Click the thumbnails to see all the photos and click on “notes” to see the captions.
We went to our first farmer’s market of the season this morning, although it’s their second week. June in New England doesn’t see a whole lot available from the fields just yet and the market reflected that. There were lots of flowering plants as well as vegetable plants and herbs. Of course, there were also lots of strawberries as well as leafy greens like Swiss chard.
One reason we love this market is because some of the vendors have become so familiar to us. The lady from Crystal Brook Farms in Sterling, Mass., which produces wonderful goat cheeses, always remembers Isabella and dotes on her. This year she cooed over Sophia too. Next to her booth is always the lady from West River Creamery of Vermont, makers of delicious English-style cow’s milk cheeses.
The market also has food vendors, local restaurateurs who bring food down to sell to the crowds. The Thai restaurant, Sticky Rice, is a perennial and the owner is a friendly and popular family man who is always surrounded by his kids. New this year was Zaika, a new Indian restaurant in Marblehead. We got a combo platter from them of chicken tikka masala, chana masala (chick peas), a samosa, rice, and nan. My goodness, they must put crack in the food, it was so good. We were fighting over the right to mop up the last of the sauce with the nan.
The patrons are an interesting melange of stodgy WASPs and crunchy hippies, which is sometimes reflected in the eclectic mix of vendors. There’s always musical entertainment. Unfortunately, this week it consisted of some hippies who happened to be singing an anti-Catholic/anti-organized religion song while we passed by. I wonder if anti-Semitic or anti-Islamic sentiments would have been tolerated in this oh-so-liberal town. I think not.
Apart from that off-note, it was nice to have the farmer’s market back again, which has quickly become a sign of summer’s return. We’re going to miss it very much when we move.
What does an anti-Catholic and/or anti-organized religion song sound like? That’s really weird.
Like a really bad rip-off of John Lennon’s “Imagine”. I caught some lyrics about inquisitions and crusades and oppression and whatnot. Melanie says they were sort of blaming religion for all the wars, etc.
I am writing from Quito but I will be back in the States in a few days. The farmers markets are always fun and the local food offerings are always the best! Those cookies look pretty good in the pictures! I hope the music didn’t give you indigestion?!
I wish our farmer’s markets in this end of the state looked like that. Ours tend to be pretty pitiful. And as to the singing, of course ati-semitic or anti muslim, hindu, or biddhist music would not have been allowed. Haven’t you heard ABC? Anything But Christian…..Unfortunately, we also tend to tolerate it. Maybe if all Christians, and more specifically Cathiolics, as we are even bashed by fellow “Christians”, stood up to the hate speech thrown at OUR beliefs the way others do, there would be a change….maybe, but as Christians we also believe God’s word that we will be persecuted for our belief in Him. Now, go share some cheese..er..package..with Isabella!
Be blessed!