September 14, 2008, LAND PARK, SACRAMENTO . . . All I wanted to do was lie in bed and read the Sunday paper, but my husband had other ideas. Hey, it's not what you think. He wanted me to get up, get dressed and walk down to the Land Park Farmer's Market. "Think of all the fresh produce we can sample," he said. I didn't put down the paper. "Think of spending some quality time with your husband." Yawn. Stretch. Then he pulled out the the big guns: "Think about the blog you could write."
I was out of bed and dressed faster than you could say, "Are you bringing your camera?"
We walked up Muir Way, hung a left at Broadway and headed north down 8th Street to the tents, cars and people -- my goodness, there were a lot of people -- under what the helicopter guy on the radio used to call the "W / X Freeway," but today is known as Business 80.
Darting through the parked cars, we came upon a truck sporting two bumper stickers, side by side. They were both of the crossed-ribbon logo variety. One read: "Support Our Troops," and the other: "Support Lap Dances." I suppose there's a message there, but I don't know what it is.
We were on a hunt for the Watanabe Farms booth to buy heirloom and plum tomatoes. Watanabe Farms sells tomatoes to The Kitchen, Ella's and The Firehouse, among other notable Sacramento restaurants, and let me tell you, those tomatoes alone are worth the trip.
We met Ann (she's on the right) and several other Watanabes. When Ann delivers tomatoes to The Kitchen, she and her employees are always offered dinner. Ann's daughter-in-law said her friends can't understand why in the world anybody would turn down a free dinner at The Kitchen, but then, they aren't enjoying Ann's home-cooked meals.
What does she make? Poke. It's a dish with seaweed, sashimi tuna over sushi seasoned rice (made with vinegar). Mostly every night, the Watanabes enjoy a tomato dish. Here is one of Ann's recipes: slice bread, spread with garlic and butter, then toast in the oven. Top with tomatos, avocados, mayonnaise and sliced onion.
Next stop was the Spring Hill Cheese booth. Spring Hill is based in Petaluma, but the owners quickly grew tired of getting up at 4 AM and driving two hours to Sacramento, so they hired a sales team from Sacramento to help out. Laurelle Pankey (above) supplied us with generous taste portions of jack cheese, both in a very mild flavor and smoked.
I think smoked is good in small quantities, but the mild jack melted in my mouth. Smooth and creamy. Our cats would really love this cheese. Every morning, my husband makes toast, tops it with sliced cheese and melts the concoction for a few minutes in the microwave. The cats sit on the floor and scream for treats, which my husband obliges and encourages by dropping small bits of cheese on the floor. All except one turn up their noses at the smoked variety. Oh, well, more cheese for me.
You can buy almost anything organic and deliciously edible at the Farmer's Market. From fresh produce such as lettuce, eggplant, beansprouts, strawberries, corn, jalapenos, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, sage, cilantro (I love the scent of cilantro -- somebody should bottle that as a perfume), to peanuts, fish (wild, line-caught salmon), beef, honey and even plants and flowers.
Fresh oysters cost $110 for 100 large oysters or $9 per dozen; smaller oysters are much cheaper. If you visit toward the end of the day, you can get even better bargains. But be forewarned, some items sell out fast, so if you wait until 9:30, you might find that what you want is no longer available.
The Land Park Farmers Market (also known as Sacramento Central) is open every Sunday from 8:00 to noon.
Photos: Adam Weintraub
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Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout Sacramento. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available through bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
