Apricots and Blackberries…
are a poor substitute for eggs.
Yesterday morning, Nikki and I went to market. It was early, around 9:00 AM. I was feeling pretty good, especially since we were getting to the market before 10:00 AM. Surely Bill would have some eggs for me.
We stopped first to look over the blackberries. $7 per quart, cultivated.
Next table over they were $5 per pint, wild.
2 pints = 1 quart. Hm.
Unsure how to evaluate which blackberries yield maximum tastiness, Nikki convinced me to purchase the wild ones. Next we wandered over to Farm and Sparrow for one of their savory pastries - squash, tomato and mozzarella. Crispy, chewy, perfectly browned and a little salty. I love breakfast at market.
Approaching Bill’s table, I was relieved to see a dozen eggs sitting innocently next to the amazing leeks and huge zucchini. We exchanged pleasantries and I began to select my purchases. Suddenly, before I could react, a woman swooped in beside me, grabbed my eggs, paid and left.
It was defeating, not to mention annoying. Now I’m left wondering, was that rudeness or simply the law of the jungle? My Saturday market shopping is meant to be a relaxing experience — I’m certainly not going to tussle with someone over a dozen eggs. But could she not have at least asked before taking them? Would I have done the same? Has something like that ever happened to you?
The lesson learned here is to always lay claim to the item you want most, first.
My desire to be at market evaporated instantly after that interaction and we left shortly afterward. Yes, I could have picked up some eggs elsewhere, and likely will before the week is out, but I considered the mission a failure. (No, I’m never accused of being melodramatic. Why do you ask?) I did pick up some green and purple beans, the leeks and zucchini, some wonderful garlic and a strange looking cucumber, in addition to the blackberries. Once home, the apricots (found at Ingles earlier in the week) were turned into scones, using a recipe adapted from Jacqueline’s at sweet beet and green bean.
Regular milk in place of soy, but I did try using Smart Balance. I am a fierce advocate of butter, especially in baked goods, so I wanted to see if the taste would be different. Happily, the texture wasn’t compromised and the flavor was excellent. It was my first time experimenting with fresh apricots as well. I found them easy to dice and that they held their shape well during baking.
As for the blackberries…
To be continued.
So, if we’d gone to the farmer’s market together last weekend, would you have made *me* apricot scones? If so, um, whatchu doing next Saturday?!
Also, if you (or anyone you know!) is willing to pay $5/pint for wild blackberries, I’ll go pick you a couple gallons! Seriously!
Yeah, the cost is a separate issue altogether and we had actually discussed finding time to go out and pick a bunch. But, in true impulsive-Leigh fashion, the blackberries were there, tempting me and I had it in my market budget. Sigh.
You should put that picture of the apricots in a bowl in a portfolio. Excellent.
I guess i need a little more clarification. Sounds like the dozen eggs were just sitting on the counter while you were doing something else. It’s not like she reached between your legs for them or snatched them out of your hand right?
Essentially, I hesitated laying claim to the eggs for just a split second too long. Walked up to the table, saw them sitting there, but then got distracted by other shiny vegetables, THEN Bill and I got to talking and THEN…BAM! She was there and the eggs were gone. Clear?
Yup, and I can’t see that she did anything out of the ordinary. She saw eggs, picked them up and paid. It’s possible that if you said “oh I’m sorry those are my eggs.” she’d have put them back.