Yesterday I went with some friends on our annual pilgrimage to Eastern Market, truly the mecca of plant and food lovers in the southeastern Michigan region. I am walking in the footsteps of my grandmother, Mary Cassidy Birkam, as she was a frequent visitor many years ago. When my father was growing up back in the 1920s and 1930s she used to take the bus to the market to do some Saturday shopping.
We got to the market about 7:15 in the morning yesterday and already it was teeming with people. Fortunately, getting there early meant we did not have to wait to rent a cart. And a cart was definitely needed as the four of us made many purchases that we trucked to our cars. Walking 10,000 steps came easily this day for me. I was amazed after our first trip back to the car how many more people had arrived at the market during that time period. Getting there early is definitely a good idea!
One of my favorite vendors, Hampshire Farms, was there and I bought two packages of black beans, along with navy beans, red beans, eggs and the best bread ever. The farm is located in the thumb in a town called Kingston and well worth of visit if you are ever in the area.
We also made the obligatory stop at Rocky's for dried fruit, nuts and other goodies and then it was on to DeVries to shop for cheese. DeVries used to be the R. Hirt Jr. store but the retail operation at Eastern Market is now operated by David DeVries, a third generation family member and has a new name this year. The R. Hirt store was opened by David's grandfather Rudolf Hirt Jr., a Swiss immigrant who started the family business back in the late 1800s.
After a very successful morning of shopping (i.e. I spent lots of money) we had a pleasant and delicious lunch at the Sala Thai Restaurant located a couple blocks north of the market. All in all, yesterday was a grand day spent with good friends doing two things I really like to do, shop for plants and eat good food.
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