It seems like all the traveling we get to do lately is to go visit family. (That’s what happens when everyone moves away!) Don’t get me wrong, I love our families, but I would like to take a REAL vacation with my husband. Oh, well. We enjoy being on the road together and it is guaranteed that our return trip is made up of primarily debriefing each other about all the family “dynamics” that we just lived through! 🙂 (We have a rule, though. Once we hit our own state line, we cannot continue “discussing” the family!)
It is also guaranteed that we will visit at least one farmers market on our trip. This time, I was lucky enough to go to the Louisville Farmers Market with the nieces. This is a great market located in a wonderful old downtown area.
Local vocal talent serenaded us from the pavilion as we shopped.
There was so much sampling going on that the nieces did not need a mid-morning snack.
I loved visiting (and buying) from all the vendors.
My first purchase were some apricots from C and R Farms. They had the most beautiful fruit. And, they had samples of delectable cherries that the nieces and I sampled. Doh! I bought a pound of cherries too. (What we didn’t scarf down that afternoon ended up in a wonderful rhubarb-berry pie that my sister-in-law made.)
Then, we visited with a gentleman from High Plains Meats out of Longmont, Co. They specialize in precooked meats like brats. We sampled some wonderful jalapeno elk bratwurst that made me wish I had stuck a cooler in the car for the long trip home.
I saw some beautiful rainbow chard at Mimi’s Garden. It was huge but still really tender. I showed the nieces and asked if I could make some sauted chard for dinner that night. They agreed.
I love Pappardelle’s Pasta so when I saw their tent, I had to go buy some.
Then, my family and I lost track of each other. My sister-in-law was intently talking to a local dairy who delivered so I wandered around and check out some other vendors.
Again, I wished I had packed a cooler. (Lesson well learned; it will be in the car next time.) I sampled some honey yogurt (my favorite) from Noosa Yogurt. OMG! I can’t even relate how good this stuff is. Whole Foods Distribution are you listening?
And as the dairy and my sister-in-law were still negotiating, I found a beautiful eco-friendly shirt at Zavella’s tent.
But, my biggest coup of the day was visiting with the creators of Thing with Zing. These ladies were serving their tomato-onion chutney on cream cheese with crackers. They had me there, but they went on to tell me how sublime it was on eggs and veggies. Had to have some! They are very proud of their product and told me they only make it in small batches. I asked them if they owned their own commercial kitchen or if they rented space for production. No, they said, they have a company in Denver make and package their product but that they ARE ALWAYS THERE when production is going on. 🙂 Interesting, I thought.
Well, the chard that night was a hit with everyone but my brother-in-law. I just sauted it in some olive oil with garlic and green onions. I added a splash of balsamic at the end. But, more importantly, the nieces loved it and I got to introduce them to a new vegetable that is easy to grow.
Just another plea, wherever you are this weekend, please visit a farmers market. Even if you are not in the market to buy anything, you will have a great time visiting with vendors.
Finally, I have to put this pic up as a shout-out to my two beautiful nieces. They let me help pick these sunflowers for their dinner table.
