Sunday, May 15, 2016

MARKET DAY

the Delaware River

To market, to market to buy a fat pig;
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig!

 
Yesterday was market day for me. I have never been one to do all my shopping for a week or two, but I will shop every day or two as I menu plan. With my schedule and my trips home, I will stop sometimes for Happy Hour. You never know who may show up, which will sometime lead to dinner. This is why I don't buy ahead. I also use many resources for various items. I tend to use Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Acme and some time Wegmans. We also have a just opened local shop called Simly Fresh which is very nice, but I also use and prefer my farmers markets, which are a bounty around here.
 
 
 I like the farmers market for a couple reasons. Family farmers need our support, now that large agribusiness dominates food production in the U.S. Small family farms have a hard time competing in the food marketplace. Buying directly from farmers gives them a better return for their produce and gives them a fighting chance in today’s globalized economy. And with out them...there goes even more land to develop!!! It also helps to protect the environment.  Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles, I read once, to get to your plate. All this shipping uses large amounts of natural resources, contributes to pollution, and creates trash with extra packaging. Not to mention the food is more fresh, and you can really enjoy the season's best. Yesterday was a beautiful day...at least till Mother Nature decided we still hadn't had enough rain, and hit us with a late afternoon storm! Otherwise it was a beautiful day.
 
The meats there looked great! SAUAGE!!!
 
One stand even had Quail eggs...couldn't  do it.
 
On the way home I took a nice drive on the back roads home. Made a pit stop at the Bucks County Honey Co.
They have the best honey. Their roadside stands can be found in various locations on the back roads here.
 
one of the roadways. My cousin would say, " This would be a good place for a murder."
 
I didn't stop yesterday, but this farm I featured before, Carousal Farm, grow and produces fresh lavender and all kinds of great product featuring lavender. I will sometimes stop to get some. I like to boil lavender in water and let the smell over take the house.
 
I also enjoy seeing their herd of donkeys.
Meanwhile across the road were these cows enjoying the sun...
And at an estate up the road were these. I have no idea what they are..if there cattle or cows or what, but their horns were long.
A lovely home near the Casa du Borghese....
 These lemons I got for iced tea were the biggest lemons I'd ever seen. It' hard to ell here, but they are the size of my fist.
 
I also couldn't resist the casserole dish. One of the ladies I know sells all kinds of bakeware from Poland, and I'd been wanting to get another piece. These are great for baking in and taking right to the table.
It was a good day. It felt good to know the food I eat will taste even better. With summer encroaching, I will be eating more vegetables dishes, salads, shell fish and fish , along with cheeses and such...not so much comfort foods and meat. So tonight will be a nice veggie stir fry. And soon the local fruit will be in season too.

36 comments:

  1. I love the market when I have time to go. Being in Philly I go to the Reading Terminal Market. It's usually a tempting day. I love it but don't get to see the wonderful country side though.

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    1. Don't get me started on Reading Terminal!!!!!

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  2. What a great post Mistress. Your to be commended on supporting your locals markets. You hit the nail on the head. If we don't support these farmers there will be even more land gone to yet more malls, which we don't need, or housing. My uncle used to live in Bucks. There were tons of markets and the county should also be commended on the preservation of open space. It truly is beautiful there.

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    1. I will say our politician's which ever side of the aisle, are very good about protecting the land here. They'd have to be here.

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  3. I couldn't agree more with you. We shop the market everyday its open. While were on the main line, we do go to bucks also. Last time we saw one of those honey stands and stopped. Truly delicious. That's why I love bucks, its very European on the back roads. You never know what you may see. We once had a flock of wild turkey crossing the road. And do I see a market basket in the one picture???? I have three of them to save from using bags.

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    1. I am listening to the Philadelphia Orchestra on WRTI while reading this, nice afternoon...

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    2. Thank you for listening to us! It means a lot.

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    3. It is indeed a market basket. It always goes to the market with me!

      @Josh- lovely concert as usual

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  4. We over here are very used to doing our market shopping every day. It took time to get used to, but now I love it. The way of like here is so much more different than when I lived in the US. I am loving the animals pictures too. Could those long horned cows be Highland Cattle? I love seeing your area, it's so picturesque.

