On the one hand, the blooming season has been late this year, but on the other hand, the number of buds on any perennial stalk is large. Larger than in previous years. Nevertheless, on the second day of July I am typically seeing clumps of lily heads everywhere. Not this year. Small batches, single flowers are still the norm. It'll be another week before the buds begin to open up. (I've stopped saying that any particular year is strange weather wise, because they're all strange. We no longer have great predictability. The only thing that is certain is that this growing season will be again in some way unusual.)
I am up early. I want to go the the Farmers Market downtown and it is not as fun to go there when the crowds swell in the later morning hours. Not if you really want to shop.
After being up most of the night, Ed is reluctant to come with me. What are you shopping for? - he asks, eyes closed.
Well, flowers for one.
Yes, flowers. I'm not sure what I'll see this week, since the spring peonies should be mostly finished and the summer field grown dahlias aren't ready yet, but surely there'll be something. Too, I want to check out the veggies. This is strange, given that I just picked up a full box from our CSA on Thursday, but the fact is, most CSA boxes (including ours) are overloaded with zucchini right now and the only way I can sneak zucchini into our dinner diet is to cut it up into tiny squares and toss it with a salad (along with other gems such as cukes, radishes, sugar snap peas and whatever else you may have). Ed is not otherwise a fan of zucchini.
And here's what surprises me at the market: the crowds really start to swell as early as 8 in the morning. I mean, it's not shoulder to shoulder yet, but you're not going to have the space to yourself.
Too, I see that more and more vendors, especially (but not only) the Hmong vendors, are adding flowers to their sales. Nearly every other table has great big bouquets for sale. Of what? Oh, everything! I still see spring favorites -- peonies and lupines -- but also summer stuff: lilies, sunflowers, etc. And here's the problem: insofar as there is choice, it is impossible to pick out a favorite, because you don't know if someone else's bouquet will be better.
I find this to be the greatest source of frustration with our market: you walk in a circle around the Capitol and you cannot tell what will be for sale down the road. When I used to be the market buyer for L'Etoile Restaurant, I would routinely do the circle several times to figure out where the best stuff was. But of course, these days I don't want to spend the whole morning on that effort. So I take a chance, buy a bouquet, and pick up some asparagus, and boom! a few stalls later I see better/cheaper asparagus and even more stunning bouquets.
It's good to get to know the vendors and to pick your favorite sellers as a starting point. I have my favorite greens guy (Snug Haven) and perennial guy (Dave at FF) and potted annuals guy (from Koepke's). Now I have to search out a favorite for bunches of flowers. There are many contenders! Really many!
As I leave the market, struggling with a full load, I realize that I've over purchased again. I mean, how can you not?! It's the last asparagus of the year, the last arugula. The young carrots are irresistible. And of course, there are the bunches of flowers. I come home with two.
Our breakfast table is the better for it.
The rest of the day I spend on outdoor work.
It's not light stuff: for the first time this year I turn my attention to the front flower strip. The one that faces the road. I've ignored it because at some level I've given up on it. Never plant perennials near a maple grove! The tree roots there are fierce and the soil loses nutrients by the minute! A dry spell doesn't help. Still, the flowers I did plant have, for the most part, come back (in a very wimpy form). And really need water. And some weed work. Today I do both.
By evening I am spent. To the core. My eyes refuse to stay open. Somewhere in the distance fireworks crack and boom and sputter. I barely notice. Can you be asleep and still write a post? I think so. Indeed, I'm living proof of it.
Good night!
