Saturday Mornings at the Farmer's Market

7.22.2010

truck-mkt
Friday nights have become busy nights for me. Gone are the afternoons at the Blue Ridge Brewery hanging out with friends. Now, I spend Friday evenings in the ditches looking for wildflowers, making chicken paintings on plywood, and prepping my vegetables for sale. The combination of wildflowers and garden flowers is a pleasing mix; many people have commented on the inclusion of blackberry vines...they add a country charm as well as texture and striking color in black and bright red. I think the bouquets speak to the goodness of home and simple pleasures. This is not a mix you can pick up wrapped in cellophane at the grocery.

cherry-tomatoes
I am proud to announce that Chef Danny at Harvest on Main bought my cherry tomatoes for the restaurant.

susans-tomatoes
Susan parks next to me and specializes in heirloom tomatoes and potted herbs. Last weekend she gave me a green zebra heirloom that i am saving the seeds to plant next year. I have some black prince, cherokee purples and pineapple tomatoes that will be ready for this weeks market. But i could never top Susan's variety - and they are in such beautiful shape too.

tinmen
The Tin Man is an old marine vet that makes these guys....i bought the one on the right. He's pretty big, his chest is one of those mini Heineken kegs. He only charges $8 for these things!

corn
The corn is coming in now. When i see it, i get a tiny vibe of fall coming. and lately, though its hot, i see little signs of the change. Growing a garden has tuned me into the slight shifts in light and color.

tomatoes
Everybody's tomatoes are coming in. Its time for canning. I don't know how to do it, but there is a community cannery and i heard they have people from the technical school there to help greenhorns like myself with the process. I only planted 2 rows of beans and ate them all. So i just have tomatoes and squash and cucumbers to preserve. I dont know why i grew the cucumbers. i dont even like them. Actually, i dont love the summer foods. I like the spring foods much more.

beans
Nice presentation of beans!

spagetti-squash
These are spaghetti squashes. When you cut them open, the fleshy part inside is stringy - like spaghetti.

blueberry-girl
The blueberry girl. I wish my bushes had produced more but i did the wrong thing to them in spring by giving them lime. Wrong! They like acidic soil. I have a few, but i mostly just eat them as i work in the garden. There isnt enough to do anything with them.

bread
Every week i buy artisan bread from the Queen ladies. Their breads are delicious. And for you foodies, you really need to check out Hannah Queen's beautiful food blog Honey and Jam. At only 19 years old, Hannah is a gifted photographer and her blog just sings with beauty. There are a lot of recipes on her site too, so check her out and tell her chickory sent you.

salsa-guy
This guy won a bunch of first place ribbons at the Georgia State Fair for his salsas, jams and pickles. He always sells out on Saturdays.

salsa

persian-carpet-zinnias
Back home on saturday afternoon i spent some time just hanging out on the porch with V and the dogs where it is nice and cool. V made me a table for my art studio while i was at the farmers market and it was a very nice surprise. I will post pictures of the studio soon - I have moved in but i still dont have any siding.

cosmos
Today I am working on weeding (after 6 pm, that is) and on my new "product" for this saturday, which i will post maybe tomorrow. I found a way to use all the triangle pieces the builders left after building my stairs. Can you guess what they are going to be? First right answer gets one as a prize.

32 comments:

  1. Take the canning class! It's easy and fun, but do take the class to learn how to do it safely!

    Triangle: Chicken heads!

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  2. Very nice pictures and I can't get over how clean your Farm Market looks. You won't find that here in Jersey. And those are some big blueberries.

    My guess is triangle body chickens, but I like Shamu's guess better.

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  3. shamy: nay, sweet shamu, not flag displays. DO go by honey and jam blog. you will love love love it.

    xl: arrrrrrghh so so close but NOT QUITE. on the canning - yeah - i tend to be a baby about things that can explode and mess up my face. grrrrrherhahaahaha

    buzz kill: ding ding ding! we have a winner!!! WIll post the new "flock" tomorrow and you can pick one out and i wont take that one to the market. send your address to sparringk9@yahoo.com

    big ass blueberries arent they? i will buy some to make syrup. to put on ice cream. and pancakes durning the SUMMIT.

    what do you mean "clean" and not in jersey?

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  4. Not exploding so much, it's proper heat and sterilization of the container and food!

    :(

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  5. I want a tin man! Will you buy me one and I'll pick him up in October?

    How sweet of V to build you a table.

    Love the photos, love your ability to merchandise, you could have had a whole career in that.

    xoxox.

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  6. canning = botulism in my mind.

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  7. I was going to say birds or birdhouses .... but with Buzzy being specific with chickens, yay for him! I love your display; i'd buy the flowers and maybe more ... and the tin man needs to charge more $! A lovely time of year and a lovely life you are leading right now.

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  8. I WANT A TIN MAN! Tell him I have to have one. lol! Seriously! And I love your chicken paintings, and your flowers are just gorgeous. I would be poor all the time if I lived near you people! We have tomatoes coming out our ears. I am giving them away as fast as I can pick them. Our blueberries were sad this year. Maybe next year! xox Pam

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  9. Don't worry Boxer, we'll can in vodka just for you.

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  10. Solid choice on the Heineken Robot Man. I would have purchased one as well. I am a sucker for these country markets, which is why I must avoid them at all costs (beans for a different reason I won't go into nor attach the explanatory audio clip).

    Since I must never divulge my secret location nor identity, I purposely am going with the wildly incorrect guess of "Dreidel" as the item you'll be expertly crafting from your wood pieces.

