One of my favorite aspects of living in North Carolina is going to famers’ markets. The markets have great produce picked that day from the farms, and there is nothing better than fresh produce. We hit the market on Saturday to take advantage of the multitude and variety of vendors. In addition to fruits and vegetables, the farmers sell meat, eggs, cheese, honey, baked goods, and crafts. The prices were not much cheaper than a grocery store, but the quality is amazing. Tomatoes are certainly the exception in price, at least right now. I think I go to the market just for tomatoes. We got vine ripened tomatoes for $.79 per pounds and heirloom tomatoes for $.99 per pound. I am convinced that those who claim to not like tomatoes have never really had real tomatoes. Grocery store tomatoes are only pretend tomatoes; real tomatoes, ripened to perfection by the sun, burst with flavor. There is something about the warm rays that carmelize the sugars in a tomato, accentuating the flavor to the nth degree.
For our lunch after visiting the market, I combined the aforesaid real tomatoes, carefully chopped, with fresh basil, minced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a lovely bruschietta enjoyed with garlic toast. We also had a sweet cantelope, a nice finish to our little meal. 
It’s too bad they haven’t invented smell technology for the internet because these tuberoses smell divine. I put them down in my kitchen and could smell them in my upstairs bedroom. They remind me of Hawaii with a fragrance similar to a plumeria or a white ginger (tuberoses are used in Hawaiian leis as well). I bought this entire bunch for $5.
A hit another farmers’ market on Friday in the city and found some great flowers and a nice tub of blackberries. Our friends, the Carters, invited us over for dinner and we brought this blackberry kiwi pie. Maybe you’ll think about inviting us over too!
It’s too bad they haven’t invented smell technology for the internet because these tuberoses smell divine. I put them down in my kitchen and could smell them in my upstairs bedroom. They remind me of Hawaii with a fragrance similar to a plumeria or a white ginger (tuberoses are used in Hawaiian leis as well). I bought this entire bunch for $5.
A hit another farmers’ market on Friday in the city and found some great flowers and a nice tub of blackberries. Our friends, the Carters, invited us over for dinner and we brought this blackberry kiwi pie. Maybe you’ll think about inviting us over too!
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