charlotteann

Quite possibly the most discussed topic in the world, the weather influences everything we do. Obviously. I had something sort of prepared to write about the weather but I’ve already bored myself, so I won’t burden you, dear readers. The idea was that the recent boon of heat had me preparing decidedly “summery” food. Temperatures exceeded 90 degrees (f) in San Francisco this week and we all complained about it. We loved it, but we complained nevertheless. We spent our unemployed days in the park instead of in cheap coffee shops, and we bared our pale skin after applying SPF 75 sunblock. We also went to the farmers’ market to purchase lemons in order to indulge a particularly intense craving for lemonade.

Since today is half over and still overcast, my enthusiasm to write about how fabulous this lemonade was on a hot summer’s day is waning quickly. But I shall do my best.

The coldest summer in 40 years came to an abrupt, record-setting end at the beginning of this week and anyone who had to go to work was probably pretty bummed out. But I don’t feel bad for them because they have jobs. Anyway, I got really sweaty and gross from the heat and just felt like a glass of lemonade. I wandered down to the farmers’ market in shorts of all things and loaded up my bag with summery things like strawberries, lemons, figs, and tomatoes. I also bought an enormous bunch of basil that had seen better days but I needed it for Super Summer Salad Event: Insalata Caprese!

Raw tomatoes are another not-favorite of mine (like eggs). I met someone recently who shares my distaste for raw tomatoes. Or rather, they shared my distaste because they had systematically forced their taste buds to reverse their opinion and start loving tomatoes. Why? Who knows. Maybe because tomatoes are like, but not as bad as, eggs when it comes to things like sandwiches: they’re all over the place and it would behoove oneself to tolerate them. Otherwise you’ll be saying “no tomatoes” for the rest of your life. What a waste of time. But with a homemade caprese salad, I discovered I can handle a thick slice of raw tomato because it’s smothered in balsamic vinegar and olive oil and topped with basil and mozzarella (in case you didn’t know). Is this the beginning of a taste bud-turning journey? Will I someday enjoy raw tomatoes on my sandwich? Only time will tell…

So I braved the crowds on Saturday at the Ferry Plaza Famers’ Market. Among the bridge and tunnelers, the tourists, and the other locals who slept in, were scads of fabulous looking produce. Although the Ferry Plaza market has more variety in terms of vendors and prepared foods, it’s more expensive than the Civic Center market I usually visit on Sundays. I bought carrots, onions, potatoes, fresh herbs, arugula, an eggplant, mushrooms, and wheat grass for the cat. Then I went home and tried to style them into a still life.

Unfortunately, I am no stylist. The composition is fine, I think, but the balance of the original colors is totally off. Thus, a black and white image is born! I eventually gave up trying to arrange my produce and gave in to the rumble in my tummy and made a delicious salad.

Yesterday my mom and I went to the Garden of Eatin’ in Richmond, ME. Yes, I have seen that pun on many a grocery store, but I am no less amused. We bought some mushrooms, broccoli, frozen dumplings (I was pretty curious about local, organic Chinese frozen vegan potstickers being sold in Richmond), onions, and those fabulous garlic scapes. Or whips. What do you call them? I plan on buying one of their grass-fed steaks to celebrate my completion of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma in honor of Steer 534.

We also went to a farm on the other side of the Kennebec river, which involved crossing my least favorite bridge of all time. It’s a very narrow swing bridge that makes my palms sweat every time I drive across it. Anyway. The place of agriculture in question was Goranson Farms. They grow organic stuff and have really cute bunnies. We bought some strawberries, pork sausage, and a mint plant. A bit random as far as farm purchases go (I guess?) but so far so good in terms of taste. I used the pork sausage tonight to make a spaghetti sauce. It was a tasty success.

Today is Wednesday, which means UN Plaza Farmers’ Market! I’ve passed by it many a time, making a mental note to actually go. Today all those notes piled up to a point where I actually remembered and so after a quick trip to the bank I headed over. It’s a pretty small farmers’ market, which I actually prefer because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to find the best prices. They all seemed to be about the same, though. Peaches and other pitted fruits were $2.50/lb, onions at $0.40/lb. Hmmm, that’s all I remember. Anyway:

• two peaches and three nectarines: $3.50
• bunch of basil: $1.00
• small box of baby shiitake mushrooms: $3.00
• four plants (rosemary, red shiso, white sage, and catnip): $10.00
• one falafel sandwich: $5.00

For a little over $20.00 I’d say I could have done better. I didn’t really need that falafel sandwich, but I absolutely love tahini sauce and couldn’t resist. That being said, I know I overpaid at two grocery stores this week: Golden Natural Foods and Bristol Farms. Bristol Farms wasn’t that surprising because it’s in the Westfield shopping center. And everything in Golden Natural Foods is way too expensive except the seafood and deli meats. Weird, huh?

Many of us on a budget opt for Trader Joe’s. Almost everything they sell - whether you need it or not - is wicked cheap. Their produce however, is horrible. I’m sick of buying lettuce or celery that looks fine in the store that browns by the time I put in my fridge. The extra dollar I’ll occasionally spend for the produce labeled “organic” does not prevent this frustrating reality of buying your greens at TJ’s.

I’ve watched shoppers laden with pink plastic bags pick over the produce in Chinatown from the bus for almost a year now, so I decided to put on my fiercest shopping face and dive into the frenzy to stock up on my stir-fry staples: onions, scallions, cilantro, and mushrooms.

Grand total? $3.14. That’s it. I realize this isn’t going to provide the bulk of daily caloric intake, but it probably marks the last time I spend $3.50 for eight pre-packaged button mushrooms from a major supermarket. I can’t seem to Google the particular shop (Shang Ling?) I visited today, but it’s next to Little Paradise on the corner of Stockton and Jackson. The fruit was outside, the greens inside, and all in varying condition. Yet this is the fun part of shopping for food, you get to pick and choose for as long as you want, and there are no plastic bags with funky colors and chunky fonts covering up signs of decay. Instead, you get that pretty pink bag that all the cats want.