milkweed, cider, and dancing at the Camden Farmers’ Market
In the morning, it is quiet around our wooded cabins and quiet on the beach.
Yesterday I drove to the Camden Farmers’ Market, noticing the paint wearing away on the road, and smiling as I approached the murmur that always accompanies local food vendors setting up;
next week marks the penultimate market for the season, and wonderful local goods were on offer—I almost hugged this seller for obvious reasons (I am a calcium fiend), and the milk itself is the yellowish color and thickness of fresh cream.
My friend and colleague Keryn arrived and introduced me to the smell of Sweet Jenny,
and in her wonderfully energetic way, began to talk warmly about the dedicated sellers and local festivals—all reasons I’d like to be in Camden more often.
At Peacemeal Farm, I bought tiny brussel sprouts and listened while locals
debated which type of potato was the right choice for specific fish,
near jugs of cider,
papery bouquets,
and tables selling vegetables and wool.
Impossible to pick one of the many colored scarves,
soon dancing began, the music competing with a wandering flutist.
I was more interested in the charcuterie, considering this soppressata and deciding to try the salami with orange peel,
as reaching into the cooler with the beautiful bacon, after making the seller laugh that I had eaten a pig ear sandwich once (he was selling them to feed to dogs).
On the way out, there were baskets perfect for filling with market produce,
and dried arrangements with milkweed,
hard squash and soft pumpkins,
and lovely mushrooms still joined in the large mass they grow in on trees.
Out of the pastries at Atlantic Baking Company,
I picked a swirl that held apples and spices in its crispy layers, and spreading it with local raw butter,
sipping that beautiful raw milk, I headed back to sit and listen to the waves…
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Posted Sunday, October 18th, 2009, 10:50 am * Filed in Food, Leaves, Market, flowers, light. * Tags: camden, coast, farmers, kristen, kthread, maine, Market, taylor. Follow responses through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 18th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Gorgeous post, Kristen! I feel like I was there with you. :-)
October 18th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Liza, it is so beautiful and restful here, thank you. Look forward to catching up when I’m back from Maine, so many food adventures ahead for us this fall :)
October 18th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
This post makes me so nostalgic for the East Coast! (Ocean waves? What are those?!?) Throw in the cider and fresh pastries with raw butter, mmmm, heaven!
October 19th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
And it snowed last night, Mica, and then was clear, warmer, and full of blue sky today—it may be hard to leave Maine—
October 20th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
There is NO better sound than the sound of the ocean…