I usually visit farmers’ markets alone—partly because I like to wander dreamily, mostly because I fairly run once it’s within sight, unable to contain my childlike excitement to see what treasures the market vendors have brought that day.

Approaching the Ferry Building yesterday morning, I caught my breath at dusky plums,

deliberated between glowing dried pluots and extraordinarily plump raisins (before choosing both),

admired the quiet beauty of red carrots from Marin,

and considered each of the options at Cap’n Mike’s Holy Smoked Salmon stall.

Smoked albacore tuna lox with roasted beet, onion, walnuts, and, importantly, lavender salt (The good Cap’n Mike’s reverence is in the details) tops a generous layer of cream cheese, and I was oblivious to anything but silky, smoked tuna for a few minutes…

Beelining for a strawberry vendor on my way out, I found small berries, warm from the unusually sunny morning, that tasted like summer.

I allowed myself a glance backward as I walked away, willing myself to remember the energy of that moment in the market until I return.

After coffee with my friend Brian, I decided a neighborhood party for my favorite city block was too good to pass up and found myself buying food tickets in the 18th Street food wonderland of Tartine, Delfina, and Bi-Rite.

Mesmerized by a rotating pig and grilling ears of corn (in the video below), I veered toward the line for

Delfina’s tender Niman Ranch pork shoulder with summer beans and salsa verde along with Community Crush Pinot Grigio that was crushed in the neighborhood, and settling into a table, I listened to residents talk about zoning, area developments, and city politics.

Soon, vanilla Bi-Rite ice cream on Tartine’s berry cobbler absorbed all my attention as if I were five again, carefully calculating how slowly I could eat ice cream and cobbler in every bite before it melted and disappeared.

……

This morning, still on a yoga buzz, I strode down 24th Street to meet Amit, Christian, Michael, and Grace at St. Francis, a fountain shop in the Mission district.

Friendly to all eating persuasions (I really like the Chef’s Mess on the brunch menu with bacon folded into a scramble), my favorite part of St. Francis is their rad counter stocking trading cards and nostalgia candy from the late 1980s.

Moments of pointing, exclaiming, waiting breathlessly for that precious thing—those are the experiences I’m after.

So if I slip away the next time you’re beside me, know that I’m off in search of a counter, spinning on a fountain stool and biting my lip, anticipating the moment that commands all my attention…

p.s. and where shall I start looking for you? Where are the candy counters of your dreams?

1. Amanda:
   September 8th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

   OMG if you wrote about farmers markets every day, and posted pictures, I would lead a satisfied life. (And if I could visit the markets you visit, every day, I would truly die of happiness….)

2. Kristen:
   September 12th, 2008 at 7:27 am

   Thanks, Amanda. I think the days between markets are almost as wonderful–I enjoy the anticipation. With any luck, the market visits will continue and increase in frequency :) Up for an early visit to the Dupont market on Sunday?

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Posted Sunday, September 7th, 2008, 9:02 am | Filed in Food, Market, Travel, Video. Follow responses through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.