Last Saturday I had the spontaneous desire to head to the local farmer’s market to grab some farm fresh eggs and a few veggies. My wife had just tracked down a great recipe for migas (recipe below) and I thought I could grab most of the ingredients at the farmer’s market. I loaded up my 3 year old daughter and off we went. I’ll admit, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been to the farmer’s market, despite the fact that it is only about a mile from my house.
I had visions of slowly perusing the stands and picking out the best produce I could find. As we approached I was mentally patting myself on the back for taking my own advice to buy food locally and in season when I saw that the place was totally packed! There were lines everywhere. My dreams of an easy stroll through the market with my daughter were quickly shattered as we literally had to muscle our way through the crowds to get to the produce.
And of course, my active and inquisitive daughter couldn’t be bothered by standing in line so she made her self busy by running around and picking up everything she could get her hands on. I was trying to keep my place in line and keep her from getting lost or doing too much damage. I was seeing a fair amount of success at multitasking until we met our match at the tomato table. The line to check out was easily a ten minute wait and my daughter had already passed the peak of her patience. And as luck would have it, the tomato table was right next to an “arts and crafts” vendor which looked more like the farmer’s market version of Goodwill. The sweet old lady had shelves full of junky old stuff she was trying to pawn off as antiques.
As I approached the check out stand my daughter sprinted away from me. She had spotted a bright pink oriental style fan that was within arms reach. She grabbed it before I could get to her and started playing with it. She said she wanted to get it as a gift for mommy. I took it from her and folded it up. I handed it back to her and told her to put it back. I returned to my place in line, expecting my daughter to be right behind me. When I turned around she was still right where she had been and the old lady who ran the stand had a wide eyed look on her face. I looked down and saw that my daughter had somehow broken one of the arms of the fan.
I apologized to the stand owner and expected that she would show some mercy given the circumstances but I was wrong. She insisted that I pay for the fan because she was selling it on consignment for someone else. I grudgingly agreed and asked the price. “$10” she said. $10! I was shocked but pulled out my wallet anyway and handed her a $20 bill. She walked a away to get me some change. I turned around to see it was my turn to pay for my tomatoes which I did, then collected my daughter and we left. I was pretty frustrated at this point and was ready to be home.
When we walked in the door my daughter excitedly proclaimed that she had gotten a gift for her mother and I related the story of the pink fan. It was then that I realized that I had left before I had gotten my change from the old lady. $20 for that piece of trash fan! I was pretty upset at the whole thing and almost vowed to never return to the farmer’s market.
The next morning we made the migas that were my original motivation to go to the farmer’s market in the first place. It was my job to cut up the green peppers and onions that I’d picked up the morning before. As I cut into the green peppers I smelled a rich and complex peppery scent and looked at the stove to see if my wife had already started sauteing some vegetables, which she hadn’t. The smell of the home grown peppers was so rich I was amazed! The onions were the same way. Their aroma was so potent it was as if they were already being cooked. That was a powerful testimony to me at the benefit of allowing food to fully ripen before harvest and just how pathetic the produce is that comes from the grocery store.
As we sat down to eat the migas, made from the farm fresh eggs, peppers, onions and tomatoes from the farmer’s market, my heart softened and I realized how blessed I truly was. In the end I’m happy to support a local “arts and crafts” dealer, even if the circumstances were less than ideal. I saw the joy in my daughter’s eyes as she proudly presented the gift she had picked out for her mother. I tasted the bounteous harvest that the good Lord had blessed my young family with and realized that I had much to be grateful for.
I hope this Thanksgiving season is full of gratitude and thanks for each of you as you gather to celebrate this wonderful holiday. We are all blessed with so much and may we never forget to give thanks.
Take a minute to share what you are thankful for in the comments below if you feel so inclined 🙂
Migas
Source: thepioneerwoman.com
Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 15 Min
Total Time: 30 Min
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 4 whole sprouted grain Corn Tortillas
- 1 whole Jalapeno Seeds And Membranes Removed, Finely Diced
- 4 whole Plum Tomatoes Roughly Chopped
- 1 whole Green Pepper Roughly Chopped
- 1 whole Red Bell Pepper Roughly Chopped
- 1 whole Medium Onion Chopped
- 12 whole Large Eggs
- 1 cups Cotija Cheese Grated (may Use Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Etc.)
- 1/3 cup Cilantro Chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Half-and-half
Directions
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