A Conversation with the Farmer
Over at Edinburgh’s last Saturday farmers market of the year :
"Hi there, can I have the smallest carrot you have – just one?", I asked.
"S’ry lady, a bag is the least you can buy," he answered.
"Oh that’s way too much for just the both of us, it would go to waste…"
"No! No! You don’t understand, these are dirty carrots..they’ll stay good for up to a couple of weeks if they remain dirt-ey. Just wash what you need and store the rest away in the darkest corner in your kitchen. We ain’t got those washed carrots you find in the supermarkets. I pulled all these out with my hands just days ago, fresh from the soil. And the taste, magnificiently sweet. Trust me, once you eat these you’ll be back here every Saturday buying from me. People come from far just to stock up these carrots every once a month."
"Er, so i just need to wash them before use?"
"C’mon, how can you be afraid of such fresh from the ground food? Give them a go…if you are not happy with them, please come back here and let me know they weren’t the best carrots you’ve tasted!"
"Yes, yes! A bag please!"
(Indeed, those were the best smelling and sweetest carrots I’ve ever had!)
Then later overheard him selling these brussel sprouts to another adamant buyer like me :
"Take the whole stalk. Just plunge it into water as you’d do with flowers, and pluck of the amount you need. They stay fresh for a few more days until you are ready to eat them all over again."