Okemos Farmer's Market

I had my camera last week when we took our usual Saturday trip to the Farmer's Market so I snapped a few shots. We're fortunate in that our township is a bit on the upscale side (less university students, more university professors - it seems anyway) and so we have a nice market with sometimes up to 40 or so vendors - some certified organic, many not certified but not spraying with anything. The farmers show up Saturday mornings and Wednesday all day and we've been on both days, but Saturday is the busy day with the best selection. There are also vendors with pre-made foods, soaps, honey & flowers. Thus far, we've done the bulk of our produce shopping at the market and the corn has been the best (corn on the cob, corn chowder, corn bread). As fall is starting, we're seeing more apples and pears - and the Honey Crisps and McIntosh are already excellent! Apple pie, crips and sauce in our future! Last week, we bought some polish sausage from a Polish woman - haven't tried it yet, still in the freezer. And there is a guy who sells grass-fed beef out of a cooler ("when the butcher comes by") and we'll try that soon as well. I was too self-conscious to take a picture of him - but trust me, he looks like a toothless hillbilly (and not in a mean way!)


The market closes for the winter after October though, so we're enjoying it while it lasts!

We found the Taco Truck!

I say 'the' taco truck because there is only one - and it's in Lansing (about a 15 minute drive away) but it's our new favorite place to eat! I read about this place last year and recommended it to Dave, but he hadn't made the trek yet. So the day we had to go to Lansing (to buy a clothes dryer) we went in search of the truck. We get there, cars are parked haphazardly around the lot and there are a bunch of Latino men sitting on chairs eating tortas. We ordered 4 tacos (dos pollos y dos al pastor - picture below) and a lime Jarritos (~$7) and waited as everything is made to order. A few minutes later, we got the plate full of food and headed back to the car to eat while leaning (not really any seats around). First bite was so good! The pork was hot & spicy, the salsas cool and refreshing. Lots of onion & cilantro - and after we were done, we looked at each other b/c we both wanted more! We refrained - but will definitely return and try a burrito and a torta! Taco trucks in SF are awesome, but this one is on par with the best! Anyone who visits us is going for a taco! (Sorry about the low-res photos, they're from Dave's phone)

Come on Down to Turkeyville!

This past weekend, we took a drive down to Turkeyville, USA, about 40 miles S/SW of Lansing. It's not a city (although I think the owners would like it to be) but rather a fully sustainable working farm where they have a restaurant, general store (the "granary"), an ice cream shoppe, fudge stand, big red barn where you can see the animals, and a lovely view of the lush green rolling hills (small hills) on the property. Oh and they do dinner theater (turkey dinner, naturally!) but we didn't partake. We did have a lunch (turkey sub for me and a hot turkey sandwich for Dave + a piece of Michigan blueberry pie). I don't know if it was the world's best, but eating on the farm that spawned my lunch was certainly a new experience!

Later, we drove to downtown Marshall, which is a well-preserved town with a historic main street, cute little antique shops and many, many landmarks. The neighborhoods around the main street were filled with victorian homes, lots of open space & meticulously cut grass. It reminded me of Maplewood, NJ (where a CNET friend lives) - but sadly, w/out the 20 minute commute into Manhattan!

P.S. . .does anyone get the reference in the post title (It's a riff on a SNL skit with Justin Timberlake!)