Today, I traded two potroast pasties for a bottle of homemade mead. John, who runs TANSTAAFL Farms in Paw Paw, raises his own bees and makes the honey into mead. His farm is bottomland, wherein the tractors sink into the mud -- so he works the fields with a team of draft horses. "I can't fix tractors," he said, "but I can fix horses." We talked about homebrewing, organic farming, pasties, rutabegas and stud fees for mares, all with another Ann Arbor Quaker who's moved to Kzoo. She's gonna trade me for some homebrew cider.
John sold me a bunch of baby beets for 75 cents. I hate beets, but am trying to teach myself to like foods I hate. Taking Neighbor Nora's "Greens, Glorious Greens" cookbook in hand, I roasted the beets and wilted the greens, then combined them in a pan and drizzled in some balsamic vinegar.
I now love beets.
How awesome is that?