How did this bag get so heavy?

I met Sarah at the CUESA kitchen just after seven this morning. Today's market was very busy, not surprisingly, since it's the weekend before Thanksgiving. Butternut squash seemed to be a popular item, along with pomegranates and cut flowers. The day started off cool and foggy, but the sun was out by the time our guest chef, Joe Boness from Alembic, began his cooking demonstration.

Our efforts were very low key: with only one chef demo today, there was a minimum of set up. One of the early-arriving volunteers made crepe batter, and I got the receipt book and shopped the market for today's produce: squash, of course, and leeks, garlic, goat cheese, sage and thyme. Not surprisingly, we heard that there was no sage to be found anywhere by mid-morning. Back in the kitchen, I peeled, sliced and roasted the squash, and cleaned and sliced the leeks.

Today, our "Meet the Producer" guest was Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm in Dixon. He grew the squash, thyme, and leeks that Joe used in his cooking demonstration, and he also grows lavender and other fragrant herbs for organic cosmetic companies. His farm was recently affected by a Medfly quarantine (probably resulting from a bug brought back into the US by a traveller bringing in [illegal] mangoes from Hawaii). As a result of the quarantine, he could not ship any produce that could be a "host" off of his property, including tree fruit, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. One of the ways they dealt with this crisis was to have a "neighborhood sauce-making party," inviting customers and friends to the farm to cook up quarts and quarts of tomato sauce, which could then be transported -- and sold -- off-site. During his short interview, Nigel told numerous stories which demonstrate his love of the land and commitment to his crops and customers, while also illustrating how harsh and unpredictable farm life can really be.

(In a similar vein, I paid one of the vendors with a ten dollar bill for my four dollar purchase, necessitating the making of change. It's a courtesy to shop with exact change, or small bills, and for that reason, I said, "Sorry," as I handed over my money. "Oh," she replied, smiling, "Never apologize for giving a money to a farmer.")

After Nigel's presentation, Joe made a couple of dishes: leek fondue, an appetizer made with leeks simmered in cream and wine, finished off with garlic and gruyere, and crepes with "leftovers." He suggested crepes filled with leftover (Thanksgiving) vegetables as an elegant way to serve brunch to holiday guests. He doctored up the crepe batter with minced herbs, spread a thin layer of soft goat cheese on the cooked crepe, then added a filling of roasted squash and sautéed wild mushrooms. You could use any of your leftover side dishes as a quick crepe filling: broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach -- I'd eat stuffing in a crepe, and I bet you would, too.

Anyway, before Nigel's presentation, I took a quick fifteen minute stroll through the market with my shopping bag, and I don't know how it happened, but I came home with: fresh walnuts. a bag of miscellaneous "ugly" peppers. small blood-red "early girl" tomatoes. pancetta. a king trumpet mushroom. black calypso beans. sage (hah!). a bag of mixed new potatoes. thyme. and four limes. and a pomegranate.