Although we are technically still in Spring, our city weather has now shown its very sunny, hot and humid side. This sort of weather is not my favorite. I truly do prefer a medium warm Spring with a few gentle breezes. Even rain can be welcome.
However, I did brave the heat and humidity to visit the large Union Square farmers market this past week. It's a bit too early to see any tomatoes, but lots of flowers and herbs were on display, along with some pretty lettuces, ripe strawberries, radishes, eggs, cheese, baked goods and some apples lingering from autumn 2012.
Saturday is the busiest market day, when most farmers put up their stands. Wednesday is less crowded, and provides a much more pleasant atmosphere for wandering.
The entertainment value of the market is great. The colors are lovely, the fashions of the farmers and their patrons can be interesting, there are opportunities to sample the produce or baked goods. Many dogs also come along with their owners. There are lots of cute babies, too.
I enjoy taking a look at everything, and then doubling back along my original route to make my purchases. Over the years, I have found some of the stands more appealing than others, but every season a few new farmers join the fun. There is always something you've never noticed before.
On another recent trip to the market, I actually bought a plant, called bush basil, and I made a point of stopping by to speak with the farmer from whom I'd bought it. I wanted to let him know that I've managed to keep the basil going for almost two weeks already.
As I've mentioned before, my apartment's window sills are not very friendly to vegetation. I have better luck with succulent plants that require minimal care and can withstand less than prime locations.
I also like the sculptural qualities of these sorts of plants. Every now and then I buy one to add to my window sill's line up.
I think that many other folks who stroll through the plant section have country dreams.
This week's Union Square visit resulted in very few purchases, but I did bring home lots of memories of the colors I'd seen. I am now referencing those memories in the varied color choices of my current knitting project.
The tricky part is that the arrival of the current heat and humidity is not too conducive to working with Shetland wool. Still, I persevere, as it's quite pleasant to watch the chevron stripes appear, stitch by stitch.
It's also fun to welcome the season of fresh salad ingredients and delicious berries. My cool weather attraction to pasta is being challenged. It will soon be time to start drinking iced coffee. The first 2013 ice cream cone can not be far away now.
Thank you all for your visits and for your fine comments. I hope to be showing you more of my city soon.
