Chapter 43

Apples, Arugula, Basil, Beans...Thyme, Tomatoes, Turnips, Zucchini

The farmers' market in Cedar Falls at Overman Park on the first Saturday morning in August swelled like a well-watered zucchini to twice its earlier size. The stalls extended up and down both sides of the closed street, and a festival atmosphere reigned with live music.

"When was the last time you heard a hurdy-gurdy?" asked Laura.

"A what?" said Rose.

The whirling drone of the hurdy-gurdy backed by the lively fingering and chords of a big squeezebox accordion sounded above the voices of the merry market, already a lively scene by 9 a.m.

The two headed for the stall of the honey man to buy comb honey.

"Notice this," he said sitting behind an amazing variety of honey and beeswax products, "The bees make two flavors in one package -- sumac on this side, and," he turned the packaged comb over, "basswood on this side."

"Wow, cool!" exclaimed Rose. Laura bought the honey, put it in her canvas shopping bag, and handed it to Rose. They walked on toward the vegetable stall of Mai Vang's family.

The market abounded with color and sound as people made their ways along the avenue among the checkerboard of green umbrellas and white awnings set up behind or beside pickups and vans and trailers of every sort. Kids dashed through the crowd on errands. Old friends stopped to chat. Conversation covered the marketplace amid thick shade and bright sun.

The abundance of products celebrated small farms, small enterprises, and small towns come to an urban park with a list as long as you please: apples, arugula, baby Swiss, basil, beans, beef, beets, bison, blackberries, bok choi, breads, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butter, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chard, cheddar, chicken, chives, cilantro, collards, corn, cucumbers, dill, duck, eggplant, elk, fennel, feta cheese, garlic kale, gouda, jams, jellies, kohlrabi, lamb, lavender, leeks, lettuce, melons, Monterey jack, mozzarella, onions, Oriental greens, parsley, peas, peppers, pork, potatoes, radicchio, radishes, rhubarb, ricotta, rosemary, sage, salad greens, shallots, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, summer squash, tarragon, thyme, tomatillo, tomatoes, turkey, turnips, and zucchini.

When Laura and Rose arrived at the Vang family stall, they found Mai and her tiny grandmother Kao very busy with several customers interested in their beans and mustard greens.

Laura paused to watch the pair -- Mai was bagging and handling the cash. Her ageless grandmother, barely 54 inches tall, and deeply tanned with wise eyes, in limited English and more Hmoob, explained to her enthralled customers how to prepare the mustard greens. Blanch them for one minute, then sauté them in olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes. Kao's master gardener hands flashed in many gestures as her voice twanged the twin scales of English and Hmong languages.

Mai saw her friend Rose waiting and beckoned for her to come work in the stall. Rose pulled on Laura's arm with a "Can I, can I!?" imploring look. The teacher took the the canvas handles of child's shopping bag and pushed her toward her friend.

"See you in an hour, girl. Do a good job," she said.

Rose and Mai giggled as Grandmother Kao diced the air for her customers. Laura strolled in the direction of a whiff of fresh peach scones in the bakery booth. Her sandaled feet clapped lightly to the whine of the hurdy-gurdy and the accordion beat.

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Next... Chapter 44.

Thanks for these resources:

Hmong Cultural Center
http://www.hmongcenter.org/

Saturn School (St. Paul, MN) Hmong Teacher's Page
http://ww2.saturn.stpaul.k12.mn.us/hmong/sathmong.html

WWW Hmong Homepage
http://www.hmongnet.org

USDA Farmers' Market Directory
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/

National Farmer's Market Week August 3-9

Southeast Minnesota Food Network
http://www.localfoodnetwork.org/index.html

U.S. Census Bureau American Fact Finder
http://factfinder.census.gov/

Consumer Driven Agriculture; USDA Economic Research Service (ERS)
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Features/ConsumerDrivenAg/

"Award winner goes beyond food aid to change world," Catherine Bertini, the 2003 recipient of the World Food Prize, "defeated famine in Sudan by carrying out the largest humanitarian airdrop in history while serving from 1992 through 2002 as chief executive officer of the World Food Program of the United Nations." By Steve Neal, Chicago Sun-Times, 07/21/03
http://www.suntimes.com/output/neal/cst-edt-neal21.html

Over the Water Hurdy-Gurdy Association
http://www.overthewater.org/index.html

The Upper Basin Chronicles, Chapter 43 was written and edited by John Gabbert.

Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network and The Upper Basin Chronicles © 2003 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.

Your comments are invaluable. Please email feedback to (mailto link) The Upper Basin Chronicles, Chapter 43.

The characters presented here are purely fictional, and neither bear resemblance to persons living or dead, nor represent the views or opinions of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.