Wednesday, June 2, 2010

I blame Rea

I am taking a few days off this week as we have finished school programming for the year (except one Starlab on Friday that has been a scheduling nightmare for a month) and don't start summer programming for 2 weeks. I can really use a wee respite after all of the work/financial drama of May. Today i went to the Catonsville Wednesday farmer's market for the first time. I really like farmer's markets, but this one runs during the day on Wednesday so us working folks are denied the chance. To address that issue, Catonsville has introduced a Sunday market which i plan on hitting this weekend. Anyhoo, it was a nice little market at the Bloomsbury Community Center, with a butcher, a fishmonger, an egg seller, a bakery, 2 nurseries and several produce vendors. I didn't take any pictures cause i was too focused on asparagus. I like to support local businesses, but i also like that the prices are sometimes lower from the farmer than they are from the grocery store. I got broccoli, asparagus, sugar peas, granola bars and eggs. Here is where i blame my cousin. You see, the local farm fresh brown eggs that i bought were definitely NOT cheaper than the grocery, but when i saw the table with the chicken-print tablecloth and the jaunty stuffed chicken sitting next to the cooler all i could think of was I wonder what kind of chickens they have. People, i barely knew that there were different kinds of egg-laying chickens before Rea started her egg business and now i feel compelled to ask what type of chickens laid these eggs. After a lengthy chicken discussion (where the girl selling the eggs said that their chickens are mostly mixed breeds, bred for egg size and color and i was very proud that i could name at least 4 of the gazillion breeds of chickens that Rea owns), i bought a dozen even though they were more expensive than the store; I felt like i owed it to my chicken owning cousin to buy local. So Rea, i am doing my part to sustain local eggeries (what is the word for a place that produces eggs?). Though if you were to move a bit closer than BFE Ohio i would gladly buy them from you instead.

3 comments:

Mark said...

If you see the documentary "Food, Inc." you'll be happier paying higher prices for better food. It's honestly cheaper to put out bad-for-you stuff, mass-produced in factory conditions, than it is to grow on a farm.

Our local farmer's market doesn't start till next week, and we're ready!

Rea said...

Mayhap you should move closer to BFE Ohio and have some homegrown Duck eggs...Turkey...Rutabaga...

Niki said...

there is no such thing as rutabaga, silly girl