It's been a busy day of running errands, cleaning and generally getting ready for the tour. It was 5:00 p.m. when I remembered Seymour's farmers market. I drove over and was surprised to see so many vendors, at least 18, which is a nice turnout indeed.
The vendors set up their tents along the frontage road on Highway 54. In previous years, the market took place downtown in a park, but the vendors thought they would have better luck along the highway and it turns out they were right. Not only do they get city customers, they are attracting tourists passing through.
I immediately went to the Breadsmith to see about getting apricot scones, but they were already gone. I took time to visit with old friends from the days when as a member of the city council I helped to get the market started.
There was produce a-plenty, but Gary and I are soon going to be heading off to Canada, and we won't be allowed to bring fruits and vegetables across the border, so I settled on a fresh tomato from the Keune farm to make BLTs tomorrow. One of the Hmong vendors had the greenest, freshest bundles of basil at $1 a bunch. I will put them in our dehydrator tomorrow morning. There should be enough dried basil to use in soups and sauces for the next year and beyond.
Four Hmong vendors were selling their bouquets of lilies and other flowers. My friend Betty wants to have flowers for her daughter's wedding, so I queried them to see if they would be at other markets later in the week. One was going to a market tomorrow in Kaukauna, which is too early for the Saturday wedding. Two of the vendors sell in Green Bay but on Sunday, which of course is late. As for the fourth vendor, I have no idea, because she didn't speak English.
Finally, I stopped at the kettle corn vendor who had fresh squeezed lemonade. On a hot day, it was perfect.
Funny how memories come. With my first sip of that tart beverage, I was back in North Osborn Elementary School, the one room school I attended for eight years. Each year, on the last day of school, there was a potluck picnic attended by the students and their parents. Each family was to bring lemons, probably one lemon per child. The lemons were cut up and put with water and sugar into a large ceramic cooler for lemonade. One family, the Culbertsons, always brought oranges instead of lemons and that gave it a flavor I've never seen duplicated. I told the vendor about it and she told me she would try it and have some for me next time I came.
That will be three weeks from now. I'm drooling already.
The Seymour Farmers Market is held every Tuesday from mid-June to mid-October at the Frontage Road off Highway 54.
I immediately went to the Breadsmith to see about getting apricot scones, but they were already gone. I took time to visit with old friends from the days when as a member of the city council I helped to get the market started.
There was produce a-plenty, but Gary and I are soon going to be heading off to Canada, and we won't be allowed to bring fruits and vegetables across the border, so I settled on a fresh tomato from the Keune farm to make BLTs tomorrow. One of the Hmong vendors had the greenest, freshest bundles of basil at $1 a bunch. I will put them in our dehydrator tomorrow morning. There should be enough dried basil to use in soups and sauces for the next year and beyond.
Four Hmong vendors were selling their bouquets of lilies and other flowers. My friend Betty wants to have flowers for her daughter's wedding, so I queried them to see if they would be at other markets later in the week. One was going to a market tomorrow in Kaukauna, which is too early for the Saturday wedding. Two of the vendors sell in Green Bay but on Sunday, which of course is late. As for the fourth vendor, I have no idea, because she didn't speak English.
Finally, I stopped at the kettle corn vendor who had fresh squeezed lemonade. On a hot day, it was perfect.
Funny how memories come. With my first sip of that tart beverage, I was back in North Osborn Elementary School, the one room school I attended for eight years. Each year, on the last day of school, there was a potluck picnic attended by the students and their parents. Each family was to bring lemons, probably one lemon per child. The lemons were cut up and put with water and sugar into a large ceramic cooler for lemonade. One family, the Culbertsons, always brought oranges instead of lemons and that gave it a flavor I've never seen duplicated. I told the vendor about it and she told me she would try it and have some for me next time I came.
That will be three weeks from now. I'm drooling already.
The Seymour Farmers Market is held every Tuesday from mid-June to mid-October at the Frontage Road off Highway 54.
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