THIS small business owner is joining the "downtowners" for some farmers' market ACTION!!!

The City of Burlington has been struggling for a few years with bringing the IDEA of a downtown farmers market to life.  There have been requests for proposals that have gone out.  Returned.  Feasibility studies done.  Reviewed.  The time passes ... no market emerges.  Now I'm SURE there's a tonne of reasons (good, bad or otherwise) why this hasn't materialized.  And thankfully there are a number of not-for-profit groups that have for YEARS run farmers' markets in the parking lot of our local mall (thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, you have helped me become the foodie-nerd that I am today!)  But with the growth of the downtown core, and the increasing demand for healthy, local food ... us foodie-nerds shake our heads and wonder WHY!?!?!  WHY can't we make the downtown core more vibrant? WHY is the city stalling?   Our Ward councillor keeps bringing the topic up at meetings and in her newsletters (thank you!) ... *sigh* ...

<pause>  Oh dear ... I'm getting all political now ...

It's taken a downtown small business to bring us "downtowners" a summer farmers market.  This AMAZING local business has brought together some of the areas best farmers together under one roof ... errrr, one parking lot?!?!?  Centro Market has done what City Hall has yet to do - HOORAY SMALL BUSINESS!  DOUBLE HOORAY FOR CENTRO!!!

Fridays allllllllll summer long, DO join us "downtowners" from 11am-2pm for all the best that Plan B Organic Farms, Gibbs Honey and Featherstone Farmers have to offer.  Who else will be on the line-up?  Guess we'll have to wait-n-see. 

Is it geeky that I am more excited for this market than my own birthday?  Even Christmas?  Oh ya', super-geeky.

So THIS Friday ... skip the supermarket and head downtown ... I might even leave some rainbow chard for you ... maybe ... not making any promises or anything ... don't even GET me started on the damage I'm going to do at the Featherstone booth ... and Gibbs ... well their honey jars are going to be making some appearances in stockings this year ... err ... um ... errrr ... I heard Santa shops at Gibbs ... just sayin' .... don't tell him I told you that.

On your way to the parking lot out-back of Centro, you can't help but pause and DROOL at the gorgeous outdoor displays that Centro has out for your drooling-pleasure.  AHHHHH-mazing!!!

Stopping to smell the roses ... and the rosemary, basil, sage, parsley ...

This is moments before I grab my mother by the hand - then we RAN toward the produce ... I tried my best to show restraint, but honestly get me near green leafy vegetables and no-one is safe ...

Almond-arugula pesto ... one HUGE bunch of arugula from Plan B ... a whopping $2.00
I felt like I was stealing it ... for that price I should have just cleared the table ... 'cept I was on my bike and my bike basket can only hold so many pounds of green leafy vegetables ... note to self: "invest in larger bicycle basket".

Rainbow chard and zucchini scramble (thanks again Plan B!) with organic tomatoes
and the remaining parm. from last nights dinner.

Roasted Plan B beets ... the beet-tops didn't make the photo ... 'cause we ate them too quickly ... see above comments
re: green leafy vegetable obsession.

DEVIL'ishly good devilled eggs - from Plan B eggs ... smoked paprika makes these heavenly ...
which counteracts the 'devil-ish-ness' of the eggs themselves ...

Marinated zucchini salad - YUM - even the meat-eater in our house went back for seconds!

And with the leftover eggs - why what else could we make?  Cream puffs of course!  Strawberry-grand-marnier sauce and wild Ontario blueberries courtesy of Saturday trip to yet another farmer's market ... I'm thinking of starting a support group for those of us who are farmers' market obsessed.