Exotic Excess

Take that Zupans!

Here on the rock, if you’re here long enough, you begin to long for those small comforts of the continental states. Live music from somebody new, the ability to drive for more than 40 minutes without having to turn around, terrible 24 hr fast food joints, teenage girls stripping on ice cream trucks, (Just kidding, but seriously, what father in his right mind would let his daughter do that? Oh yeah, this one.) The one missing piece that I miss the most are the awesome farmers markets and exceptional variety found at even the most basic of grocery store. Ramps, Fiddleheads, Fresh Morels, Garlic blossoms, Rhubarb… Gahhh! I’m freaking out just writing this. Oh, the joys of living in a land of seasons…

So, for those of us here in a temperate climate, our options for fresh, local vegetation are somewhat limited. Or so we think. Sure, we may buy a container of strawberries from pueblo, but aren’t you forced to look for the package with the least amount of spoiled, moldy strawberries? That’s why I love the La Reine Farmers Market & the folks behind VI Locally Grown.

This morning I woke up early and drove over to the Farmers Market and for under twenty bucks I picked up a cornucopia of local tropical goodness. Golden apple fruit, Chocolate fruit, Guava Cherries, Eggfruit, Pomegranates, Cinnamon, Sugar Cane, Kokunga root and White root (which, according to the ladies selling ‘em, when combined are stronger than love potion and Viagra… Watch out!) plus, a couple other items that looked interesting, but I couldn’t understand what the farmer was saying. (It happens)

I’m going to start playing around with these items and see how they might work into the cocktail realm. Stay tuned…

Oh, and next time you’re bummed that you can’t get fresh blueberries at Plaza, why don’tcha check out that little old lady under the tree with the small table set up, full of delicious examples of why we all moved down here in the first place…