Beautiful Local Food and a First Pony Ride

Last week was so busy with Teddy home from camp and Alison taking some days off, so the day after our Hydrangea tour, we ventured up to the MA South Shore to visit the Marshfield Farmers Market.  Because I had my hands very full with purchases, etc, and keeping tabs on Teddy, there are no photos, but take my word for it, that the booths were a feast for the eyes. Teddy was pretty tired but he did perk up enough to enjoy a ride on a beautiful black pony named, Belmont.

 Love the look!

The farm booths were filled with corn, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries and some had early peaches and apples.  The greens were plentiful and we found some with multi-colored beans that have been thoroughly enjoyed.  The corn was very sweet and full, too. Other booths had a wides selection of meats, and were making pizza in a portable stone oven.  A great band was playing and added a very festive feel.  In a large barn there were many craft and baked good tables, and Teddy managed to find a gigantic M & M cookie he couldn't live without.

I would definitely go back again, especially as the amount of produce available picks up over the summer. The prices were reasonable all things considered. I just love buying local food and supporting the farms, and the food tastes so much better than anything available in the stores.


Saturday morning it was just Teddy and me....and a big part of our day was to be baking and making a dinner with the farmer's market loot. While the cold ingredients for my Mum's Blueberry Cake were rising to room temp, we hopped in the car for a trip to Bay End Organic Farm in very nearby Bournedale.  Such a wonderful place and Teddy loves all the fun he can find, as well as the cookies.

Fun things for little ones

Beautiful fields of flowers

More fun on the old Farmall

We've made a note to return soon as this flower field is about to burst wide open with sunflowers and other beauties.

Through this door and into the stand,  we were greeted with the smell of cheddar chive sccones, and an array of beautiful produce. We got kale for smoothies and cucumbers for cooling lunches.

Prettiness all around

Zinnias

Home again and time to make some blueberry cakes with the beautiful local berries we got yesterday.

The finished product cooling beside Teddy's painted pet rocks and a bouquet of wild flowers on the kitchen table.

Blueberry Cake – Eleanor Morse
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Coat  13” x 9”, bundt pan
or 2 smaller pans (best method) with butter or PAM.

Important to have all ingredients at room temperature

Sift together, set aside:
3 cups Flour
½ tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp  Salt
1 tsp Cream of Tartar

Cream Together, set aside
1/2 cup Softened Butter
2 cups Sugar
Then add
2  beaten Eggs

Add 1 tsp of Vanilla to 1 cup Milk

Add ¼ cup flour to 1 qt of fresh blueberries and toss carefully (flour prevents berries from sinking to bottom of cake)

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with milk/vanilla mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. With mixer, blend until ingredients are moistened.

Batter will be stiff…....very carefully fold in blueberry/flour mixture with a spatula;  spoon batter into  prepared pans.  Final step…sprinkle batter with sugar.

Baking time varies from 30 min to 50+ minutes. Check with toothpick often.  Cool completely.  Cake freezes very well.
This recipe came from an old Hood Dairy Company cookbook Mum had saved from the early 1940’s…….