farmer's market and life lessons

 It was the perfect morning at the Portland Farmer's Market's PSU locale. No rain. And for July in Portland, a warm 75 degrees. Chris and I joined the rest of Portland, en masse, amidst our local artisan brethren to see what is still available - and with Oregon being a bit cooler climate than the rest of the US we found ourselves making coy eyes at late season strawberries. They were red, they were ripe, and they were marked at a "just picked" 1.95 per pint.

An older fellow, who'd had his share of sour mash before 11 o'clock, shared with me that the strawberry is the only fruit whose seeds are on the outside. Without my share of sour mash I taught him about a strawberry's pectin coming from her seeds. We both learned something meaningful this morning.

Our morning treasures consisted of a flat of strawberries, a flat of raspberries purchased from our local Romas, a pint of Rainier cherries and a single perfect peony.

And, oh yes, there will be jam...