This morning, I went out to the Farmer's Market on the Square. What a glorious morning it is! The sun was coming up and shining and there weren't too many people yet. The stalls were full of amazing summer fare. Ripe and beautiful heirloom tomatoes -- pink, yellow, red, green, and orange, variegated, and some with stripes. The smell of produce permeated the air. Fresh herbs overflowed and flowers were everywhere. It was like a little piece of farm heaven had set up shop right in the middle of the street...in fact, that's just what happened! The honey guys were there with their liquid gold and the bakers all had their freshly baked sweet breads displayed on tables -- the bags steamy inside from the heat of the morning or because they were bagged hot.
I couldn't decide what I wanted and, as I often do, I meandered back and forth along the row, around and around until finally settling at the largest fruit and vegetable stand. They don't have the most closely locally grown produce, but they have the best selection. I picked a shiny red pepper because they're delicious out of hand and in so many dishes, but passed on the cucumbers, zucchini, and potatoes. I walked a few stalls down and discovered beautiful, fragrant basil, picked just before flowering. It smelled strong and I could see myself making fresh pesto or a tomato, basil salad with sweet Vidalia onions. One huge bunch should do it!
As I walked a bit further, an old, sweet southern man was s-l-o-w-l-y helping a couple of ladies select the perfect tomatoes. As I stood perusing the tomatoes, I thought anyone with that much care for tomatoes must be a kind soul. After confirming that the tomatoes were grown without any pesticides, since they have such thin skin and are prone to hanging on to whatever chemicals they're exposed to (although I'm not a crazy proponent of organics, but that's for another blog), I picked a small basket of ripe red tomatoes for a marriage with my basil.
Across the row, I spotted a small basket of okra -- yum! With visions of stewed okra and tomatoes, crispy roasted okra, and delicious fresh summer soup with okra on my mind, I settled on a basket with small tender pods.
Finally, I happened upon a second equally enthusiastic tomato salesman with shelves filled with gnarly looking heirloom varieties. The tomatoes were all shapes and sizes, in a dozen different colors. "Give me an education in tomatoes," I said smiling. His eyes sparkled as he described the tomatoes, cross-breeds with pedigrees from Italy and California. This one was robust in flavor and this one sweet. I picked out three bright examples for my salad and felt a little smarter walking away.
On the way out, I popped in to the local coffee shop where they roast their own beans. The heavy smell of roasted beans and old wood (since the building is quite old) was a welcome contrast to the fresh smells outside. I ordered a cup of strong coffee and after doctoring it with a little 1/2 and 1/2 and Splenda, stepped outside into the courtyard. With a piece of dark chocolate melting in my mouth, I sat in the partial shade and unpacked my purchases in my mind. I read the Book of Philippians, a book on true happiness and I drank the deep, rich coffee.
Oh, you might say, "whoa, dark chocolate, where did that come from?!" Well, as I was standing waiting to order the coffee, the gentleman in front of my was paying for his almond croissant and coffee with a smile. Pastry sounded delicious, but really I just wanted the sweetness and remembered that an almond croissant like that could easily fetch 600 calories or more - not what I wanted for breakfast! However, alongside the tip jar was a basket of extra dark chocolate pieces...at $0.25 each and about 75 calories, it was a bargain. So, I got my sweet chocolate fix and it fit perfectly into my day's calories. Now, I don't eat a piece of chocolate for breakfast every day and I don't recommend you do that; however, to treat yourself (and myself) is perfectly acceptable.
As for what's next, it's an heirloom tomato, basil, and Vidalia onion salad, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil alongside some warm crusty whole wheat, oatmeal bread. Delish!
No comments:
Post a Comment