Borough Market

Last Saturday we went to Borough Market, which is one of London's biggest and oldest food markets. It's sort of like a huge farmer's market with a street festival vibe. You'll find stalls after stalls of fruit, veggies, meat, seafood, cheese, baked goods and just as many prepared food vendors ready to fill your tummy. This market is madness, just packed with people, but if you visit London, it's worth a visit.

Fall at the Farmer's Market

You know summer has officially turned to fall when you see chestnuts at the farmer's market. Chestnuts, pumpkins, and lots and lots of apples. Today we headed across the bridge to go to the Marin Farmer's Market, which is one of our favorite farmer's markets. It would be nice if it were closer to our neighborhood, but then again it's fun to cross the bridge and see beautiful views in all directions. No blue skies or rainbows today, but the misty fog created its own beauty. The fog sweeps over the hills like smoke and looks really dramatic when it's especially thick. Being from the southeast, it's still so neat to see it. The weather was perfect for fall market shopping--just chilly enough to make you want some hot apple cider.

Chestnuts. The shells are soft and velvety on the inside, rough and prickly on the outside.

Piles and piles of apples today.

Straw flowers, just because they are so pretty. I love how they look slick, as if they've been dipped in olive oil.

Cabbage bouquets.

A very interesting pumpkin. The color was golden orange and the stem was the same as the skin. These pumpkins were so pretty and bright.

Pomegranates.

Brussels sprouts on the stalk. A dad next to us was explaining to his son how they grew on the stalk. The little boy was fascinated.

A misty morning through the golden gate.

Footpath This Way: Painswick, England

When we weren't spending time in our comfy room at Byfield house, we were out exploring the area. It was overcast a lot of the time, so my pictures aren't nearly as pretty as these, but it was still so beautiful in person. Jill and Brett told us about the Stroud farmer's market (the larger town near Painswick), so we started Saturday morning there. The farmer's market was great and packed with people. We walked the winding streets, popped into a few shops, and grabbed some bread, cheese, and fruit to have later on our walk.

I thought this bouquet was so pretty. A florist at the market was making it, and she said it was for a bride's wedding later that day. Obviously it's upside down here, but it was so pretty. I wonder what the bride looked like holding it.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday we spent our time walking around Painswick. Jill and Brett gave us a map and pointed out some nice walks. We started by going down into the valley and found a footpath that led us through pastures, along streams, and through some of the local's gardens. On our walks the air was crisp and cool and smelled like a mixture of fresh cut grass, fire smoke, and with all those animals around, manure! But the combination was a perfect match for the scenery. I think Andrew got a little tired of me singing, or I should say shouting, "the hills are alive with the sound of music" over and over again! I know, wrong country. But I couldn't help it. Lets stroll, shall we?








On Sunday we also went to the Rococo gardens, which was wonderful too and just a few minutes walk from the town center, but I'd probably recommend just sticking to walks through town and the immediate areas. There's an entrance fee for the Rococo gardens, and you get to see a lot more for free just walking on your own through Painswick.

Both Friday and Saturday nights we ate dinner at a few of the local restaurants. Both had highchairs (whew) and were open early enough for us to bring Lois, so it was perfect. Painswick and Stroud were very family friendly towns. One restaurant in Stroud even advertised a playroom with wooden toys for the little ones. And our view with the sun setting each night was better than dessert.


Where should we go for our next weekend getaway? Maybe Marseille in a few weeks!

Columbia Road Flower Market

This morning we went to the Columbia Road Flower Market, a spectacular market in Shoreditch near Brick Lane. We had heard a lot about it and saw beautiful pictures, and it was just what we expected. What a treat! The flowers were beautiful, and the street was lined with great shops and cafes. Columbia Road was packed with people as they made their way through the rainbow of colors, looking for the best deal from vendors who were shouting the prices of their various pots and stems. We also had a great brunch at Campania, which was delicious. I can't wait to go back!

Borough Market

Yesterday we went to Borough Market. It was madness! The market itself was great--filled with beautiful flowers, fresh produce, cheese, meat and dry goods, gourmet coffee and tea, and tempting pastries, chocolate and candy. The sights and smells were mouth-watering for sure, and I don't think we were the only ones who thought so. The market was packed. So many people were there that we could barely walk the isles. It's definitely not a stroller friendly market, but it was still fun to be part of the hustle and bustle, and the tasty treats we brought home were great. We bought some of the best cheese, olives, and bread we've ever eaten. Delicious.

Weekend Market

This morning we went to the farmer's market in our neighborhood on 24th Street. It's a small farmer's market, but we can usually find everything we're looking for. Everything's looking bright and delicious lately. We usually try to make a menu for each week so we don't waste too much food. We pick out certain meals to make, make a list, and buy for those meals and usually only get some random fruit outside of our list. It's a pretty structured cooking routine, but it works for us. Sometimes it's hard to stick to the list, though, when everything looks so pretty, especially when we go to the market hungry. Shopping hungry is never a good idea! We gobbled up a good bit of what we bought as soon as we got home. Lets see if we can get through the week without buying more.

King's Farm Market

Back down south again today for some good eats. The significantly better alternative to the Piggly Wiggly in Edisto is King's Farm Market. It's a little farther out, but worth the drive for some homemade pie. Not only are the pies great, but the fruit and veggies can't be beat. We needed some basil but didn't see any, so we asked the nice lady who was working there if they had any, and she said she'd go pick some! She walked out to the garden then was back in about a minute with our hand-picked basil. It doesn't get fresher than that. The market also has really cute country charm: fresh flowers in rustic tins for vases, a great vintage stove stands in for display, and some vintage items for sale, too, like "nostalgic" signs. They even have chickens out back.






Speaking of food, I guess I haven't mentioned yet how much Andrew cooked while we were at the beach, like his own homemade peach pie, which we ate in addition to a number of King's Farm pies (oink, oink). When I say Andrew's homemade pie, I mean the crust, too. YUM. He also made homemade pizza on the grill, homemade--get down good--sticky buns, and burgers with some local grass fed beef. He's quite the gourmand. Beach eats were good eats for sure. Shown below, Andrew's peach pie, or in this case, beach pie!