Farmer's Market Challenge

I've been regularly spending Saturday mornings at a town about half an hour away.  (I'll tell you more about that in another post.)  One morning, I noticed a farmer's market going up in the park and decided to take a stroll through it.  I saw a *lot* of crafts, some of which were interesting, but I also felt like they were out of place at, you know, a Farmer's market.  It is Vermont, after all.  Just how much marketing can farmers do in May/June?

The park is gorgeous this time of year.  Master Gardeners tend the plants in the flower beds near the fountain and on the back side of the park.  I've had the pleasure of chatting with two of them.  Xavier was even given a watering lesson by one woman and allowed to water the circular garden in the center of the park.

Anyway, I've quickly discovered a few favorite vendors and I visit them each week.  There is a man selling phenomenal sourdough bread.  He offers plain and "seeded" varieties.  I usually get one or two small loaves from him.  Xavier prefers plain, but the seeded bread has a "nutty" flavor that I really love.

Another one we are especially enjoying is a woman with a variety of Greek foods.  I get something new from her every week for Micah and I to share for our lunch.  I'm planning to keep that going as long as there is something new for us to try, then we'll have seconds of our favorites.  We've had moussaka and spanakopita, as well as two mystery foods I didn't quite catch the name of.  If you recognize the food on the right, please let me know!  Apparently, I also didn't take a picture of the triangles we had on week three.  Darn.  Guess I'll just have to get them again.

A woman there sells pastries of deliciousness.  They are downright decadent, so I've only purchased a small chocolate croissant from her twice.  I used to love chocolate croissants when I was in NY.  There was a divinely inspired bakery not far from my office, so it was always fun to get them there fresh.  Occasionally, I see them in the grocery store bakery here, but they just aren't the same.

I also picked up a jar of blueberry hot pepper jelly.  I'm not a big fan of really spicy food, but this was just a bit of fire in the sweetness of blueberry.  I really liked it.

What's going on in your neck of the woods?  Do you attend a Farmer's Market where you live?  Tell me some of your favorite purchases.  Try something new!  I challenge you to get something you've never had before, every single week.