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    1. I think you're right - they look like Highland cattle.

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    2. Highland Cattle! Thank you.

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  5. When life hands you lemons...make a cocktail.

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  6. Great post! That why I like coming to visit you. In NJ, the quality of food and the prices are much better than the grocery stores. But the outdoor markets are trying to cater to tourists, and therefore they charge you more. It's good to be a regular with some vendors.

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    1. I wonder why they think tourists need farmers’ food when they mostly live in hotels and depend on restaurants to eat. I tried it once and never again. There’s an indoor farmers’ market on 42nd street and 9th Avenue where it is waaaaaaayyyy cheaper and IS run by farmers.

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  7. I’ve had good luck at farmers markets. I don’t know if it was exactly “local local” or not, but most of the stuff was really good, and the prices weren’t extreme. I guess it depends on where you live. Sometimes the farmers will talk your ear off if you stop to buy stuff from them. Local honey is the best too, I agree.

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    1. I have cousins who live in Ann Arbor and run a lovely community farm. They produce just about everything, including a great hand and lip balm and a line of beeswax candles. They really are good earth lovers.

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  8. " And soon the local fruit will be in season too." I thought you were in season year round?

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    1. I've always been rip for the pickin!

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  9. Everything just taste so much better at the market. Its only there for me now for fruit and vegetables. Lately at the grocery, they just don't last. I have had to waste a lot of things. I enjoyed seeing your day. Those cattle are amazing looking.

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  10. Thanks for the special tour, what a beautiful area and such pretty market items. I too shop daily, even if I is a food store. Great article. It is important to realize that local small farmers need support. Without them, we would all be dependent on large factory farms, whose products can never match up to the quality of carefully and conscientiously farmed local products. We have some awesome markets here.

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  11. You got my attention with those yummy pastries!!!! I only get to out market on Saturday, just no time during the week. Those herbs look great and I'm loving that pic plate you got.

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  12. I've never seen any cattle like that, but they are handsome, indeed!
    All of the food photos look absolutely delicious. My mouth was watering - and this time it had nothing to do with naked guys.
    And it's always a great idea to shop at local farmer's ,markets.

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    1. Now if we ever get some nice weather, the outdoor markets will do better.

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  13. heh heh heh, "hard salami". mistress knows that all too well! ;-b

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  14. I love going to the market too...gives a sense of community as you get to know the farmers and sellers, and the regular market locals. Also farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services, whereas suburban development costs more than it generates in taxes, according to several studies. Great post as always, thanks for taking us with you.

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  15. Local farmer's market now open here.
    Family farms - we have one in our family. They grow wheat and lentils. Lentils are shipped to Spain (those that don't get left at our house in a nice sized sack :-)

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    1. I should try lentils. I have never really given them a chance.

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  16. Your right about supporting local....farmers are a vanishing breed. Your lucky to have such resources at your finger tips. I can taste a bug difference in farm fresh produce.Loves the cows, beautiful,

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    1. bugs? I sure hope you have toothpicks.

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  17. My mother has a bunch of that Polish pottery. As far as the markets go, I usually hit up Whole Foods here in the city, or the Reading Terinmal. Anymore I eat more veggies now than I even do meat. Nice posts.

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  18. Great post, Maddie.

    Thanks for including the picture of the roadway; all that lovely fresh foliage. To me, it looks like a great place for a photography adventure.

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    1. Thank you Tomass! I have to admit, when I'm frolicking around the back roads, I often find myself wondering what you might photograph. Between Bucks County and the Pocono's you'd probably have a swell time.

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  19. We have a grocery chain called Sprouts and they feature locally grown stuff. I love shopping there whenever I can.

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    1. There certainly is a huge difference in taste isn't there?

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  20. You eat so healthy Mistress!

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  21. All that produce looks wonderful! I really have to rein in my excitement when at markets like this one as I tend to go totally overboard with purchases.

    ::makes note not to dally on the Murder Road::

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!