When roaming the aisles at the market, I found it enjoyable but also overwhelming because there were so many stands offering the same things. So what better way to find out what I wanted to buy than by sampling everything I could. Personally I have always been a huge cheese fan, especially goat cheese. So naturally this is where I was drawn to and what I choose to buy for this assignment. A stand with a sign that read Gothberg Farms is where I ended up talking to a lady named Rhonda for awhile. She seemed thrilled when I asked about her product and proceeded to tell me all about her cheese while I sampled the different kinds. She said her cheeses are produced from a small herd of LaMancha dairy goats. The goats are fed a healthy diet, housed in clean facilities, and treated extremely well. Everything they make is 100% organic, natural, and delicious. The different cheeses I sampled included feta, chevre, and gouda.
For my feta cheese recipe, I chose a simple yet scrumptious meal - Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes from the Food Network website. For those of you who have had orzo before you know it's a rice shaped pasta and relatively easy to make. But let me tell you, the feta was the perfect way to add a rich and flavorful taste to the otherwise bland orzo. This dish was quick and easy to make and my roommates all loved it. I will definitely be visiting the market again soon to pick up more of this fabulous cheese.
Kramer, Kyle T. The Magic of the Market. America 201.10 (2009): 9. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 3 May 2010.
It sounds like you ended up really learning a lot about where your cheese came from! It's cool to be able to talk to the person that is proudly selling their product to you. They always seem excited to share their story of how its made. This is an aspect we miss out on shopping at a grocery store. It's a lot easier to buy cheaper easier alternative at the store, but you loose out on the story. Not only is there nobody proud to share about their product. It's always nice meeting people at the saturday market as I feel like everybody is always in high spirits!
ReplyDeleteWe should be friends! I love the food network and cheese is one of my favorite foods, now I'm a little bias when it comes to anything that comes from goats milk but I'm sure in the right dish I can be swayed. You are absolutely right about the live music, I didn't even think about since I've only been to 2 Farmer's Markets both had plenty to buy but neither could boast live music. That would be a lovely touch and if you know any local bands maybe you should recommend they look into it, perhaps you're not the only one missing live music but you can be the one that prompts the change in our local Farmer's Market. How cool would that be?!
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