To market, to market...

Not to buy a fat pig, nor anything else.

One of the things I wanted to do this week, since I'm on holidays, is visit the local farmers markets. I'm lucky in that there are at least two within my county, with three market days between them. Today I dragged myself out of bed to get to one of them. I don't know why it was such an onerous task, leaving my nice, warm and comfy bed to go into the cold and the wet of the outside. Oh wait, I think I just answered my question.

I must admit that I really wasn't looking forward to the market. The few times per year that I go (normally on Saturdays) I've noticed a definite upswing in the number of re-sellers (you know, the middle men who buy produce from the Ontario Food Terminal and then sell them to grocery stores), and a decrease in the number of 'real' farmers at the market. Given it's the middle men who seem to dominate the tables, and their prices aren't that much better than what's at my grocery store, I don't see the point of buying much there.

There weren't that many vendors--it's late in the season, I know-- but of the dozen or so who were there, I'd guess that only two, possibly three, were re-sellers. Since it wasn't busy, I was able to talk to the growers--the cheerful lady with the table of end-of-season berries and the most gorgeous cauliflower, the quiet farmer who makes his own summer sausage (mmmmm) and brought in a bushel of his finger potatoes, the nice young Mennonite who had some peppers, as well, the gregarious fruit grower from St. Catherines who had HUGE baskets of really ripe peaches and lovely plums, grapes and pears.... They were all really friendly (well, except two of resellers...they had nasty attitude...the possible third was really sweet) and let me take pictures of their wares.

Tomorrow I hope to go to the other market. Now that's a REAL farmers' market--they still do livestock auctions there--and a bunch of the local farmers show up with their veg, baking and preserves for sale. If I get out there, I'll be taking my camera...and posting about it.

Here are some pictures--I know, I got shutter happy, but things looked so good...










cheers!
jasmine

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A new project

I know, I know...two posts in one day. I'm sorry about that, but I wanted to post about this...

As you know, September has been an interesting month thus far.

One of my birthday presents was Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries. It's a very simple premise: a year in his kitchen, about how he eats (whether it be alone or cooking for a crowd), how he shops and the life cycle of his garden and his market. It's well written (of course) and filled with lots of entries about 'normal kitchen stuff.' At its heart, it's about preparing real food for real people.

As you also know, Edna, a dear person who touched my life passed away. I've been flipping through her first two cookbooks, hearing her voice narrate the pages. It's all good, home cooking; food that sustains and keeps us safe. It again, is about preparing real food for real people.

Both of these things got me to thinking about forraging for my daily meals, what I eat and how I come to eat what I do. The idea of writing my own version of The Kitchen Diaries intrigued me. Please get this straight, I'm not a diarist by nature--I absolutely hated those writing exerises in primary school...and secondary school, but there's something about recording a record of my normal, everyday kitchen has definitely tickled my fancy.

Please be aware that I am NOT giving up Confessions of a Cardamom Addict. This space is too much fun--I love writing and researching. Cardamom Addict appeals to the creative side in me, and I will keep on with this blog.

Sensual Gourmet is a record of the banalities, tagedies and triumphs of my home kitchen. I'm hoping to keep entries relatively short, but reflective of my culinary mood that day. Any recipes posted will be thoughts and ideas, filled with pinches of this, handfuls of that and cook until done. I proabably won't fuss with the camera in hopes of getting the perfect (or even a passable picture). In short, it will be about how I really cook when I'm not in the midst of developing recipes or experimenting with new foods or testing something out.

If anything, Cardamom Addict and Sensual Gourmet will work together in tandem, providing a better "total picture" of the playground that is my kitchen...

I hope you will bookmark that site and visit me there from time to time.

Oh, and why "Sensual Gourmet?" I'll answer that one later :).

cheers!
jasmine

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Canada Eats: Lunch Box

My latest cookbook review is up at Canada Eats. This month, it's back to school and packing lunches for the little ones...and big ones...and in-between-sized ones:

You can visit it by clicking on this: http://www.canada-eats.com/canada_eats/2006/09/lunch_boxcookbo.html


cheers!
jasmine


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