Last weekend we visited my brother and sister-in-law in Michigan near Detroit.  We had a wonderful time exploring the area, and our biggest adventure was going to the Detroit Eastern Market.  This market is open all year, although it’s smaller in the winter, with only two full buildings of produce, baked goods, craft, and meat vendors.  This was by far the largest farmer’s market I’ve been to, and I was absolutely in love with the place!

Who's the boss? Not Tony Danza!

We engaged in a bitter power struggle: toddler and stroller versus parents. Guess who won. At least our market purchases were secured.  (We should have brought our own bags!)

Both buildings were full of all sorts of vendors.

There were sweet potatoes as big as Bethany's head!

Brian tried a delicious taco from the food truck.

Our market finds: cilantro, lime, jelly, blueberry applesauce, honey, bean soup mix, popcorn, Brussels sprouts, green onions, bread flour, and pastry flour. Score!

Local honey will taste delicious in our bread.

Apple cider doughnuts were a delight.

The strangest find of the day, something I couldn’t pass up was Mountain Dew Jelly from The Fuhrs Fruit Farm.  It’s made with real Mountain Dew, and the only thing that cooks out is the carbonation, leaving a limey spread with a caffeinated kick.  We were told to try it with cream cheese on a bagel. Yum!

The strangest find of the day.

The best find of the day, the find that made my heart skip a beat, was the discovery of organic, locally-grown and milled flour from Hampshire Farms.  They had rye, bread, and pastry flour.  It was $2.50 for a two pound bag, a pretty good deal for a local and organic product, in my  opinion. I asked the person who was selling the flour how long it would stay fresh, and he assured me that it had just been milled on Thursday. Thursday!  It can’t get much fresher than that. I’m still planning to keep it in the freezer since it doesn’t have the preservatives found in my pantry flour; I want to keep it as fresh as possible.  Hopefully I can end my streak of failed bread recipes. Yes, I’ve botched my last two batches.  With new yeast and the promise of special flour I’ll make some good bread yet. How exciting!

I bought myself flours!

I would have to say that Brian and Bethany are pretty lucky to have these local sources in their own backyard.