Saturday, May 10, 2008

Spring is Finally Here...At Least at the Market

Why am I smiling and happy if it's 6 degrees, windy and very overcast with the forecast for rain all weekend? Why indeed! I actually debated whether or not to get out of bed early...it was soooo cozy and a peek out the window was not encouraging either.

For weeks now, I've been obsessed with finding bok choy for a dish I want to make for Mochachocolata Rita's Chinese Take-out Event (hopefully, I will sneak in under the wire) and the local grocery stores didn't have any (I went to 3 of them yesterday). So the choice is either Pete's Frootique or, possibly, the Saturday Halifax Farmer's Market. I haven't been there for a while and the last time was not very bountiful. Winter lasts a lot longer here than in Toronto.

Somehow by 7:30, I felt the need to go to the market afterall to see whether any of my favorite springtime produce was available...and that's why I'm smiling! The market was busy (I usually go earlier and obviously will have to if I want to avoid crowds), lots of musicians playing, flower vendors selling flats of plants for your garden (if you're lucky enough to have one).

My favorite Riverview Herbs has bagged herbs and lots of little plants to take home and grow. Sorry for the blurry shot, but everyone was in a hurry to get some of their own.

I bought some Lemon Basil for my window sill to stand at attention next to the rosemary and thyme I bought the last time I was there.

In my world, Spring is officially here when you can find local...

rhubarb,

pussy willows (don't they make my cookbook reading corner even more Zen?),

and best of all...fiddleheads.

Add to that the...

...piles and piles of bok choy,

baby beet greens and stunning green onions. And thus the reason for smiling even when the sun's NOT shining. What makes your day sunny even in the rain?

3 comments:

Katie Zeller said...

What a haul!
I've never had fiddleheads - actually, I've never even seen them for sale. It's a 'food magazine' only thing for me.
I hope you do a post on them.

Ruth Daniels said...

Katie, fiddleheads are some of my favorite veggies...is tiny fern heads a vegetable?

As this is the first batch, they will be simply done...perhaps tomorrow or Tuesday.

Johanna GGG said...

looks like a wonderful spring bounty but I really did like your cookbook corner - looks so inviting!