I might as well ran thru the market throwing money in the air

[cornerofmadness]

for all the restraint I showed today. I ran out to the Athens farmer’s market today, something I’ve been meaning to do all year. Yeah, almost glad I hadn’t. TOO many things I want and absolutely have to have. Peaches ruled the day but I took a pass. They weren’t really the best deals there. I did get some nice eggplant and a bitter melon. I tried to grow them but it only flowered and never set fruit. I asked if you needed more than one but they couldn’t tell me. ‘You know how to use this right?’ Sure I do (I don’t but Google will tell me).

I tasted just about everything. There were jellies, honeys (bought some), dips, cheeses (at least three vendors, I got smoky goat from one and a mini cheesecake from the other), there were bakers that tempted me, herbs for sale all over (but nothing that I didn’t have or absolutely must have), there were organic beef vendors (tempting but i didn’t have that much cash), pork salesmen and already prepped rabbit meat. There was one guy making pretzels about as big as my chest for 5 $ and he had stuffed pizzas and regular pizzas (and bread) that I just had to have. For 5$ I got a pizza (bigger than a personal pan pizza but smaller than a regular pie) topped with cantaloupe, prosciutto and balsamic glaze (and the occasional bee). I can’t even buy prosciutto for that. It was delicious.

And then I saw it. The thing that might just kill me. It was a salsa vendor and he had salsa made from ghost peppers, the hottest pepper in Indian (and in the top 5 in the world). Lucky I wasn’t drooling on myself for a chance to taste that. Me and another woman dipped in (her boyfriend ran off saying he wanted nothing to do with that). Honestly, I think habaneros were worse or at least more bitter. This had a nice finish to it but I was good, I didn’t buy it. They had a violinist there and a 20-30's style swing band. whee

I did make a pit stop into petland for frontline (I now have 3 pissed off kitties). I hit Krogers (there’s a very nice one in Athens) and got wine and three of my favorite snack foods, babganoush, dolmades and olives stuffed with blue cheese (I am powerless before olives).

I wanted to find one of Athens’s 5 historic cemeteries (I’ve been to 3 of them) but neither the online directions nor my GPS could find it. You are here. Um no, Maggie I’m not. I did get to the Plains area of Athens but other than that all I got was a country drive.






sleepy Roy




the haul from the farmer's market (and I see something leaked onto the stove. whee) Also notice one tea kettle isn't enough

Comments

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

Oh that does look yummers!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

so far it is

[marynachaotica.livejournal.com]

I miss the Farmers Markets!

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

That sounds like the Best Farmer's Market EVER.

That pizza makes for me to die right now (and I'm not even hungry).

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

it was amazing.

I still have a slice i could taunt you with

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

I love honey from farmers markets; for some reason it's ALWAYS better than the stuff from the grocery stores.

And now it's breakfast time, so virtual NOM!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

no argument there.

haha enjoy

[helliongoddess.livejournal.com]

That does sound like an awesome farmers market. And you got a great haul - it all looks so good. The closest one like that here is right down in the middle of the tourist area of Williamsburg, and somehow being on that street during the summer months jammed in with all the tourists (and the FM is ONLY there on Saturdays) just doesn't tempt me enough. Just the parking is a nightmare. And dolmades! Yuuuuuuuum. I need to make those again - I used to make some darned good ones of those myself. And cheesecake... food of the gods. *drools(

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

it was packed over there, no doubt about it but worth it. at least parking wasn't bad

i can make dolmades but is too lazy

cheesecake is

[helliongoddess.livejournal.com]

I wanted to make dolmades one time, and couldn't get grape leaves, so I used steamed collards - I guess that would be the southern Greece recipe! They actually were really good, and the collards were much easier to work with than the damn grape leaves (cheaper, too!)

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

ahahaha i'll keep that in m ind yes those grape leaves are pricey

[sillymagpie.livejournal.com]

Pricey but worth it! I love their lemony flavor. Meat-stuffed dolmades are one of my favorite foods in the world.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

they are good

[suspicious.livejournal.com]

mmmmmm I love spicy salsa

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

i do too but i did pass on the salsa (over all they weren't my favorite)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

*grabby hands at so much stuff at your farmer's market*

So much better than what we have locally.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

ditto, the local one is fairly sad. this was wild (costly, throws another fist full of cash at the market)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

I remember that one art show in Gainesville always had local foodstuffs there, too, which was always SO COOL and COSTLY.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

well yes, FL being special. the most expensive thing was a 20$ cheese and i'm sure the meat I didn't look at

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

At least they were art shows, instead of weird country craft shows?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

well yes i don't get those here

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Not here, either, the closest thing is the craft fair at the park across the river in KY, where they at least sell musical instruments.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

in all fairness athens probably DOES have art festivals and I just don't know it

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

It being Athens, I'd bet they would.

[silvrethorn.livejournal.com]

I'll be joining you in the Supermarket Cash Toss when I go to Gainesville on Tuesday. I never can control myself when I go into Ward's or Fresh Market.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

hahaha it's like we have endless supplies to buy all the bestest food in the world

[silvrethorn.livejournal.com]

I'll take $60 to Gainesville, spend $45 of it at Ward's on chocolate and tea and locally-sourced bread and smoked mullet, then cry all the way through Fresh Market because I only have $15 left and I want one of _everything_. Especially the expensive things (real dried currants! Flame raisins! Imported top-drawer wine! Everything in the dessert case! Giant prawns!) Never mind $60, I could spend $6,000 easy.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

trust me I know the feeling. You and I should never grocery shop together. I'll keep that in mine in 30 years when I start snowbirding

[sillymagpie.livejournal.com]

Our farmers markets will probably be coming back as soon as it gets a bit cooler. I want some of the scented soaps with shea butter that one of the vendors makes.

I have no idea what you do with bitter melon, although I've seen it before.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

no soaps this time but there is one i like that comes to Bob Evans Farm fest

apparently you avoid it. i looked for recipes and they all came with warnings. it's very therapeutic, it is very bitter, acquired taste. eh it was a dollar, it's worth the experiment

[ishte.livejournal.com]

I love me some olives stuffed with stuff. Bleu cheese is one of my favorites, but my all time favorite is anchovy stuffed queen olives. Freaking YAY!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

oh man yes those are good but they're harder to find

[ital-gal.livejournal.com]

sounds like a great day.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

it was

The question is...

[idic-writer.livejournal.com]

...can two kettles be enough? :D

Re: The question is...

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

some days they are not

[bob_fish.livejournal.com]

We just checked out our new local farmer's market and came away with a bucket of meaty things for the freezer.

Also, Roy really looks like our kitties in that pic.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

i didn't think about the meaty things and didn't have a cooler. next time.

ha, does he? He's not as fluffy

[havocmangawip.livejournal.com]

Excellent market haul!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

it was