How I love them! They remind me all at once of India – the open markets with fresh vegetables and fruits and flowers, kids playing around, parents haggling for prices with the vendors, and lots of food everywhere.
Aaron and I love going to Farmers Markets and have been to the one in San Francisco at the Ferry building a few times. But we found out about this Farmers Market by accident. We had just moved to this area and were reading the City Newsletter and the Thursdays Farmers Market was advertised. Filled with excitement, we hurried after work to Todos Santos Plaza and were very pleasantly surprised! The park was bustling with activity, yummy food smells wafted in the air and gave you a frenzy and craving for everything, all at once, people sitting on the grass, standing in lines, pushing strollers, carrying kids on their shoulders, all kinds of people – black, white, asian, hispanic, filipino, indian, – you name it! Fresh fruit and vegetables stalls dot the outer perimeter of the market and one can sample just about anything…this year the nectarines and peaches have really shined through and I love the dramatic colors and juicy samples we get to try as we walk along. I have to pry Aaron off the samples with some tremendous force, if not, he might just walk off with the sample containers under his arms 🙂 For those of you who know Aaron, you know this must be heaven for him – among piles of fruit!!!
We have some favorite things we like to eat and buy at this place.
1. Baked Potato – the largest baked potato I have ever seen, loaded with sour cream, green onions, cheese and bacon..all for only $5!!!
2. East & West Gourmet Afghan Food – Spinach Bolani ( looks like a large tortilla folded in half and stuffed with Spinach) with sun-dried tomatoes sauce and plain yogurt.. Delish! They also make a killer Baklava – homemade Afghani Food.
3. Home Maid Company – these guys make the best pasta & sauces and spreads I have ever tasted from a Farmers Market. I had one sample of Tony’s Garlic Parmesan Spread and I was a fan for life. This stuff is fantastic and I have cleaned out half the container with a box of Ritz crackers.. simply mouth-watering!
4. Freshly baked Sweet Potato Bread, Walnut Bread, etc. So moist and stays for days ( if it lasts that long!).
But the best is yet to come. So as part of the Thursdays Farmers Market, there is also LIVE MUSIC!! It livens up the place and brings all the people together. The first time we went, it was a band called the Houserockers who played some fun rock hits and the tie-dyed ladies were in full swing dancing freely to rock and woodstock music. This is usually followed up with a movie on the grass in the park.. Isn’t this just the most awesome Farmers’ Market ever???
This past Thursday, there was an all black men band channeling the Motown Singers. It was amazing! The crowd was on its feet and they stayed there for an hour, kids dancing, parents keeping the beat and just letting the music wash over them. I looked around while Aaron and I were dancing away as well, at the faces around me. Young and old, black and white, a Chicano man singing his heart out to The Temptations, a Chinese lady feeling the need to jump up and cry out – I love Motown….it is that feeling of oneness, the feeling of I belong to a community, to a culture that embraces all as one, where people hug each other for the sheer joy of it, and dance to the tunes that these bands play as one unifying electrifying mass of movement! It is always exhilarating…
Of course, Aaron feels bound by some unspoken law that when music is played, no matter where, he is supposed to dance. And the old ladies love his craziness and his free, fun-loving spirit and dance with him. I sway to the tunes and bop to the beat and am fairly under control but I let him go loose and have a good time. We have the best times together and Farmers Markets are a fun way to get to know your neighbors, your neighborhood and be involved in the community in your own small way.
If you have never been to one, you should go. They may not all be as fun as ours, but it is a great way to eat healthy and have fun!!!
