A non-vegetating discovery

While I was out running today, I came upon the East Liberty Farmer's Market Coop. What a find! This market, just across from the Home Depot and open Saturdays 5 a.m. - 12 noon, has just about every fresh food I need - milk, eggs, meats, various seasonal fruits and vegetables including rhubarb, baked and bottled goods, and tons of beautiful potted plants and herbs. It feels good to be giving money directly to the farmers who make our food, and to get great deals in the midst of it. I should have started shopping the farmer's markets years ago because, so far, it's way better than my standard Whole Foods. Now, if I could only get up early enough in the morning to get milk while it's freshly available there.

My other recent discovery is another Farmer's market, located in the parking lot behind McDonald's in East Liberty. I think it is set to open Monday and will run Mondays throughout the season until November, 3:30-7pm. The market is City of Pittsburgh-affiliated and is operated by GrowPittsburgh. I can't wait to go! According to this website, its offerings are pretty diverse! I feel ashamed to have avoided the Farmer's Market scene till now; I was a big fan of local produce and Farmer's markets when I lived back in Philadelphia, but it is so easy to lose sight of small vendors when sometimes all you want to do is one-stop-shop at a place where you can get Ramen. But I will make a valiant effort this time - and it certainly helps that such great food-shopping is available in my neighborhood!

I also to to join in on neighborhood pride by attending the Friendship Folk and Flower Festival, organized by the Friendship Development Associates. It was a lovely little fair with hot dogs, burgers, cooking demonstrations, folk music, and lots of little activities. The centerpieces - the ever popular used book sale and the flower sale - both grabbed me. I picked up copies of Wicked and, as I dug around, quickly found one of my favorite Children's books: Tibor Gergely's Great Big Book of Bedtime Stories. I was amazed to find this as a 1970 printing - which looked just the same as the Golden book I had as a child. Apparently it is now out of print, so I feel really lucky to have found this book - in great condition, too! I loved reading the story of little Yip Yip and his bark - and another of my favorites was "Seven Little Postmen," a story of how a letter written by a little boy passed through the mail system to arrive at his granny's house. I remember imagining the feel of sealing a letter with red sealing wax.