postcards from below
a brief message that includes doughnuts, biking and farmers markets (galore)
Greetings from the real world! Rather, the one with far more people, cars and shopping and dining establishments.
I’ve been in the (lower) Northwest - the misty Pacific Northwest one - for over a week now. My, how time flies when I’m back on a bike, darting in and out of markets. Up and down neighborhood greenways. Smiling at geese! Laughing with friends! Catching up in person! Drinking really good coffee! Perusing free piles!
Contemplating life, past / present / future.
Literally stopping to admire the official Spring flowers.
Even more literally halting at crosswalks and corners with a big eye out of approaching traffic. Those same eyes widened in awe over bounties of farmers market raab, and seriously rolling at way rising prices on..…everything.
(I will note that here in Seattle & Portland, in particular, I have a smidge of assumption & almost relief that a hint of these increases does go to actual workers’ wages - some progress. Sorta. And, even to my dismay, I can stomach it way more so at a local farmers market or indie eatery. Yep.)
No matter the price – and the remaining, mild chagrin that I’m no longer growing my own year-round variety of kale – the THRILL of visiting a farmers market for seasonal greens persists ! !
Better yet…
There’s such a glee of coming home (or in my case, a home away from home, with a cat away from cats, to boot!) with a tote of seriously fresh vegetables that haven’t spent days on trucks, or encased in plastic for days….weeks…months. Aye yi yi.
Sigh. Insert the ongoing delight / relief / content / good cookin’ / great eatin’.
And this being contemporary Portland, I’m totally enjoying the requisite doughnuts. Yeasted, artisan, and vegan. And somehow casual!
Hey - I don’t know about you, but once I realized there’s an option to include “dough” in the word, it’s hard to cut it short.
And yes, I was covered in sugar, inside and out, after enjoying that above doughnut. My lipstick was wrecked. There was earl grey whip on my nose.
No, I do not regret a thing. And I hope you wouldn’t, either.
Nor these !
To be continued!
btw, I originally came here intending to talk about some clean-out-the-fridge action and preparing-Jules schematics before leaving town, because it was quite the obsessive ordeal. So, perhaps next time! Tator tots tbd.
some relevant links:
What are Sunchokes? Lakewinds Foods Co-op (not that I’ve been, but my impromptu cooking method of sliced + olive oil + salt + black pepper + curry powder at 425F + flipped half-way through cooking was similar and this has tons of info about these beauts for the curious)
Delicious 😋