I was really happy to discover that I did not have to let my love for farmer's markets die when I had to move out of California. They exist here, too, and there are quite a few of them.
I walked to the Green Valley Farmer's Market last Wednesday morning and not only was it a sweet little find, but it was also a very nice 4.5 mile walk from home to get there.
My favorite vendor was Ausperitea, a local loose leaf tea company based out of Tucson. My mom has been hooked on loose leaf tea for awhile now and bought me my first cast iron tea pot this year. However, when I was working full-time, I just was not able to get into it because it seemed too time-consuming.
Now that I have some more time, I'm looking forward to using my cast iron tea pot more and brewing fresh, flavorful tea. According to Teavana.com, "These are the best way to brew tea, since the cast iron distributes the heat evenly inside the pot to better extract the flavors and benefits of the tea."
The owner of Ausperitea impressed me with his knowledge, friendliness, and talked to me for over 10 minutes about his rapidly growing tea company and future tea shoppe... I just couldn't help but purchase something! I ended up going with the Morning Mist Chinese Green Tea for a steal at $4.
I've also been impressed with the extensive veggie/fruit co-ops that are also offered here. In the near future, I'm planning on joining Bountiful Baskets, a local 100% organic, grass roots, all-volunteer food co-op. I can't wait to get my hands on that fresh produce.
