midweek market

yesterday i headed down to the seaport market to take care of my shopping for the week.

it was completely dead - i think the slowest i've ever seen it.

i just don't understand why. i do a fair bit of food shopping and the grocery stores are always packed, the big boxes are all extremely packed & the product just doesn't compare.

i for one, would never in a million years buy fresh fish from the supermarket - it gives me the willies. and it really irks me when i get to the checkout and the teenage cashier has to ask me what half the produce items are. and call me crazy, but it's sort of nice to have steaks custom cut for me.

maybe i don't shop like most people, but i like to buy things from people who know what they're talking about and are passionate about their product. you can develop relationships, talk cooking & recipes, and trust the product that you're purchasing.

even if i wasn't selling at the market on saturdays, i still wouldn't buy my product that day. sure there are more vendors, but there are also more crowds to battle, crowded parking lots and a certain level of anxiety & stress about the market. don't get me wrong, it's still a fun vibe & a great social outing but not the environment where i want to get my errands done.

parking sometimes gives me a panic attack, but there was ample parking right in front of the door yesterday. later on i had to venture out to bayer's lake as well. en route i battled way more traffic & the parking lots were filled with really bad drivers. with parking right outside the doors i was able to shop to my hearts content and run it out as i needed - something that's not really possible on the weekends.

i bought so much product that i had to make three trips out to my car just to drop things off. i really should have taken a picture of the trunk of my car. from noggins i bought loads of broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, kale, butternut squash and apples. from foxhill i bought some different blue cheeses and was able to chat about their characteristics in cooking. from getaway farm meat mongers i got hot italian sausages (sooo good!) and beef bones to make a stock. and from seablooms i got a really interesting bouquet of flowers for a friend who just opened a new business.

the fish shop, selwood green, steve-o-renos, cheelin, wrap so d, etc.... were all open. so there were lots of options for coffee, lunch, veggies, fish, meat, cheese & sweets. i just don't get it. the product is much nicer, the parking is less stressful, the staff is more knowledgeable yet there's no one there...

ok enough ranting for one day. 

today i am channeling julia child & doing a take on her famous boeuf bourgignon. i'm using brisket from getaway farm & adding kale from noggins to add some more nutrients and serving it with blue cheese polenta instead of mashed potatoes. i'll also be whipping up a fresh batch of chicken, leek, broccoli & bacon pies.

i need to get a jump on the week so i have time to deliver sweets to the handsmade for helping charity event tomorrow, cater a lunch on friday and prep some nibblies for a friend's baby shower on sunday - oh & get ready for the market of course!

and don't forget that the market is open during the week & there is always lots of beautiful product to be found there.