“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
– Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto

If you stay away from grocery stores, Michael Pollan’s admonitions become much easier to follow. Join me in my weekly Saturday morning trip to the North Union Farmers Market at Shaker Square in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland for food, mostly plants. You can also get eggs, cheese, and grass-fed, no-antibiotic meat if you choose, local honey and much, much more. (All quotes are by Michael Pollan.)

To market, to market

To market, to market to buy a fat pig
Home again, home again, jiggety jig

It’s finally here! I open my eyes, half wishing I could lie in bed longer but it’s the day the farmer’s market moves outdoors, the day the opening time moves from 9 am to 8 am, and the thrill of what might be there rolls me out and gets me moving.  There really isn’t any reason to rush; most vendors will still have plenty produce or product if I arrive at 8:45 instead of 7:45.  But there’s something
wonderful about being there early (besides being able to find a parking place), so I bundle up against the still-winter-in-the-morning
air and arrive to the harbingers of spring.  Walk with me!  Enjoy!
You can’t buy a fat pig, unless you buy it in pieces, but you’ll have a good time.  And if you get cold, we’ll stop for coffee and tea.

Come to the market with me

We’re fortunate here in Cleveland to have an almost year-round winter market.  There’s a short break at Christmas and between the end of the indoor winter market and the resumption of the outdoor venue.  In the middle of December, it’s a joy to see so much produce still available as well as meat, pasta, French pastries and more.  Come and join me in a few colorful, hunger-inducing pictures from my weekly Saturday morning market foray.