STL DPB ON THE ROAD - TROPICAL BOUNTY

At the Feria Tamarindo again. We see this produce vendor every time we visit and the bounty seems never-ending. We rarely buy something since we go out to dinner almost every night.

As most North Americans know, there will be a total eclipse on Monday, April 8, running from southwest Mexico to Texas, parts of the U.S. Midwest, northern New England and then the Canadian Maritimes. St. Louis will be close to but not quite in the path of totality. I expect to spend much of today driving around looking for someplace right down central that might not be too crowded (thinking Walmart parking lot or similar). I'll keep my eyes open for images, too.          

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - STILL LIFE (EAT YOUR VEGETABLES)

From the Feria Tamarindo, the twice-weekly outdoor market. We are approaching the end of the dry season here so these peppers must have been irrigated, or perhaps grown in a greenhouse. It has been hot and very humid and, we are told, about to get hotter. After that, the roads and hillsides will be awash.              

GOOD ADVICE

A detail seen at the farmers market. Beef and pork production are a major contributor to greenhouse gasses in this country, not to mention a wasteful use of water resources. We are not vegetarians but we don't eat much meat any more. Chicken and fish, yes, but little of the four-footed products. (Ellie whines for burgers sometimes.) Lots more veg meals. I don't miss the stuff. My cholesterol dropped 30 points in the last year.           

THERE AREN'T A LOT OF PURPLE VEGETABLES

I finally got off my rear and found some new local material. There is a Saturday farmers market in the city's second largest (and my favorite) park, Tower Grove. It continues every week until Christmas. There was a big turnout with mild weather yesterday. I've never seen the like of this and, in general, purple vegetables are rare - some potatoes and maybe eggplant/aubergine on the outside. Might buy some next time.               

Fruit & Veg

There is an outdoor farmers market in Liberia. It seems to get going about mid-afternoon and run into the evening. There was every kind of edible tropical plant, plus eggs, queso fresco, breads and I don't know what.

It's all very inexpensive - to us. The pineapples above were about US$ 2 each. Limes had strange skins that would put off American shoppers, although we never saw one like these in a cocktail. I'm less certain about the next two. Maybe casava root, followed by red potatoes and a kind of squash, or maybe something else altogether. The lush fruit at the bottom is mango.
                    

Not

It's Thanksgiving Day in the US, a mixture of gratitude, calorie bombing and football. Christmas is just ahead. This, however, is a gift suggestion that I do not endorse.

Found at 43rd and Main Streets in Kansas City. Out to the cornfields this morning.         

STL DPB Photo Caption Contest

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This picture is, uh, so ripe with possibilities. It is someone selling locally grown produce at last weekend's Tomatofest. I don't know how to characterize it - you can imagine so many different meanings. So, I have declared it the subject of a photo caption contest. Submit your entry by comment to this post of by email to me (link to my email in my profile - click the photo of me on the left) not later than when my Saturday post goes up, +/- 11:00 GMT on 15 August 2009. The lucky winner will receive a print of the photo of their choice (autographed, if you like) from STL DPB or my Flickr site.

THE FINE PRINT: enter as often as you like. I don't care. Winner will be selected by a panel of biased judges, viz., me. Employees of St. Louis Daily Photo, its agents, lackeys and immediate members of the publisher's family may not enter the contest unless their idea is too clever to pass up. Winner will be announced in this blog's post of Sunday, 16 August, 2009. All taxes and fees are the responsibility of the winner, except I'll mail the print anywhere in the world. And, as they say in Chicago, vote early and often.

TOMORROW: Thursday Arch Series.