We're always happy to hear about a new farmers' market, especially when it is close to us. The farmers' market at Lawrence United Methodist Church started on June 3rd and goes through September 30th. The selection was meager yesterday but we're sure the offerings will increase as the season rolls along. There was a lot of meat, which we really weren't shopping for, but also some kale and organic cage-free eggs which we did buy. The website lists The Hot Cookie as a vendor and we were looking forward to trying their two-bite cookies but we didn't seem them there this time. We'll check back and see how this new market progresses.

52nd & Shadeland Farmers' Market at Lawrence United Methodist Church

Wednesdays 4PM-7PM

Scenes from... Bloomington, Indiana

Love the symmetry of the strawberries at the farmers' market:

The farmers' market was sprawling:

We were really disappointed that the Chocolate Moose was closed:


We had a great time at the library's book store:


Here's the haul of books we got there for under $7!


We didn't eat there but we liked how it looks like Samira restaurant has been there for awhile:



The wonderful Book Corner store:

Buskirk-Chumley theater:

We haven't been to Bloomington very many times but we sure love it every time that we go. How can you not love a town that is small but still manages to be eclectic (and have so many of those ethnic restaurants that we love)? We had a fun Saturday there that started off at their very big and busy Bloomington Community Farmers' Market. Not only was there a ton of produce, herbs, and flowers but high caliber things to eat right away like the delicious tamale we had. It is obviously the place to be on spring and summer Saturdays. We enviously gawked at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater which has a showing of The Maltese Falcon coming up AND a Steve Earle concert. If only we had known about that Steve Earle concert a little earlier, darn it! We also really enjoyed browsing at The Book Corner (100 N. Walnut 812.339-1522). They just seemed to have a selection of magazines and books that really appealed to us including lots of Indiana-centric books, cute little Dover sticker and tattoo books (we got a travel sticker book and a classic movie posters one). Thee had a great selection of pop-up books too including The Pop-Up Book of Nightmares and various Marvel pop-up books.

We then completely lucked into a sale at the Monroe County Public library. We once went to a sale that the Marion County library had but, honestly, it was way to zany for us to ever repeat the experience. This one was smaller but saner and Mrs. WYA! completely scored on some classics to help her with her goal of reading more. They also had a paperback of Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness which we were glad to find. This isn't the kind of book Mrs. WYA! would normally be drawn to (she actually would never even look in the sci-fi section) but it was mentioned in the recently viewed movie The Jane Austen Book Club so she was curious about it. To top it off, it had a broken spine (but was still in one piece) so it was FREE! You can click the above picture of the library's book store information for details on their sales and/or check out the Friends of The Library's webpage.

All in all, a lovely day in Bloomington. As we continue to try to figure out where exactly we belong (another neighborhood, another city) we are going to keep this cool town in mind. We'd love to hear thoughts from anyone who has lived there or is living there currently.

Binford Christmas Market

We took a quick gander at the Binford Farmers' Market's Christmas Market last weekend. We didn't know what to expect and thought that there might be some produce along with the gift items. We were hoping for some more fresh Brussels sprouts but we didn't find any. There were meats, sweet treats, a great array of Willowfield's products, some artsy cards, handmade soaps, Arbonne, jewelry and purses among other things. No purchases for us but that is what you can expect if you head there this Saturday.

Indy Winter Farmers' Market

We made it to the Winter Farmers' Market this past Saturday and we are so glad that we did. We're just going to confess, we've never had Brussels sprouts that weren't frozen- there, we said it. We picked some up at the Seldom Seen Farm table along with some kale. The kale was nice but the Brussels sprouts were amazing. We just roasted them along with some pine nuts, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with good old salt, pepper, and garlic. There was no bitterness and they were just beyond delicious. The market has a nice blog with a list of vendors. It's great to have this late season addition to the farmers' market scene. We'll probably be back there next Saturday for more Brussels sprouts.

If you need another reason to go to the Binford Farmers' Market, Ann McWilliams (one of our favorite local singers) will be playing there from 10AM-Noon on Saturday, Sept. 27th.

If you don't catch her there, later that day she will be at the Fountain Square Art Fair along with
Luke Austin Daugherty from 3:00pm - 4:30pm.

Irvington Farmers' Market

Lovely Ellenberger Park is the setting for the Irvington Farmers' Market that takes place the second Sunday of the month through October. That gives you just a couple of more chances to stop by this pretty park (established in 1909!) and get some homegrown food. We picked up some tomatoes for $2/lb. and some wonderful better-eat-them-over-the-sink-because-the-juice-will-be-running-down-your-elbows peaches. We also sampled Country Mouse City Mouse's Romesco which is a delicious spicy spread made with roasted red peppers and chile chipotle. You don't have to wait for a farmers' market to try their goodies though. You can find their products at Kincaid's Meat Market and Joe's Butcher Shop among other places.

Farmers' Market are popping up everywhere

Go to the lobby of The Indiana Heart Hospital on Thursdays in August from 11AM-2PM for their farmers' market. We picked up some beets, zucchini, and glorious peppers from Fields Farm Fresh Produce out of Westfield, IN. Buy enough healthy goodies here and maybe you won't be back as a patient.

They are also offering health screenings in conjunction with the market. A 10 hour fast is recommended (but not required) to get your cholesterol numbers, glucose, and blood pressure.

Tuttle Orchards is the answer

What, you may wonder, is the question? The question is "where can I go if I love farm fresh foods but am getting stressed by the farmers' market crowds or their hours don't work for me?". Here's a place that is conveniently open year round from 9AM to 6PM everyday except Sunday. They also conveniently take credit cards if you forgot to bring some cash. This is a really zen place where you can truly enjoy buying local as you check out the farm that you are patronizing. We bought some ears of corn that were picked that day (and for only .50/ear). The ones that were picked the day before were discounted- you've got to love that. These were delicious ears of corn too with plump, sweet niblets. We also bought some tasty green beans and tomatoes along with some Amish noodles (yum) and retro drinks like Birch Beer. They have a wide variety in their market with tons of preserves and jellies, candies, frozen fruits, honey, syrup and a lot more that is listed on their comprehensive website. This is our kind of grocery shopping.

38th & Meridian Farmer's Market

Things are poppin at the farmers' markets. We haven't had a chance to check one out since we went to the Binford one early in the season when the only produce was pretty much just asparagus. We went to the one in the North United Methodist Church parking lot for the first time this past week and picked up some goodies. We love greens and happily picked up a pound of kale which is very good. We also found a few tomatoes and, while they weren't the most flavorful ones ever, we were happy to see them nonetheless. This is a nice little market in case you can't get downtown on Wednesdays or to any of the many on Saturdays.

Binford Farmers Market

Last year, our main farmers' market was in Broad Ripple. As this year's markets begin, we thought we'd check out the Binford Farmers' Market at Binford and 62nd Street. We went fulling knowing that it is still early and many garden goodies just aren't ready yet. We were, however, surprised to see how many vendors were there. We did a quick loop and then were ready to buy some asparagus. We can't remember the last time that we had such fresh asparagus. It was delicious steamed without adding a thing to it. Now, we have to go back this weekend so we can make some Parmesan asparagus pesto sauce.