St. Patrick's Day Offering

I just took new pictures of an old favorite of mine, the 4th or 5th version of my Me Ould Sod Celtic bracelet. The first one I made sold the night I went to see The Pirate Queen on Broadway two years ago, which was quite appropriate, as it was an Irish-centric show. I realized last night that St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner and I had one of these on hand, so I wanted to take a look at it again.

Some years ago I did a show and had left over some of these green embellishments. I could have held on to them indefinitely, but decided to use them in a theme piece. I'm running out of these trimmings, so this may be the last one I make. Each one is different every time - that's the fun of it. This time there are antique bone and mother of pearl buttons, novelty shamrock and celtic thing charms and beads, green dyed freshwater pearls, glass sew-on jewels (vintage) and beads, dancing along a novelty brass chain. It's a fun piece to wear all year, especially down the pub, and if you happen to be Irish, you can celebrate your heritage with this adornment.

Greenmarket Saturday

I was out bright and very early (early for ME), as the market was opening, around seven AM (!) so I could a) grab the best produce, and b) take some pictures. It was well worth the effort, as the goods were spectacular-looking...food just photographs so brilliantly. I have so many pictures that I don't think I can post them all here, but they're at my Flickr space for a complete viewing. The link will take you to the slideshow of the Greenmarket Pix that I've taken since September. I missed the market last weekend, but tomatoes continue to be prime, the apples look great (wish I liked them) and the cauliflower varieties I think are the stars of the week. The strange looking green vegetable is a Romanesca cauliflower, a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, that I'll try next week. I did buy some purple cauliflower, which I am told tastes just like the white variety.

The lady in the orange sweatshirt is my fabulous neighbor Ruby, who is a Renaissance woman - knitter, chef, fishing enthusiast and market-vendor. She is selling divine milk from Thistle Farms - you have to get there very early to snag the chocolate milk, which is extraordinary.

Duane is our very cheerful honey-and-candle-vendor. It was so early that he hadn't yet unpacked the candles, which was a shame as far as my pictures fared. There are traditional beeswax tapers but also angels and other molded shapes that would make great gifts.

The pumpkins and gourds are also pretty spectacular, and I'm loving the harvest display that was created for maximum seasonal decoration. Enjoy the pictures...and visit your local Greenmarket, if there's one near you. This one is on Isham Street between Cooper and Seaman Avenues in Inwood, in upper Manhattan, just north of the A train's last stop on 207th street.

Saturday = Greenmarket

In my neighborhood, there is a wonderful Greenmarket every Saturday. When I first moved up to Inwood, there wasn't anything like this available - just the two local supermarkets and a few bodegas. In the seven years since, the market closest to me has a good organic section, but the best thing is the Greenmarket on Isham Place, now open all year round. We have great sellers and it's possible to buy freshly caught fish, meat, fruits and veggies, milk & eggs, cheese, baked goods, and candles & honey.

This week's featured fruits/veggies are tomatoes and peppers, with the odd radish and pumpkin thrown in, because they're in the same color family.

I bought some great-looking tomatoes, but somehow they never made it home. The vendor was very sweet and let me take more of them so I could at least have some tomato goodness this week. I'm not that much of a tomato fan, but these looked too good and full of healthy properties to pass up.

The brand-new shiny leather jacket in two of the pictures goes wonderfully with the tomatoes, don't you think?