I have been to plenty of farmers' markets before, but none as well organized and diverse as the one in Athens, Ohio. Fruits, baked goods, meats, coffee, honey, herbs, local art, and even house plants were all being sold by proud members of the Athens community on the Saturday I left OU campus and traveled into town. On a bus transporting me and some of my friends to the market, I had an unfortunate incident involving the man who was sat next to me: a tall, long-legged middle-aged hillbilly, who seemed resolved to man-spread me off of my seat. He was successful at first, but someone I knew saw what was going on and texted me, telling me to man-spread back. I did. He didn't care. For the rest of the ride, our sweaty knees were caressing each other in acts of stubborn, big-dick energy. Needless to say, I was relieved when we finally reached our destination.
My first purchase after I hopped off of the public bus and into the blazing, summer sun was mint-chocolate homemade fudge.Â
A little girl was selling it - I couldn't say no! When I asked her, she explained exactly how her family made it, and was very proud to tell me that she had helped. And, yes, it was delicious. I passed by stands advertising coffee, tea, and lots of apples as I made my way down rows of farm goods, but it was an eccentric-looking lady selling succulents who caught my eye. After some conversation, I learned that she propagated them herself and carefully picked out the pots they lived in. I bought one from her called "Key Lime Pie." It was fuzzy, small, and planted in the cutest floral pot I had ever seen! It looked to be recycled from an old, tea-time sugar container. If there's one thing that I love (other than succulents), it's sustainability. Reusing old things is definitely the way to go!
My next stop was a woman with a very granola sense of style and who was selling what I at first thought were essential oils.
They actually ended up being herbal medicines that she had mixed herself! I probed her in order to find out how safe and reliable these "hippie drugs" were, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that she had actually gone to school in order to make sure that her medicines were, indeed, safe. I decided to try one that was supposed to make me sleep better, as I have insomnia and I will pretty much try anything to actually get some rest. As a mix of passion flower, hops, skullcap, alcohol, and water, it definitely did the trick in making me drowsy before bed. It did this, however, without making me groggy when I woke up in the morning. Yes, the taste was revolting, but it worked about as well as melatonin!
It's always fun to try new things, especially when you aren't entirely comfortable with the idea of them at first. That being said, never try anything that you think might put you in danger. Just be sure to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while.
