Economy Down, Gardens Up!

Across the street from my house, every thursday when crop season hits a climax, there is a Farmers' Market where people tote their personally harvested crops from their backyards or farms and sell them in the park. Generally, if one doesn't get there by 9am everything is gone; and, on a regular day, the farmers usually show up around six or seven in the morning... their customers are quick to follow. My grandma and I would frequently go over and purchase an astounding variety of fruits and vegetables (granted, sometimes she'd have to go without me because I'd sleep in). Their prices were often far below that of the prices at the store and we'd stock up-- filling the picnic basket many times! (and because I'm such an amazing granddaughter, I would carry it for her.) This year, we've only gone once! The economy has been in such a horrible downturn that a) people cannot accommodate the high priced-and continually rising- price of foods that are basic staples, and b) the farmers can only purchase enough seed to fill their family with little to sell.
But, the lack of goods worth buying at the Farmers' Market is not why we have only made it once, it's because grandma has been growing her own garden!
I absolutely love it because I can create a salad in my mouth each time I walk out to the back yard to get into my car, all I have to do is grab a piece of leaf lettuce or romaine and snatch up a cherry tomato from the vine and just pop it in my mouth! She doesn't use pesticides for this very reason. The other day I went out there with a salad bowl and prepared a salad as I sat in the garden! Of course, I added more when I went inside.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, leaf lettuce, romaine, and zucchini all from the garden along with store bought mandarin oranges, crasins, and pumpkin seeds topped off with French Flair spritzers dressing with a side of natural black tea. Amazing. Grandma can actually make her own tea from the peppermint plant we have in the garden, but we've raided it so many times that we need to let it grow some more before we can harvest it again, but just let me assure you, it is delicious to have something so home made as that tea.