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  11. Love your display and the bouquets are so vibrant! I cut a lot of the wild flowers on my property for vases, too. I really, really need to take some photos because the bloom and variety is off the chain this year.

    I'm stuffing myself silly with everyone's tomatoes, too. Wish I'd had some of yours this weekend. We had company and made homemade pizzas on the grill. SUPERLATIVE flavor with garden fresh tomatoes. If they are all I grow from here on out in my life, I will be satisfied. Store bought is a travesty in comparison.

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  12. P.S. My guess on triangle pieces: pinwheels?

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  13. What a lovely market! Your photos, as always, are gorgeous, and all this produce (and pickles) have me salivating. Off to check out that blog you recommended.

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  14. As always chickory dear, beautiful photos, your truck display is a work of art in itself with all of your home grown produce, your art and those vibrant bouquets are divine.
    You make everything look so enticing; those zinnias look lovely set against the forest background and my favourite of course is the golden light shining on the cosmos flowers.
    How sweet of V to build you a table for the studio; it must have been so nice hanging out with V and the girls on the porch ... great moments are made from simple pleasures. xoxoxo ♡

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  15. I can't believe an educated guess won me a wooden chicken. I'm playing the lottery tomorrow.

    I would be honored to have one of your works. I look forward to seeing (and thinning out) the flock.

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  16. how lovely is this????

    Shure would love to stroll y'all's market--very dear.

    Kudos to V for his insight into what ya needed--go V go!

    AN' I want a HeinMan too.

    Really lovely post, Pup.

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  17. Well, like the others this posting made me want to get in the car and drive til I reach your market. Awesome merchandising, as Boxer pointed out but, it is the mix of offerings worthy of that merchandising effort which sings the loudest. Really great ChickLady.

    This post is an awesome advertisement for the Market. Maybe you can offer it as a contiuous loop slideshow at the visitors center? Or does your market have a website? Far too good to just vanish into etherspace.

    Loved your tomatoes will be shared in a local restaurant. My favorite here is a farm to table restaurant, the food is so much better! I wanted to buy bread and jams and those spaghetti squash looked fabulous. Wasn't the TinMan everone's favorite growing up? Even as a longtime adult I still appreciate the message.

    I had the triangles figured as
    painted paper cones of wild flower bouquets, similar to your actual herbs offerings. Then I read the ding, ding, ding of the Buzz win. Lucky man! We can all look forward to the pictures of the flock and guess which will be the Buzz choice.

    I kinda feel sorry for the Friday night gang at the brewery ... they surely miss losing you to the ditches!

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  18. Buzz won something? Cool. My guess was going to be "Day of the Dead" stuff.

    Nice post. You should enter online art and photo contests. There are a lot of them. Your Secretariat in Heaven painting was better than the one that won the Maker's Mark Bourbon Contest.

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  19. Hah! Another Troll sighting :-)

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  20. *Awesome paintings, dazzling flowers, corn, tomatoes, bread, tin men, and a salsa guy!* Wow!

    Just wow!

    :D

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  21. thank you everyone - i just spent 30 minutes writing each one of you a reply only to have it not post on blogger -sorry! unable to process my request?!! grrrrrrrr



    cliff notes: i will buy some tin men and ship them to whoever wants one

    thank you all for the kind words on my truck market

    PUG!!! good to see you
    TROLL!! good to see you too

    PRISM! good to see you

    *all rare sightings*

    boxer: sending you big love


    Yoborobo: i took the frida to the brewery to show off. betty wants one

    fishy: the chamber linked to chickory from their blog

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  22. it's a new weekend---pics of yesterdays market??

    I does want a tinman--had one, but he rusted. Will comp ya wif' gelato.

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  23. I'm not sure if you make "hodge podge" down there in Georgia - a favourite Nova Scotia summer garden recipe pour vous.

    freshly picked peas, small carrots, tiny potatoes, green & yellow beans. I usually cook the potatoes separately just to be sure not to overcook anything. Combine still hot, cooked to perfection (just tender) vegetables in a large pot add a big hunk of butter and drizzle with 1 cup of cream (butter fat content - your choice) but whipping cream is a favourite 'round these parts.

    Thanks for the typo correction - I detest making spelling errors. xo to Trout & the Kobes from Missy D Dee Dee & me

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  24. I'm imagining "Blueberry Girl" as one of your paintings. Seems a perfect subject.
    Once again, from here, it looks like heaven.

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  25. beautiful, c

    you are so busy

    × × ×

    /t.

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  26. the photos are absolutely stunning!
    i hope you see everything you put on your truck bed!

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  27. Hiya, Chickory hon, your blog post is a bright spot in an otherwise dismal week. Sad about our blogging buddies, isn't it?

    I am lovin' the displays again and the wildflower bouquets. We don't really get those kind of flowers here, but I "nick" them from around the hood when I can, I make bouquets out of palm and monstera leaves and throw in a bit of lumbago and bouganvilla to boot! I love the zinnias and cosmos at the end. Have you ever seen a chocolate brown cosmo? I did in L.A. flower mart.

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  28. This is the cutest post since sliced bread. It makes me want to put on my vintage apron, bake a pie and take it to the fair.

    You are such an amazing artist & writer :)

    Love you bunches
    Mrs. Taylor ;)

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  29. Nice fill someone in on and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Thanks you as your information.

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  30. I would like to exchange links with your site chickory.blogspot.com
    Is this possible?

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  31. I didn't noticed that you mentioned me until just now. Thanks, lovely lady!

    And thanks for chatting with me today. I really enjoyed it!

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