Magic at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday Mornings – A True Story About Fruits, Vegetables and Friend

September 11, 2008

“What are you reading?” he asked. It was late Saturday evening and I was immersed in my reading. My response, “It is a book entitled “Puffy the Watermelon.” Although I heard his next question, I realized how silly my response sounded as I stated it aloud.

“You’re the only person I know who can go to the Farmers Market and find everything but fresh vegetables,” he remarked. He is right and wrong, of course, because I purchase fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a unique item or perhaps two.

“It is a childrens’ book about watermelons,” I smiled as I returned to finish reading the book. “Where did you get that?” he asked. I believe this is when we both knew the real story was larger than both of us.

I had met the Watermelon Guy at the Farmers Market that Saturday morning. We had spoken about the magic of a highly effective technique my dad had used to check watermelons for the best eating quality. My dad died over fifteen years ago but I will always remember his story about the magic combination of a broom straw and a watermelon.

As a matter of fact, I usually carry a broom straw in my pocket just in case I find watermelons to purchase and need to check for eating quality… only by touching the outside of the watermelon.

Some people laugh at me when they hear my story about watermelons and broom straws. Others watch my technique and listen to my story. Before I realize what is happening, observers often ask me to select an equally good watermelon for them, too. Sometimes, vendors encourage me to allow their waiting customers to select watermelons on their own. I oblige, of course.

Dad planted all types of fruits and vegetables in our back yard garden when I was much younger. He loved fresh fruits and vegetables; he loved apple trees, fig bushes, plum trees, grape vines, peaches, and especially peanuts. If the tree or plant produced a fruit or vegetable, chances were quite accurate that Dad planted and harvested the fruit or vegetable either from plant vines or tree limbs in our back yard garden.

As a child I helped my parents in the garden, although I confess it was not as much fun then as it is now to reflect on what I really learned. There is verse I remember hearing as a child which supports this memory, “Who plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see, believes in God.”

Bob Hope’s famous song, “Thanks for the memories,” is my adult acknowledgment of appreciation to my dad.

 

Angela Scott

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