Today I was even more rushed than usual as I visited the local Farmer's Market. Why, you ask? Because this is Midterm Week! I had a graded element yesterday, major exam this morning at 11am, and another major exam tomorrow morning at 9am. So today's vist to the Farmer's Market was a quick romp around the stalls. In my brief time there I had some lovely and interesting interactions. First, the egg lady remembered me from last week and put a dozen eggs aside for me again. And she had the most beautiful chives that I have ever seen. They were quite large, and in addition to their diameter, they are about 18 inches long! They are very pretty. In addition to the amazing eggs and lovely chives, Miss Taylor (that's the egg lady) had something resembling lettuce on her table. I was intrigued, as the Farmer's Market lettuce is delish, but there hasn't been any for a while. I asked Miss Taylor about the lettuce-like items and she informed me that it was mustard greens and a special creole red mustard green. She also conveyed all of the deliciousness that mustard greens would provide me. I decided I am not that much of a cajun, and passed on the mustard greens. She also produced some "very nice kale that they picked off of their farm this morning," but I had to pass on that too. Again, not quite cajun enough for that!
Speaking of cajun, as I circulated the farmer's market this morning, it occurred to me that the market is really much like New Orleans as a whole: has all of the same items as every other farmer's market you've ever been to, but also provides you with a little something extra. As I trolled the market waiting for the bell to ring I came across the fresh creole tomatoes that are divine.
Homemade jams, jellies, and preserves, which always transport me home to the berry fields in the summertime, gathering berries for our jam-making.
Fresh or frozen shrimp. And yes, you can get all of those shrimp for $1. Crazy ain't it?
Then I came across the prettiest creatures at the market this morning, the live blue crabs. And when I say live, I mean live. As in crawling out of the cooler they were being held in, out onto the path around the market.
Oh, and then I came across the alligator stand. What, you don't have alligator sold in your farmer's market? Here you can get it in lumps, fresh or frozen, or pre-made into alligator sausage.
Like I said, just like every market in the country, but with a little something extra. It's called "lagnaippe" here in cajun country.
