Weekend Wanderings…The Farmers’ Market
St. Philip’s Plaza on Sunday Mornings…
Sunday mornings before 9 am, I make my rounds at the Farmers’ Market at St. Philip’s Plaza. Teaming with people and vendors, the Farmers’ Market is a must do. (Saint Philip’s Plaza is on the southeast corner of River and Campbell and home to boutique shops, Vivace, a superb restaurant, and Acacia, another very good local restaurant. It is also the site of the Windmill Inn. )
I try and remember to bring my Trader Joe’s bags, but I’m not always successful. Tom the tomato man, has a big smile and hello, and often a different assortment of vegetables. Now during Wilcox peach season, Tom has sweet succulent peaches which are oh so sabroson. His fresh picked broccoli is sweet and crunchy and makes store bought broccoli pale by comparison! I’m getting sweet peppers to make east coast pepper and sausage grinders. That dish certainly is not indigenous to Tucson!
The sausage comes from Brian who has the best chicken, pork, lamb, and sausage. I fry up the Italian sausage and there is hardly a trace of fat. People line up at 6:30 to get his fresh eggs, but I’m not that much of an early bird. Brian punches the numbers into his huge calculator and scribbles the numbers on any spare piece of paper. Once home, I pound out the chicken breasts for chicken and mushrooms or cacciatore. The breasts are fat and meaty and a half pound easily feeds two or three hungry people.
Soup is always delicious regardless of season. Double Check Ranch has big soup bones with lots of beef which I can simmer for hours on the stove and get the best flavor. I throw in some of Tom’s tomatoes and squash, an onion or two, and maybe some fresh green beans or some chard or okra from the asian growers. What a meal!
But I think my favorite place to stop is John’s who owns Fiesta Growers. Tucson gardners need Tucson plants and John is the man! The fragrance of the lavender with their purple blooms nodding in the breeze, or the pungent hearty smell of the dark green basil, or any of the many herbs he nurtures are all nature’s perfume.
You can wander the Farmer’s Market and purchase pastries and coffee or ethnic food even if you don’t want to grocery shop. Or you can just sit at a table in the el fresco dining area of Vivace’s which is closed on Sundays, and just enjoy yourself people watching.
http://www.stphilipsplaza.com/plaza/events.php
For a list of Farmers’ Markets in Arizona and Tucson : http://www.foodconnect.org/farmers_markets/locator.asp