That Second List

[ricevermicelli]

Lace knitting: I dug Juno Regina out of hibernation yesterday, found and corrected the extra stitch that had cropped up, and got through one and a half lace repeats. Two lace repeats to go! Then a lot of fairly plain knitting (nearly 3 feet of it) before I get all lacy again for the other end. I'm very pleased.

Farmers' market: I went to the farmers' market at Lower Mills, which was small but very nice. Came away with fresh bread, pie, corn salad for lunch, and a conviction that if I can't find cheaper tomatoes, there's no point at all to canning tomato sauce. I mean, yes, my sauce is better, but if tomatoes continue to go for $3.75 a pound (highway robbery), it's just a summer only thing. However, it's not really high season for tomatoes yet, and it's still possible the prices will fall to something more reasonably in the $1-1.50 a lb. range where home canning isn't just an expensive way to get hot and tired. The farmers' market also had vendors selling organic meat (beef and pork) and fresh lobster, and I am suddenly tempted to find something to do with one of those things. This is ridiculous as (a) I am the only person in my house who eats beef, and (b) I don't even like lobster all that much. But the ingredients are there and the quality is good...

I also got a guide to agricultural fairs in MA. I may have to bring Danger Lad! to one this fall and fix the fact that he's never seen a cow up close.

Sand toys: Acquired at grocery store and stashed in back of car, to be revealed at the beach. Yay.

Comments

[chalgaryn.livejournal.com]

You're going to suck me into the knitting cult, aren't you? I need a good winter hobby (and a purpose for extra bedrooms until kids fill them...a craft room seems like a good plan).

Also, did we mention that there is a twice a week farmer's market in easy walking distance of our new house? Happy, happy :-)

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

Knitting's not a cult! Er. Not a cult much. All I wanted out of this hobby when I started was one pair of really warm socks. And now I'm all bouncing all over with lace and turtles and knitted oranges. (It was not like this, but not entirely dissimilar. (http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/2006/03/meet-dolores.html))

Steuard mentioned the playground, but not the farmers' market. Happy, happy indeed.

[steuard.livejournal.com]

And neither of us has yet mentioned the great ice cream shop, nor the (prospective) Wizard Room in the basement. We're pretty excited. (I've got a post or two about all this brewing here somewhere, but I need to find the time to do it around work and packing.)

[zathrus.livejournal.com]

*snort* Thanks for the link. Good start to the day.

Newt

[zathrus.livejournal.com]

You know, Alma, MI is sounding like a pretty good town so far. You're making me wistful for our plans to move somewhere smaller than Chicago eventually. Enjoy!

Newt

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

Prices will fall -- tomatoes in this early are probably greenhouse ones. Also, sometimes you can score stuff cheap by going at the end of the day, as no one wants to lug stuff home. Last year, I made sauce from seconds sold in flats at a farm stand.

[aelscha.livejournal.com]

Second the "prices will fall" - farmers have learned that they can charge extra for early greenhouse tomatoes. And once they start coming in, you can get massive amounts of slightly-squashed tomatoes very cheaply - farmstand where I used to work sold half-bushels for like $15...

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

That's reassuring, as that's exactly the sort of thing I was contemplating for mass-produced sauce. Thank you.