Your Mom dragged me down to the local “Farmers Market” Saturday morning. I figure it doesn’t get much better. Local farmers and gardeners bring their produce to town offering natural vegetables and fruit. The prices of course are very low because the “middle-man” has been eliminated. I anticipated a “pocket full” of savings.
Lots of people were mulling around (along with lots and lots and lots of kids in baby buggies). I expected lots of trucks loaded with product. I thought we would be able to buy a dozen ears of corn for $1. We could pick up bags of tomatoes for several dollars. My most urgent purchase was going to be raspberries. My Sheboygan source of raspberries won’t be available until next year. I last bought a pint of rasberries at the grocery store for $3 (actually two half pints for $3).
The reality of the “farmers market” was that it was more like a flea market. It was dominated by booths with cheap handcrafted items and some second hand goods. It was a carnival atmosphere. Produce was not cheap.
We bought some fresh tomatoes which seemed expensive. I had to pick up fresh “peas in the pod”. I used to pull vines filled with pea pods off moving trucks on their way to the Cannery when I was a kid. We would sit on the curbing in the shade and eat peas until we were full. I didn’t care about the price of the peas. I’d pay the “asking price”.
We did not buy any raspberries. They were $4 a pint, more than the grocery store. I guess because they were hand picked and natural, they might have been worth a little more. I hope my personal Sheboygan source of raspberries is cheaper when available next year.
The news services are reporting that George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees died this morning. Normally, I would let the event pass without comment. George however was a colorful figure and he became a billionaire over 35-40 years. He bought the Yankees in 1971 for $8.7 million dollars. The franchise is now worth over $1 billion. Not a bad return on investment.
Enjoy the weather!
Love,
Dad