The Way We Were, and my first meme

Polaroids used to seem so high tech didn't they. A photo spits out of your camera, you then flap it in the air back and forth. Minutes later you have a picture, the one you just took, in your hands. Now they are like a rotary phone, or mixed tape. Their charm is in the nostalgia. Reminders of simpler times.



Simpler times when you actually knew where you food was coming from. You had conversations with the guy who cut your meat.

Last week I finally made it to the farmers market. You'd think it would be part of my weekly ritual by now. However, I already trek around to a few different stores per week with wee-ones in tow. Adding another food stop seemed ridiculous, arduous, and the farmers market in the town over was hardly worth it the last time I went. I had very low expectations for this one. I don't live in a very metropolis city, nor is it urban hippy cool enough to warrant a great farmers market.



It may not hold a candle to many in the big cities, but Chandler's weekly farmers market satisfied my fresh foodie freakiness. I mean the strawberries actually smelled like strawberries. I nearly cried when I got home and took a bite. It tasted like a crisp true strawberry. Remember those days? When a store bought strawberry tasted like strawberry?

I even got to talk to the people who grew my food. One of the vendors even makes and sells salsa out of his wonderful veggies, and it must be good because people were asking for more. I'll try some this week. I visited with very pleasant ladies who adorned their table with the most fragrant sweet pea flowers. I just wanted to stand and smell them for days and hear stories about the chickens who lay the eggs they sell. One chicken is named C.B. for it's horribly crooked beak. I mean I'm thinking the chickens who give me my supermarket eggs probably don't get a name, let alone spoon fed sweet potatoes because their beak is so messed up.

Another unexpected surprise of my market adventure - Meyer Lemons. I don't know why they are so hard to find in these parts, but last week perched upon the sweet pea scented table was a basket brimming with Meyer lemons. 4 for a dollar. My mom and I split them and each took 2 home. I was so excited I almost didn't want to cut in to it.

Then, I was overcome by what exactly would be the best thing to do with such beauties. They were in danger of going bad I was so perplexed by how to use them in the best of fashion. I quickly got over it, and decided that making lemon curd would give me maximum flavor and multiple uses. (You'd think these were the last Meyer lemons on the planet).



I used this recipe from Recipe Girl mainly because it used whole eggs instead of yolks. It was so good! I had all these grand ideas to use the curd in different recipes. So far the only thing I've used it in is spoon directly from jar to my mouth.

Oh and I gave a jar to Mimi because it was her birthday and she loves anything lemon. I do believe she said she just ate it straight from the jar as well.

In case you are fortunate enough to have Meyer lemons, and like to turn it into something incredibly versatile such as curd, here are some ideas for your lemon curd. (That is if you don't eat it all out of the jar like me).

• Spread it on scones or toast.
• Fold it into some whip cream, make a little sauce out of blueberries and you have one beautiful lemon mousse with berry sauce (very pretty for Easter).
• Bake up some shortbread cookies and spread your curd on the bottom and make lemon sandwich cookies.
• In between layers of a lemon cake.
• Make a lemon, raspberry trifle.
• Use it in a beautiful tart.
• Or eat it straight of the jar, with no shame!
  

I have many more lemons sitting around that I can turn into curd, but I think I'll head back to the market. I love getting back to the way food used to be. Connecting with people who bring you your food, and truly savoring what you are about to use.

On a non lemon note Sophie from Flour Arrangements tagged me for my first meme. You really must check out Sophie's illustrations on Etsy, she is a very talented lady.

The rules of the award:

* Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
* Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
* List at least 10 honest things about yourself.


Here's my honesty-

1. I'll clear the air once and for all - I don't like tomatoes. I know it's just wrong for a food fanatic to hate tomatoes, but I do. There I said it it's out in the open.
2. I don't like getting out of the shower and stepping on the linoleum, I need to step on the rug. However I cannot step on the carpet with wet feet, it's icky.
3. I had to wear a head gear when I was in 4th grade. It was horrible and awkward and painful and incredibly dorky.
4. Sometimes I get a little down about not having a formal college education, but I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I like too many things.
5. I want to make furniture, but no one thinks I should be wielding power tools.
6. Ok, I am very clumsy. The meanies in # 5 are just looking out for the well being of my own extremities.
7. I used to have my own personal chef business, and didn't enjoy it very much at all.
8. I've become much more assertive after having that business, and kids, and being married to my love for 10 years. I was a real push-over before.
9. I really want to like tomatoes. I try them every now and then when people go on and on about how good they are. It hasn't worked yet.
10. I could eat pancakes and bacon everyday for the rest of my life.
    

7 Blogs that I am tagging to spread their honesty about:

• The Zest
• First, Make a Roux
• Giddy Gastronome
• Elle's New England Kitchen
• Chef Wanabe (check out the video she has on her blog from Oren Lavie, super cool)
• Bell'alimento
• Duo Dishes