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| Artichokes (the "normal" type of produce I'm used to) |
Tucked into the corner of Delaney Avenue and Compton Street, just a block south of the intersection of E. Michigan and Delaney sits the store where all good tree-hugging Prius drivers drive to to purchase their locally grown produce and meats;
Freshfields Farm. We've been shopping at Freshfields for the last few years, picking up ordinary produce such as locally produced organic fruits and vegetables, cage-free eggs, chicken, and fish. We stay away from red meats.
Recently some of the produce grown outside of Florida has attracted my attention. It's interesting that these all appear to be produce from Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Even the bok choy, which I know as Chinese cabbage. Anyway, the point being all my culinary and cooking experience is actually pretty limited. I've grown curious about these particular vegetables and have been looking up their history and recipes on how to prepare and eat them.
I've spent my entire life eating Southern cuisine, which includes black-eye peas, greens, beans (green, lima, and others), okra (fried only, not boiled), various corns on the cob, spinach, you name it. My wife and I have both been turning back the meat consumption, having given up red meat and cutting back as much as reasonable on the other sources of animal protean. These "out-of-state" vegetables look very interesting and sound tasty if properly prepared. Emphasis on properly prepared, which I have no experience doing. But hey, that's what makes life interesting, the experimentation. I just hope I don't make us both sick in the process.
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| Costa Rica Milanga Lila |
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| Honduras Baby Bok Choy |
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| Mexican Tomotillos |
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| Cost Rica Chayote Squash |
Technical
You know the drill: Olympus E-PL2 with Leica 25mm. Taken with the Leica wide open. I think I could sell every other µ4:3rds lens and body and just keep these two, and I'd be absolutely happy. The theft of the regular 4:3rds has changed my attitude about bringing my bag of gear along. When I leave the house now, I take one body, one lens, and a spare battery. I really love the way they both work together, and I have really fallen hard for the Panasonic Leica 1:1.4/25mm, especially wide open at f/1.4. I swear the 25mm has special magic mixed in the glass somehow.
Bill, the lighting of the produce is very interesting. Is this indoor (fluorescent) lighting? It certainly doesn't look like direct sunlight, but it might have been under an outdoor tent - where the roof acts like a giant diffuser panel. If it is indoors, I am surprised that they allowed you to photograph anything inside of their store! I went to the link that you provided for Freshfields Farm, and I see a photo of their establishment, but I can not tell how they display their produce.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I seem to have very similar eating habits as you and your wife do.
It was indoor tungsten. Store personnel didn't seem to care. I attribute part of that to being discrete, and part of it to using the Pen, not a big beefy DSLR, which goes back to being discrete.
DeleteYour artichokes look so good I had to go out and buy a few today. My dinner tonight was steamed artichokes, the leaves dipped into melted butter and lemon juice. Ah, the power of photographic persuasion!
ReplyDeleteYour artichokes look so good I had to go out and buy a few today.
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you. I think that's the first time that's ever happened.