Pacific Grove Celebrates Its Farmers Market

Wild times in The Groove today:  The Farmer's Market changed location from Lighthouse Avenue to the corner of Central and Grand, right next to Jewel Park and the Natural History Museum.  The location was fodder for several puns such as, "Central to Pagrovians' heart is the grand idea of a farmer's market.  And it's been a jewel of an idea today."  Get it?  Thus spoke the Sustainable Harvest spokeswoman who made a speech of grand introduction before a giant purple ribbon was cut and the new locale was made official.  SH is the coordinating group that organizes all farmers' markets in the county.

In spite of a bracing wind from the Pacific and a heavy cover of dark fog, Groovers were out en force for the occasion, slinging cash about in exchange for fine produce and goods purveyed by the many vendors at the market.  It was announced by Moe Ammar, voice of the Chamber of Commerce, that - tah dah! - new toilets can be expected to appear in the park in three weeks' time, too.  This to great cheering and relief on the faces of elderly men.

After the ribbon cutting and official remarks by the assembled city council persons, the huddled crowd dispersed and a great time was had by all.

My choices today?  Fresh nectarines, mushrooms, and a Jordanian wrap, which you eat - you do not enclose yourself within its folds as the word might signify.  Also, blueberries.  I asked the blueberry man what a blueberry bush looks like and he tried to explain, indicating a bush oh, say, about this high (two feet), with berries all through it that requires lots of thrashing into the bush (shown by lots of hand waving and diving motions into a small space).

I also had a bit of an interesting interchange with a large cluster of grapes, a giant artichoke ("she has a wonderful heart," says Mr. Ammar), and a long-haired carrot.  They all posed for me and I went on my way, amazed to have found such a large collection of Groovers all in one place, in spite of the cold.