Since I gave so much love to the Farmer’s Market in Salt Lake City last week, I decided I should visit one a little closer to home. I have been hearing good things about the market held on the North Park Blocks in Portland, so my early morning foray began there.
A sign of a good market is the bustling activity. And the advantage of a community market is the opportunity to hand select the best of the local bounty and chat up the providers of such delicious fare. It is evident by the rapport between the vendors and the customers that this market is a weekly staple for many of the attendees.
On this particular Saturday, the market is also hosting the annual Tomato Festival. Long tables with bite-sized portions of succulent tomatoes are beckoning to be tasted. From the amusing to the exotic, names like Fantastic, Taxi, Tennessee Halo, Purple Russian, Principe Borghese, and Thessoloniki signal that these growers take their tomatoes seriously. Taste-testers were encouraged to take notes and vote for their favorite one. Free recipe booklets outlined the endless possibilities for preparing these tasty hybrids.
Best piece of advice: bring an expandable bag! I managed to make my escape with two pluots, one asian pear, a pint of blackberries, and some cilantro lime pesto.
Labor Day Weekend is the time of year when the South Park Blocks host Art in the Pearl. I attended the festival on a whim last year, and was eager to experience its vibrancy once again. Juried artists from around the country display their wares in a multitude of mediums. A performance tent is set up at one end of the festival, and food booths are given their space as well.
What lends this festival a unique feel is its location among an active, dynamic park. Neighborhood competitors join in a game of bocce at one end of the park. Parents are pushing toddlers in swings and keeping a watchful eye on their progress up the jungle gym. One has the sense that these activities are just as much a draw to the shaded park blocks as the well organized festival.
03 September 2005
21 August 2005
A Summer Saturday in Salt Lake City
The Farmers Market is one of my favorite stops on a Saturday morning in Salt Lake City. For five hours each Saturday from June until early October, Pioneer Park in downtown is full of activity between vendors and eager customers.
On this particular Saturday, I’ve come to peruse the goods of the season with my friend Tricia, who is selecting a few fresh vegetables to take home. After previewing the array of produce, fresh bread, and specialty food items like salsa and basil pesto, we decide to share a basket of fresh peaches from Brigham City.
Two years ago, the market expanded to include not only food and produce vendors, but local artisans as well. Handmade jewelry, original photography, and garden sculptures are just a few of the many unique items on display around the perimeter of the park.
Later in the day, I meet Heather and Karin to enjoy the sights and smells of the third annual Italian Street Fair (ferragosto). The best treat? Mango and black cherry Italian ice! It was the inaugural festival two years ago that acted as the catalyst for my trip to Sicily to better understand some of my heritage. It was a fitting way to spend the afternoon in the company of two friends who also have a passion for Italy.
On this particular Saturday, I’ve come to peruse the goods of the season with my friend Tricia, who is selecting a few fresh vegetables to take home. After previewing the array of produce, fresh bread, and specialty food items like salsa and basil pesto, we decide to share a basket of fresh peaches from Brigham City.
Two years ago, the market expanded to include not only food and produce vendors, but local artisans as well. Handmade jewelry, original photography, and garden sculptures are just a few of the many unique items on display around the perimeter of the park.
Later in the day, I meet Heather and Karin to enjoy the sights and smells of the third annual Italian Street Fair (ferragosto). The best treat? Mango and black cherry Italian ice! It was the inaugural festival two years ago that acted as the catalyst for my trip to Sicily to better understand some of my heritage. It was a fitting way to spend the afternoon in the company of two friends who also have a passion for Italy.
02 June 2005
Giovaninfesta in Marsala
Today is a holiday, the day when Italy celebrates the country’s unification in 1871. Earlier in the week, I had noticed posters advertising special events in Marsala today, so I decided to go see what was happening. Marsala was founded as a Carthaginian colony in 379 BC, and is probably most famous for the cooking and dessert wine which bears the same name.
I found street parking a couple of blocks from the Piazza della Repubblica, which is the main center of town. On one side of the piazza is the Palazzo Senatorio, and adjacent to that is the cathedral dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury. Earlier in the week I discovered that the steps in front of the Palazzo were perfect for perching on and people-watching. I knew the piazza would once again be the hub of activity today.
Since services were not being held in the cathedral at the time I was there, I was able to step inside and admire the architectural details and duomo of the cathedral. Another, smaller, cathedral a few blocks away has been renovated and transformed into a cultural arts center. During my first visit, there was a contemporary Christian rock band practicing there. They were loud, but the acoustics of the building aren’t well suited for electric guitars and the like without giving off a lot of reverberation.
Today, the cultural center is filled with hundreds of students from the surrounding areas. The tiring audience of teens, all dressed in their coordinating colors and matching uniforms, is twittering with small talk as the featured speaker carries on about historical and political issues in Italy. Earlier, there had been a special mass, and the day will end with concerts back at the piazza.
After walking through the narrow streets and stopping in a local bookstore, I decide to return to Fontanasalsa for lunch and to begin packing for a very early flight to Rome.
I found street parking a couple of blocks from the Piazza della Repubblica, which is the main center of town. On one side of the piazza is the Palazzo Senatorio, and adjacent to that is the cathedral dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury. Earlier in the week I discovered that the steps in front of the Palazzo were perfect for perching on and people-watching. I knew the piazza would once again be the hub of activity today.
Since services were not being held in the cathedral at the time I was there, I was able to step inside and admire the architectural details and duomo of the cathedral. Another, smaller, cathedral a few blocks away has been renovated and transformed into a cultural arts center. During my first visit, there was a contemporary Christian rock band practicing there. They were loud, but the acoustics of the building aren’t well suited for electric guitars and the like without giving off a lot of reverberation.
Today, the cultural center is filled with hundreds of students from the surrounding areas. The tiring audience of teens, all dressed in their coordinating colors and matching uniforms, is twittering with small talk as the featured speaker carries on about historical and political issues in Italy. Earlier, there had been a special mass, and the day will end with concerts back at the piazza.
After walking through the narrow streets and stopping in a local bookstore, I decide to return to Fontanasalsa for lunch and to begin packing for a very early flight to Rome.
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