Saturday afternoon at Soulard Market, pinching the fruit, smelling the vegetables.
A trip to Soulard Market is a Foodlandia adventure. (Foodlandia is the name of a children’s book in which everything in the story is made of food.) The oldest farmers’ market west of the Mississippi River is as close as it comes to a European outdoor market. I’m always intrigued by what’s offered for sale by the many vendors, including such things as fresh raccoon meat, European cheeses, goose eggs, homemade breads and local honey said to relieve seasonal allergies.
Just Looking
I was with my son, Russ, and my daughter-in-law, Deb, on Saturday. They were the purchasers; I was just looking. I didn’t need anything—or so I thought. Even so, I wound up buying curry powder, bargain trays of blueberries, andouille sausage, thick-sliced bacon that Russ highly recommended, and a mess of collard and mustard greens. I had no trouble passing on the fresh raccoon, though I’ve eaten the Ozark delicacy many times served barbecued at my church’s wild game dinner each year in Rolla. But I digress.
Earlier I had thought of taking my 5-year-old granddaughter along on our culinary soiree. But I feared her interest might run more to bunnies, baby chicks and kittens, resulting in a moment of weakness, that would cause her parents to question whether they could trust the two of us to shop together.
As it turned out, I was with two seasoned Soulard shoppers, which meant there wasn’t a lot of aimless wandering around. They knew what they wanted and which stalled had the best produce. While they did the serious shopping, I did the photography.
Scenes from Soulard
I’m sure this pleasant fellow with the Crocodile Dundee hat has a name, but we usually refer to him simply as the The Cheese Man. Very knowledgeable on fromage.
A busy aisle at Soulard Market
Eggs of many shades
Mini donuts are fun to watch in the making.
If you want really fresh eggs, this is your best bet.
Thick sliced bacon from Harr Family Farm, that Russ proclaims the best he’s every eaten.
Russ and Deb heading for the car
My New Kitchen Toy
Knowing my inclination for kitchen gadgetry, Deb bought me a citrus spritzer, a package of two: one for extracting juice from small fruit, such as limes and lemons and the other for use on oranges and grapefruits. You merely slice a small piece from the end of the fruit and insert the silicon spritzer. Push the plunger and pssstttt! You can easily flavor your soft drinks and season your salads, seafood and vegetables with a light mist of fresh juice. A touch of citrus really does make a difference.
The Lékué Citrus Spray is BPA-free.
What a pleasant Saturday afternoon excursion! I got the ingredients needed for trying out a few new recipes, took lots of photos for the blog, and a got a clever kitchen toy to boot. Made my day.
My shopping odyssey complete
