For weeks leading up to it, I wondered what we would do with 1 of the only 2 weekends of the entire year that market is closed.
Greg and I never actually talked about it in advance, but we kept our schedules completely clear, instinctively saying no to invitations to get together with friends and family. The idea of a blank slate and having a real change of pace from our usual weekend routine just felt necessary, somehow.
I figured we’d spend most of the downtime laying low. And we did spend a lot of time hanging out in front of the woodstove, reading our books and playing a new board game. But, to be honest, the stillness didn’t last for long…
We tried out a new yoga class and we played tennis at the park down the road (yes, we were the dorks playing tennis outside in winter coats/pants/hats). We stacked wood. We put new plastic on a hoophouse and cared for the animals on the farm, including the pig with the hematoma on her ear (which is getting better by the way!)
And we cooked…we made cabbage and black bean rice bowls, crispy fried eggs, garlicky pulled pork, and shakshuka with creamy polenta. All slow foods made with ingredients from our farm or local farms like ours. And we ate – never so much that we were overstuffed – only enough to feel content and well nourished.
Having market bookend all of the other weeks of the year is amazing. We get to connect with you and share the food we work so hard to grow. But having this weekend off to play, cook, eat, and recharge our batteries felt oh-so sweet.
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg