Saturday, January 21, 2017

Produce

Is there anything that has more earthy beauty than a produce stand? Squash are almost the color of freshly-churned butter. Cucumbers are a soft shade of jade. Cabbage with ivory veins ribbed around the leaves seems to spread out like an embrace.

Part of the experience of produce stands is holding fresh vegetables up close to my face and smelling its essence. The experience is different when buying produce from big-box stores. I get a sense that some of the veggies travel long distances in refrigerated trucks and spend time in warehouses before they make it to the shelves. They often lose some of the color and aromas. Our produce stand is only open four days a week so there are times when we need lettuce or bell peppers that we buy from the larger stores, but if given a choice, I opt for the local produce stand. Our produce guy knows what to pick up and which to pass up. 

In a few more months, we'll be picking fresh produce from our garden. Lettuce from raised beds in the backyard, and pole beans from the fence. It's the main reason we live so far from the city.

I'm not sure there is anything more beautiful that a backyard vine hanging full of tomatoes.


13 comments:

  1. Nothing like fresh veggies and fruits grown locally. Those must be grown in hothouses.
    I'm used to grow our own produces and the box-store bought veggies and fruits tastes nothing like fresh off the garden, they taste more like artificially flavoured cardboard...

    Have a great weekend.
    Hugs, Julia

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  2. I love buying vegetables at Farmer's Markets and Road Side Vegetable stand, so much fresher, the smells smell like the vegetables too.
    Joy

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  3. There is a reason that Farmer's Markets are so popular. And that reason is taste.
    We are eating home grown tomatoes at the moment, and loving it. And adding home grown herbs to dishes...

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  4. I like fresh vegetables, but you do need to get out more.

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  5. Beautiful picture. the veggie color just cannot be beat in a setting like this. And you are soooooo right about the tomatoes!! i do miss that very much!

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  6. Fresh vegetables and fruits are about the only thing I like to shop for.

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  7. Local produce = seasonal produce. I'd buy those cucumbers, even allowing for the rate of exchange. :=)

    Alphie

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  8. I've never tried growing anything like that! (Hopefully, before long.) My DIL took the birthday $ we sent her and bought several blueberry bushes for their new place. Homegrown tastes so much better!

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  9. I love our Farmer's Market but it's not up and running until July around here. Nothing tastes better than a homegrown tomato! I want to cry when it's time to take out the plants. Having a wonderful place to buy fresh produce is a good second choice.

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  10. I surely do miss our produce stands here. We have such a short growing season and that ended in the fall when the first heavy frost came. Nice to dream about spring and and growing things here on a bleak winter morning.

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  11. Yeah fresh taste the best

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  12. Anonymous5:56 PM

    There is NO comparison between fresh picked & store bought produce!!

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  13. When the spring shows up here, I always go to the local vegetable stand not too far from me... the fruit and vegetables are always so yummy... besides I love supporting our local farmers xox

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