A visit to the Rochester Hills Farmers Market!

This past weekend Nathan (who was visiting from MA.) and I headed over to the Rochester Hills Farmers Market, the first weekend of the 2007 season. Having lived in Rochester Hills for a year some time back, and around this area for a while now, I chastised myself for never having come before. The Farmers Market is just off of the Main Street in Rochester Hills-the area that has some nice little shops, restaurants and bars and who's Rochester Mills, Main Street Billiards, and Gus O'Connors' are popular hotspots for the local college kids (OU and OCC) at night-located just off of 3rd street.

My appetite for Farmers Markets was wetted when I lived out East. The farm I worked on toyed with the idea of a stand for a couple of summers before deciding against it-much to my chagrin. I also have a fond memory of strolling through D.C.'s Eastern Market (hey, we have one of those in Detroit!) on my first visit to the city; though my friend who lives there recently

mentioned that the D.C. Eastern Market just suffered from a fire, though she was not sure how much or what was damaged.

Anyway, the Rochester Hills Farmers Market was positively lovely! As we entered in I felt as though the last of my still winter-stiffened senses were finally awakened. Everything was so bright and fresh and carried such a smell that made you wonder if your nose had ever worked properly before. The air was strung with rich coffee bean aroma from a local cafe; thick, sweet smells of the honey booth and the "waffle lady," drifted our way and Nathan was excited at the prospect of trying a homemade waffle and many of the homemade sauces. He decided (and wisely so as far as I was concerned) to put a different spread/sauce/syrup (what-have-you) on each of the quartered sections; maple syrup, apple butter, blueberry, and elderberry. I only tried the elderberry section since I have never had elderberries before and I have to say that I was impressed. I will be visiting the waffle lady again and getting a waffle of my own! (Elderberry bushes are pictured to the left). What I learned too in my research is that it was rumored that Walt Whitman (one of my favorites) was known as a skilled elderberry wine maker.

This weekends market also carried hearty plants from the local farmers/growers. Beautiful newly budded flowers, from petunias, irises, and orchids to the not-so-native Japanese maples. Hanging plants, potted plants, flats, flowers potted in hallowed out gourds, "great for Mothers Day!" Potted starters: strawberries, herbs: lemongrass, chives, basil, oregano; fat, tall asparagus shoots as thick around at the top as my thumb (though I was always told the thinner the better for taste when it comes to asparagus).

And families seemingly grew as thickly as the downed produce; strong, firmly planted grandparents, slightly bent-from years of age and winds-looked down upon sun kissed babies in strollers wearing sunflower yellow and oranges as though their clothes were a very celebration of the sun. Mothers and Fathers carelessly weaving in and around the booths, as slinking vines. Dogs on leashes patrolling and sniffing the general malaise as though a skunk, rooting into the garden looking for grubs.

And I, plucked from it all as a weed, (self) removed, we headed for Detroit. Though weeds are never really gone are they? And maybe on my next visit I will bring my niece and nephew to enjoy the sun with me and so that I can peer down into their sun kissed faces and know that I am showing them some of the Rochester areas finest.

Info and picture borrowed from:
http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M17175

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elderberry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Holunderkultur.JPG