Localvore

Today, GIPNA's first farmer's market of the 2009 season enabled me to be a localvore -- buying locally sourced/grown, seasonally appropriate produce. And make happy tummies in The Boy, The Girl, and The Tot. We headed up to Independence Park right at 9 a.m. this morning to score rhubarb and asparagus from the farmers in Benton Harbor, Michigan. We also got fresh spinach and garlic scapes from a Wisconsin organic farm, an artisan donut for The Tot, cookies from Ideal Pastry for The Girl and The Boy (although The Girl didn't want to eat hers after she thought a passing dog licked it), a sugar waffle from a new vendor for me, soap from Big City Fuzz, coffee from Stivers, and had my knives sharpened. The kids and I enjoyed the bluegrass jamming from a local music group and stayed at the park until past 11 a.m.

Strawberries from Michigan:
The Boy took this photo.
The musicians' tent:

The Boy, The Girl and The Tot enjoying the music/market:


After almost 7 years in this neighborhood, I finally feel as if I am part of it. I saw and talked with loads of people I knew this morning, while The Girl, The Boy and The Tot saw their friends and, in The Girl's case, made fast new ones while running around the playground. We finally headed home around 11:30 to have lunch made from some of our locally grown and sourced produce, clamber in the car and drive to Home Depot for a new propane tank for the grill.