Farmers' market in the summer

I simply love summer. A variety of colors, a variety of fruits and vegetables and flowers. It is the season to go outdoors to have a feast for the eyes, and of course stomach too. I am amazed by such red, green, yellow vibrancy in this vibrant season. 

I like going to farmers' market to feed my eyes and my camera, to talk to local farmers, listening to their passion about growing organic food and gardening. Also only from here, can you get some idea what food comes out in what season, while in grocery stores, you find them on selves all the year round. 

 

Another reason is that farmers' market also reminds me of similar markets in my hometown when I grew up. We had such markets scattered in the neighborhood, each one within walking distance from home.  For a long time, farmers' markets were the one and only one source of buying groceries, while western style supermarkets are a more recent thing, with less than 15 years of history in China.

People tended to stop by the markets to get their dinner ingredients on their way of biking home from work. Also often, my dad was cooking, when he realized something was out. Asked to get it immediately, I ran downstairs into the street and came back with it in my hand within 15 minutes.

People chatted with the sellers, bargained the price, discussed how to cook what they just bought. Almost always, you ran into your neighbors in the market and stopped to catch up for quite a while before heading back your own way.

Oh, those were the good old days...