Saturday Market Report: Link Up!

Did you hit a farmers' market this weekend? Add your link to the Mr. Linky box below, and share your market with us!

Well...I lied. Miss Chef and I had plans to visit the Davidson farmers' market, in a small college town on the northern side of Charlotte. As it turned out, we were both incapacitated this morning by fatigue. That, and Miss Chef realized she needed some rest before heading into Mothers' Day weekend.

So, we slept right past our usual 6:30 Saturday wakeup. However, we are truly lucky here, for there are not two, but multiple farmers' markets in Charlotte. And the one we fall back on when we can't make the early bird markets is the official, Charlotte Regional Farmers' Market.

This baby's a whole different experience from our favorite little market. First of all, it's BIG:

This is one of four total sheds on the property. There are two closed sheds with walls (and heat!). One houses more regular vendors and the other is the craft barn. The fourth one, also open like the one in the picture above, is for plants. Herbs, veggetables, flowers, trees, you name it.

Yeah, there's a lot to see at this market. But we don't come here all the time, even though it's the closest one to us. First, not everything is local; you have to pick and choose. Second, it's really crowded at times, like today. So it's harder to get to know your farmers.

This being Mothers' Day weekend, the flower vendors were plentiful, and busy!

For some reason, all the flower vendors here are Asian. It's an odd sort of phenomenon.

Miss Chef has been looking for asparagus for the last two or three weeks, so she made a beeline to this table! She bought three pounds...for two people! She loves her some asparagus.

And at the next booth...strawberries! I turned smugly away, thinking we had taken care of our strawberry duties. But later I saw that Miss Chef had got herself a quart while I was busy buying eggs. Apparently, she's not over her strawberry addiction for the year.

(Notice the pineapples in the background? I'm guessing they're not local.)

You know you're at a Southern market when... (Oh, and for any Yankees, those are "bald" peanuts. Just so ya know.)

This guy sets up just outside the open shed, making popcorn in a real live kettle for all to see. He had just tipped out a new batch into that table. The smell is incredible.

We resisted the kettle corn, because we were still headed to breakfast at Harvest Moon.

Grateful Growers, the best-known local pork producer, sells various sandwiches and other yummies from this trailer, all with local meat, veggies and breads. That diminutive (but energetic) woman in the brown shirt is Cassie, one of the owners. Last fall, she had offered Miss Chef the job of, erm...Executive Trailer Chef, but Miss Chef wanted to stay in an actual kitchen.

For breakfast, I got an egg and cheddar sandwich with braised leeks, and Miss Chef tried the carnitas. I could do without the leeks in my breakfast sammidge, but I'm sure there were lots of vitamins and some fiber in there. Miss Chef enjoyed her carnitas. We also had a local root beer to wash it all down.

We spent more time in the closed shed, where most of the local farmers are, but it was so crowded I didn't even try to take any pictures. However, after buying my breakfast dessert--a chocolate croissant--I had to duck back in to take a picture of Nova's booth. (Unfortunately, the glare makes the sign impossible to read!)

This bakery has a permanent retail space, too, on the other side of town. It was opened probably a dozen years ago by a couple from eastern Europe. They make really excellent European-style breads, and the Miss Chef's restaurant serves their rolls. (So do we...we buy 'em by the dozen, freeze 'em and pop a couple in the oven to thaw & crisp up when we have a nice dinner at home.)

I know for many of you, it is not Farmers' Market season yet, but hang in there! And when you finally get to yours, please add your link and share what's in season out by your way.

(Oh, and E Coli in the lettuce supply? I raise my nose at you, with my New Town lettuce and spinach in the fridge. Sammy would never let that happen to his produce.)

Who's been to market this week?