You guys, I have some incredibly exciting news. I drove from
work, to yoga, to home without using my GPS ONCE. I mean, I was second guessing
my route the entire time, but I did it. I rule. Is it sad that these are the
things that I get excited about?
Probably the most noticeable change that has occurred since I
moved here is how much of a granola yuppie I am becoming. My dog goes to doggy
day care to ease her separation anxiety, I go to two yoga studios three times a
week, I recycle and compost, and I buy 75% of my groceries from the Troy
Farmers Market or the Honest Weight Food Co-op. To be fair, when I lived in NYC
I recycled and went to yoga, but I feel like it is different now because I have
to pay for yoga. I miss the donation based classes at YTTP more than I could
have ever guessed. I miss the Tibetan singing bowl, I miss the end of class quotes,
and most of all, I miss the fact that I could pay $2 for a yoga class. Now I have
to think about reservations, subscriptions, and all this other nonsense – is this
growing up is? Because it sucks. But in the words of my dear friend Michael
from Padua High School, “Yuppie greed is back, my friend.” (4:21)
Serious Eats recently posted an entry about Nighthawk’s Kitchen’s smashed burgers and
it made my day (although I am not that impressed with Nighthawk’s mac and
cheese, sorry); partly because Troy needs all the love it can get and mostly
because it meant that I had lots of friends asking me about the Troy Farmers’Market. Let me tell you about the gloriousness that is the Troy Farmers’
Market. It is a weekly Saturday extravaganza full of local vendors selling
fresh and affordable produce, meats, dairy, and assorted artisanal food. On top
of that there are craft stalls and many prepared food kiosks. It is absolutely
awesome and is probably the best thing that Troy has going for it. I honestly
have never seen a better Farmers’ market in my life. The market runs year
round; in the summer the stalls are set up on the street in front of the local
stores and in the winter the market shrinks and is moved to the Atrium. It is
such a large community event and everyone brings their kids and dogs to stroll
up and down the block, to shop, chat, and eat. It is delicious and adorable and
everyone should go.
If you ever find yourself at the Troy Farmers’ Market and
need some suggestions of where to spend your money, might I suggest these
vendors?
- Buddha Pesto: Use it on bread, in pasta, roasted with vegetables, eat it with a spoon, it is that good.
- Gatherers Granola: Delicious and surprisingly low fat granola with an adorable woodland creature theme
- Pika’s Liege Wafels: If you want the REAL deal in Belgian waffles (with pearl sugar), you come here. Bonus! The owner has his children working the booth and they are natural salesmen.
- Pucker’s Pickles: My favorite are the full sours, but you can sample them all to find your favorite.
Farmers markets are the best! Did you know that Madison, WI has the largest (producer-only) farmers market in the country?
ReplyDeleteI did not but now I am definitely going to have to make a trip out there! Thanks for the tip!
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