TGIFM Day! (Thank God it’s Farmers Market Day!)

It’s so exciting when Wednesday finally arrives! Every week I think through what I’m going to buy in advance, I bring my reusable shopping bag, and I have a blast filling it with things that I planned to buy - and with a few things that I didn’t plan to buy. As the weather gets nicer there are so many fun and interesting food choices! This week:

The Sammamish Farmers Market:
• Basil? Still too early.
• An exotic sweet lettuce which is rather straight and un-plump looking, but tastes sugary and mellow. It reminds of lettuce that I once had in Hawaii called ‘Mona Loa’ lettuce. Yum-0!
• My weekly fix of heritage tomato’s; this week I choose one purple, two yellow and one green stripped tomato. They look inviting in my frig and make me feel healthy every time that I open the door. Always a good sign.
• Dark sweet strawberries and raspberries, which unfortunately get somewhat squished on the way home and have to be gobbled up directly after dinner. Darn.
• And my experimental veggie of the week, a ‘Lemon Cucumber.’ It is round like and orange, pale yellow in color and smells just like a lemon.
• Some bread made with flour that was ground this week. I get to look at the wheat grains in a jar at the booth, very cool. We’re definitely getting closer to our food.
• Finally, a bright beaded necklace from an outgoing African woman that calls me ‘Mama.’ Last year I read that 'Mama' is a term of respect in the African culture that recognizes women as the creators and rulers of their families. Very matriarchal and regal at the same time. I like how it feels to think of myself this way and am buoyant for the rest of the day!

Now that these items are purchased I try to minimize the number of shopping trips that I’ll make for the rest of the week. Probably Costco and Target, maybe Safeway too, we’ll see. From

Costco:
• A bag of peppers from British Columbia (which I decide on the spot is close enough my staked-out area)
• Kirkland Organic Milk; Seattle, WA
• Whole roasted chicken – distributed by Costco, probably Foster Farms from Washington/Oregon.
• Grapes; Mexico

3 products that conform to my local rules and 1 product that doesn’t. This week’s shopping has gone well.