When I had placed my order for the AGA last year, I had anticipated spending all winter {this winter} in the kitchen baking.
And so when the first one arrived damaged and we were told it would be another 8 months {the end of May!} before another one would arrive, I pretty much set all my new baking experiments aside for the winter.
But then the AGA arrived much sooner than expected and yada yada yada… All the sudden I realized that the ingredient I really wanted to work with was Meyer lemons and did I miss Meyer lemon season already!? Oh no!
So I placed a call to the Rising Tide Co-Op in Damariscotta {the same place I was able to order Seville oranges to make marmalade last year} and sure enough, while they didn’t have them in stock… They could order them for me.
So yesterday, we headed to Damariscotta to pick them up.
Well, actually I had a list of stops {the post office, the library, Rising Tide Co-Op and a new restaurant for us to try} and declared it a “date day” as we were leaving the house together with plans to eat a nice meal out.
So we quickly made the first two stops {the post office and the library} but then as we walked into the Co-Op to pick up the Meyer lemons all the sudden everything kind of slowed down a bit.
The whole produce section was decked out for Valentine’s Day it seemed.
There were beautiful long stemmed roses and radishes that matched the roses and were those dragon carrots?
Even the bagged ones looked like the ones you get in the UK {all nice and fat and nubby} as opposed to the typical long and skinny carrots we find bagged up in the chain store supermarkets here in the US.
Yes, it had been a while since we had been to the Co-Op, and true this was my first time in a somewhat regular sized grocery store this year but still.
Everything looked so beautiful, and different that we couldn’t stop looking at all the different products.
Real bagels! And wood fired at that!
Asparagus gruyere ravioli!
As we wandered around the store looking at all its offerings, I said to my husband… Maybe we should just get lunch here instead of going to a restaurant? We’d get a bigger bang for our buck, that’s for sure.
It would still be considered a date… Right?
He agreed.
And so that’s exactly what we did.
Date day interrupted. That’s what yesterday was. And it was fantastic.
~Mavis
P.S. Has this ever happened to you? You get so caught up in something and you’re like… No, this is it. This is the thing we’re supposed to be doing. And you just go with it.
Alice says
I’m guessing you got a car load of a variety of those goodies, took them home and made creations on your new AGA for a lovely at-home Valentine’s dinner?
Tell us everything you ended up getting to fill your stores.
Renee from Wisco says
Flying by the seat of our pants, that’s how we roll here! Usually on vacation. One time we crossed our northern border for the day to go to Waterton Park in Canada. Told at the crossing we would be there only for the day. We finally made it out 4 days later near Seattle. We went to Lake Louise and just meander. We did the same thing RVing to Alaska. We spent six weeks (our kids were 6 and 8 at the time). No plans just general destinations. We ended up at the Arctic Circle and down to Skagway where we hopped a catamaran to Juneau. Skagway was not even considered until after 4 weeks of traveling Alaska and was back in Canada and saw the sign, hubbs and I looked at each other and said why not. Best 4 days ever.
Margo says
We call it serendipity. We were once headed from California to Missouri and figured we would pick a few sightseeing destinations along the way. We made a stop in northern Arizona when my husband realized we were only a few hours from Mesa Verde and we could see the ancient native ruins and cliff dwellings. So we diverted three hours north, and spent the day visiting all the sights there. Best non-planned, check it off the bucket list, wandering ever. Sometimes you just get to roll with it and isn’t it wonderful?
Lynda says
@Margo
My family was on a trip out west and saw signs for Mesa Verde and we too “diverted.” One go the more memorable places we ever visited.
Connie says
That ravioli and broccolini look delicious. You are so fortunate to have all these small businesses around you. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Dee says
that’s funny, those red/purple coloured vegetables are sold around halloween where i live.
Diana says
Looks like a fun day!
Today is our anniversary and we are going to a restaurant supply produce store to buy fun things and then a walk on the beach and lunch.
We have so many Meyer lemons on our tree we have been giving bags away to everyone we know. I decided to make marmalade and of course I didn’t have any cheesecloth and I was out of sugar! Got my supplies yesterday so that is my next project later in the week. We have 13 citrus trees so I might do a marmalade with variety of fruit.
Annette says
Not a date if you have to do dishes.
Lana says
NEWSFLASH! Clarkson’s Farm Season 2 is on Amazon!
Mavis Butterfield says
I saw that! Super excited.
Judy says
Perfect lunch, hubby and I wouldn’t have left the store without that ravioli.
Ranae says
Hi Mavis, Love your heart baking dish from post 2 days ago. Can you tell us where you ordered it from?
Mavis Butterfield says
Williams-Sonoma and Nordstrom carry it. Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Shallow Heart 1 1/4-Qt.