This Week at the Farmers' Market

This week represents a diversion from my usual Saturday at noon Farmers' Market trip. My husband's bike was finally ready and he suggested that we ride down to the market together. I've been thinking about this since I got my bike out here but have never felt brave enough. That's right brave enough.

I really don't like to bike and I never have. I had a minor mountain biking fall a few years ago (the cougar attack for anyone who has seen my leg), find biking uncomfortable, and am just scared of biking on streets with cars, people, dogs, other bikes, etc. Let's just put the bike accident aside for another time (with a bottle of wine) and start with the discomfort. Biking is incredibly uncomfortable for me. I'm not sure if its my monster hips, bad knee, or weak wrists but it is one of the least pleasant activities though it got better when I got a new bike a few years ago and then when I adjusted the seat to the right height. I should also say that bikes have a tendency to be, well, rather amorous towards me especially the current (rather well endowed seat) that I current have and I don't enjoy that type of attention.

More than the discomfort (which has been greatly reduced by the right bike for my long torso) is the fear of dying or going over the handle bars again. I have a few friends who bike around cities and two of them told me "when you ride in the city you should just expect to get hit by cars". Why would I do that? I greatly admire the cajones it takes to ride in the city but I save my bravery for other death defying daily events (like trying to walk through the throngs of tourists at my job).

So "Yay for Me!" I rode my bike about 15 blocks and mostly in the park. I would like to ride around the park more and think that I can probably handle the two blocks up, one block over dance with death that I takes to get there.

Once we got to the market it was kind of a mixes bag. We were there late and vendors were already packing up their tents. There were no protein vendors to be found and much of the fruit was gone. I also forgot my lock so I was dragging my bike around with me until Peter decided to baby sit them in the shade.

I was going to try a new strategy this week: go with a recipe in my head. Thekitchn.com boasted that eggplants were everywhere so I put together a roasted eggplant dish in my head (and of course in homage to my eggplants) but there were no eggplants to be found. I switched to my improv route and decided to get ingredients for upcoming meals.

Zucchini- sliced thin and pickled in an herby vinegar (an homage to Applewood). It seems like it will compliment a heavy meal
Peaches- Peach Pie frozen yogurt- probably one of my favorite flavors since cinnamon and fruit go really well with plain yogert
Lettuce- salads
Beets- who doesn't love beets
Garlic and Scapes- I love to add roasted garlic to my chicken soup so I though I would try these guys in there
Goat cheese- what can't you use goat cheese for?

There wasn't really anything new or exciting this week but I have high hopes for next weekend when I ride my bike to the Farmers' Market.