The Farmer in the Dell (or in this case, City)

"Prosperous farmers mean more employment, more prosperity for the workers and the business men of every industrial area in the whole country", said Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Since it is already the second of the month, it is time for me to introduce you to a new monthly challenge. I am giving myself the task of exploring the farmers markets of Boston for a month. The great thing about living in such a diverse place is that it has tons of farms just outside the city limits, which means that there are TONS of markets that take place every week (multiple ones on the same days even). I've compiled a list:

-SOWA open market in the south end (Sundays)
-Central Square Farmers Market (FM) (Monday)
-Harvard University FM (Tuesday)
-Copley Square (Tues & Friday)
-Davis Square FM (Wednesday)
-Kendall Square FM (Thursday)
-Allston Farmers Market (Friday)
-Union Square FM (Saturday)
-Charles Square FM (Sunday)
And the mother load of farmers markets-Haymarket. A place that has it's own stop on the T and is open every weekend over by the Government Center/Faneuil Hall area.

This idea came to me as I was walking through the Copley Square farmers market the other day, with a small bit of cash to find some good quality items (and support the local farmers). It was right around lunch time and I decided to try to find a snack (I decided on a locally baked pumpkin bread with fig slice). I succeeded in getting some babaganoush from a Mediterranean food stand, fresh pita from a bakery/salad stand, fresh sourdough bread that was covered in herbs from another place, and the two most beautiful tomatoes I think I've ever seen in my life:

As I sat dipping the still-warm pita bread into the babaganoush, I realized how interesting it would be to take you all on a tour around Boston, farmers market style (while also simultaneously doing my food shopping for the week). I don't recommend the Copley Square market for doing all your food shopping, but it was nice to pick up a few treats and eat extremely well for a few days (the babaganoush only lasted a day and a half)...

Actual tomato salad...huge tomato, a little cucumber, and lots of mixed greens that you can't even see.

One tomato went into my quinoa dish that you saw a few posts ago, and the other I didn't know what to do with. So...I cut it up, threw it on some greens, tossed on a few cukes, drizzled some dressing and voila. A tomato salad with all the lycopene I could ever ask for.

So that's the upcoming adventure for the month of June.

What else have I been up to? Well, I premiered an opera at the Boston Center for the Arts. It's entitled "Magic Mirror", written by a Russian composer, scored beautifully, had an amazing cast, talented musicians, and awe-inspiring set designers. They turned the black box theatre into a fairytale wonderland. Below is my view from the pit during the dress rehearsal.