Provo Farmer's Market

After taking a vegetable gardening class at Thanksgiving Point in early March I thought, "I've got the space. Why don't I plant a few heirloom and roma tomato plants this year and take them to market." To market to market to sell whatever comes out of the ground! So 22 tomato plants later, including 1 tomatillo plant with a few jalapeño additions, I was off and running to see what I'd come up with at summer's end. September 6th it was off to market. I had 25 pounds of lovely pink Brandy Wine heirloom tomatoes, 19 pounds of Romas, 25 pounds of Celebrities, 6 pounds of little Juliet cherry tomatoes, 4 pounds of cherry, green tomatillos and to add a little picante...Jalapeños and Cayenne peppers. My little basil plant put out a few stems of basil that people snatched up and Ethan was in charge of the Lemonade of 25 cents a pop. Then there is the Salsa that everyone seemed to like. I was a crazy mess the day before, organizing babysitters (thank you Mary, The Watsons and Uncle Jonathan), Tomatoes, signs, and trucks and cars to haul all the tables, tents, baskets and produce. We were up bright an early Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. setting up our tent down at Provo Pioneer Park off Center St.

I had a wonderful time talking with the locals about gardening and organic bliss. I knew I had to do this again, but it was time to call in the authorities on real old fashion "Home Roots" decorum and style. "Mom, it's Melissa. It's time to pull that old antique door out of your garage and let 'er shine in the Provo sun. And do you have any old windowpanes? Bring whatever you've got!" Well I recieved about a dozen phone calls from my mom after I had called her reguarding props for next Saturday's farmers market. It was like talking to a giddy school girl, getting ready for the big play or dance. She had old cupboard doors, chairs, pans, thread, jars, spoons, etc... She was beside herself pulling out all of her antique treasures she's collected through the years, ready to give them new birth.

"Caroline, it's Melissa. You know you want to bring you kids down to my house Friday night and sleep over so you can be my master decorator for the Farmer's Market. Oh and Uncle Dan is going to come and sleep over too. No worries, there will be plenty of room." Well after the kids played to their hearts content and after Cline helped weigh in all of my cherry tomatoes and sunflower seeds she snuggled up to Lauren in Ethan's twin bed. Ethan and Bridger were on the floor and Maille slept soundly in her own bed...never mind that it was about 10:30 p.m. before they all crashed. Dan and Aaron were still creating their salsa masterpiece at that hour and made enough to fill 8 tupperwares of delicious homegrown salsa...it all sold the next day. At about 12:30 a.m. Dan helped me glue on the last button to my little HR signs and we said, "Hasta mañana." And off to sleep we went.

The posse (Wild Bill, Two Step Tom, My Lover, SpiderDan and Piccadilly Cline all set off to set up our stand at 7:30 a.m. the next morning. I stayed at home to get the kids up and rolling then we took them to the park. When I arrived about an hour later the new and improved Home Roots Stand was gleeming. Of course Caroline worried about things not being how I wanted, but I just looked at Dan and said, "Would you ever doubt Caroline in setting up and making a corner of the world look absolutely fabulous? I think not." It looked divine and Cline and I had a great time selling tomatoes, nectarines, apples, carrots, zucchini, salsa, peppers, pickled beats and the coveted Pickled BEAN! Oh yes, we charged $10 a bottle for those babies and yes, people bought them. We had many visitors including Sweet Pickle Neen (Melissa's Mom) and Heather's kids. The kids had a wonderful time playing on the playground, strolling the market and indulging in mammoth sized cotton candy.

Many shoppers came by just to check out the fun display and to say that if ribbons were to be awarded at this market, ours would recieve the blue. I was just happy to have my family there enjoying in a conglomoration of green thumbs and creative ink. Cline and I were in serious need of R&R after all was said and done, but the journey was as sweet as peach pie and as tangy as a quart jar of Piccadilly Beans! Check this one off my list!

If you grow it, they will come. Thanks to all, and remember to GO GREEN!

Are you a true Aggie?

If you are a true Aggie I have a new found respect for you. Only the chosen few can claim this honor and I'm proud to say that I got to spend the day with a few of Logan's finest, last Saturday. About 10 or so years ago, I found myself in a new town, living on the 4th floor of a Utah State University dorm. Five other girls shared this humble aboad with me and who would have thought we'd be laughing about all of our adventures and heartbrakes a decade later. Amy Duke and Ang Perry were my partners in crime our freshmen year, then Leslie Smith joined the pack our junior year. We had the time of our lives and even got to witness the beginning flirtations and courtship of LeAnn and Dyllon, only later to witness wedding rings and now, 3 1/2 kids to their credit. The two and one half years that I spent at USU were priceless, but as I pondered last week upon that time in my life, I was glad to know that I'd survived it and was where I needed and wanted to be in my life right now.

The reunion with Ang, Amy, LeAnn, and Leslie was refreshing and endearing. The Blue Bird Cafe still has the best chicken. The Cache Valley still calls to me. And my roomies are wonderful examples to me as to what life is really about and how each one of us can pull through any ugly crisis that presents itself and tell it to "Go to Hell," as Amy would say!

Go Aggies!!

"Knock-Knock"

The children have been learning jokes lately. Ethan brought up the subject the other day. He told a joke about a penny who is shy apparently, and will run and hide if you look at it. I'm not sure what the punchline is, except that when the boy in the joke showed his friends, he always got into trouble. Ethan begins to laugh when he comes to the end of the joke, where the boy, who is in time out on his bed, shows his dad. We all do our best to offer a courteous laugh, which seems to appease him. Aaron tries to teach his children jokes, his favorites being the following knock-knock jokes: "Wave your hand like this (up and down motion, elbow tucked to rib cage). Knock-knock? Who's there? You. You who? Hello yourself." "Do this (waves hand in circular motion above his shoulder - like a lasso). Knock-Knock? Who's there? Yah. Yah who? Ride-em cowboy!" "Knock-knock? Who's there? Yo de leigh he. Yo de leigh he who? I didn't know you could yodle!" Tee-hee, very funny. Mai, who tries her hardest, will start to tell a joke in the conventional way - Knock-knock: "Knock-Knock? Who's there? (bursts out into a random song at the top of her lungs which may last from 1-3 minutes)." She ends it with saying "The end.". Sometimes it's the effort that counts.