This morning a friend and I went to a flea market. I remember the first time I went to this flea market. It was more than a decade ago and at that time I lived in a different state. While I was visiting a friend in Florida, she took me to this market. I was so happy and surprised to see so many familiar vegetables, fish and plants - many I have seen in Sri Lanka. Most vendors here are Vietnamese and they sell produce and plants that you cannot easily find at a regular store. I don't go there often because it's a bit far from where I live. Also they open at 6 am and if you go late there's not much to buy. So when a friend and I decided to go to this flea market this weekend, we left very early and reached there around 6.20 am.
I was looking to buy a ginger plant and a pandan plant. Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius ) is called "Rampe" in Sinhalese and is often used in Sri Lankan curries as a flavoring. It is very common to start a curry with adding mustard seeds, curry leaves, several pieces of pandan to hot oil. I found both ginger and pandan for $5 each.
Then I saw a vendor selling several hummingbird trees (Sesbania grandiflora ). I was so excited as this is something my mom always has in her garden. We eat both leaves and flowers of this tree, which we call "Kathurumurunga" in Sinhalese. According to Google this is very frost sensitive. Though we rarely have weather below 0 degree Celsius in this area, I've lost papaya plants due to frost several times, so I have to find a good covered spot in the back yard for the hummingbird tree or plant it in a big pot so I can move it easily.
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| From left to right: Ecuador Princess, ginger, hummingbird tree and pandan. |
I also bought a flower plant called Ecuador Princess (Tibouchina lepidota als). Google tells me that it was developed in Australia, so my Australian readers must be familiar with this plant. I saw this plant for the first time several weeks ago at a shopping complex. It was full of beautiful purple flowers, but I didn't know its name. Then I found it at a nearby plant nursery, but it was too big and too expensive. Today I bought it for $7.
I bought several vegetables as well. A bunch of Chinese watercress, winged beans, hummingbird flowers, and ridge gourd - all are my favorite vegetables. Some of these are expensive. Hummingbird flowers are $4/lb. and winged beans are $5/lb. I hope my hummingbird tree grows well and gives me lots of flowers and leaves for cooking.
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| Winged beans, Chinese watercress and ridge gourd ()on top, and hummingbird flowers. |
I also bought a 1.5 quart CorningWare dish. Once I bought a smaller dish for $7 at a thrift store, so I think this is a good deal for $5. It is hard to find used ones with lids and brand new ones at CorningWare website are very expensive.
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| I have several CorningWare dishes with this blue cornflower pattern. |
We spent over an hour walking around at the flea market. There were many vendors selling old tools, books, clothes and other knickknacks.
On the way back, we stopped at a store that sells Amish products. There are no Amish communities in Florida, and the lady at the store said they get their products from Pennsylvania.
I bought several things I hadn't tried before - buckwheat pancake mix, a small jar of apple butter, a jar of Amish style sauerkraut, a bottle of Maple syrup - and also some breakfast to go because we didn't have breakfast before leaving home.
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So That's how I spent my Saturday morning. I spent close to $90 for everything I bought today. I wouldn't have spent that amount if I had gone to the nearby grocery store, but I like everything I bought today. I am not sure if I'd go back to the Amish store again, but I'll definitely go to the flea market again.
Now it's time to water plants and cook. Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend.
XX
Nil
