cat."  Yep.  Funny questions.  However, on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, these are places and things we as a family do.  We let Lily, Graham Cracker and Ellie out the front door to our rather large green yard at their demand, hit Chick-fil-a at anytime of the day because we luv it so, get gasoline at least once a week,  and see the Publix clerks so much they know us by name.

And then....oh then came Saturday.  We headed down to the Ferry and Marketplace for me some Blue Bottle coffee and gluten free pastry to find the mecca of all outdoor farmer markets was set up.  Good gravy peeps.....my little suburban heart just about fainted at all the glorious freshness.  It answered so many questions...so many.  I mean, who'd need Chick-fil-a with homemade cheeses and breads for the week?  And jams, and flowers, and meat, and milk, and...and......I just get all in a tissy thinking about what they had available that day.  They even had special crazy carts to carry their bags on!

As a child we were a part of a farmer's market co-op with a bunch of Mom's friends, but what I remember of that was creepy farmers under the interstate in downtown Birmingham.  It was loud and smelled funny.  Mom would take the collected money and buy in bulk fresh groceries from the back of the farmer's trucks.  Then we'd get home with the smelly boxes(they do have a stink about them....that cardboard does) and divide it amongst the families.  My favorite was when she'd get eggplant.  Oh, I loved the way she prepared it, lightly fried with cornmeal.  The only other person that's made eggplant as good is my friend Valerie, who makes a delicious eggplant parmesan.  I've never made eggplant anything.  Maybe I will!

Anyways....the long drawn out moral to this story is this.....THIS summer I am locating a place for my family to go and buy more locally fresh produce, eggs and cheeses.  I've already got the scoop on a few places, but if you know of another...send it my way!  We are south of the Atlanta Airport.  I'll be sure to share my favorite spots...and recipes!  Have I ever shared my homeade salsa with you?  Let's just say my 12 year old asks for it regularly, and he's a boy. 

Oh and....the cat question is still out there....we didn't see one.  Heard one wailing in Chinatown behind a blue steel door.  But we both promised to never ever ever think about that again.  Ever.