Saturday Morning in San Miguel

 

Todd and I headed out early today and had a picture perfect Saturday morning. We started at the monthly Alma sale, sort of a gigantic garage sale with the proceeds going to charity. I guess we should have been even earlier as it was so packed that I decided not to try to navigate the crowds with my walker, and we went off in search of breakfast.

There is a relatively new restaurant in town called Restaurante de Sueños, restaurant of dreams, which is conveniently located almost across the street from the Saturday Organic Market, one of our next stops. This was our first visit to this restaurant, which we found nicely decorated with some great Spanish guitar music playing in the background. They have a menu just for coffees, that made me very happy, as I am not much of a morning person and a little caffeine helps to jumpstart the day.

I followed my café con leche, espresso with steamed milk, with one of the best Eggs Benedicts that I have ever had. We were so impressed with our breakfasts that we asked to see a lunch and dinner menu. All of the entrees are named after jazz musicians, and include such delights as Thai chicken salad with peanut sauce, shrimp mousse, salmon with shallot cream sauce and raspberry chipotle meatballs. If any of these offerings are half as good as my breakfast was, I may eat my way through the entire menu.

 

Restaurante de Sueños

 

After breakfast we walked a few doors down to Natura, a sort of health food store that has organic fruits, vegetables and an assortment of items not readily available elsewhere. I bought a package of nopal (cactus), linseed and sesame tostadas, a crispy tortilla usually eaten topped with beans, meat, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

There are also a couple of refrigerators and freezers filled with organic soups, sauces, dips, that are made on the premises, and free range chicken, among other things. A back room is filled with baking supplies rarely seen here in México. There are numerous flours, such as dark rye, spelt, oat, buckwheat, and even some that are gluten free. I even saw oat and buckwheat groats! They also carry some grain cereals that you won’t find in Soriana or WalMart, as well as some natural skincare products.

 

Natura

 

Our next stop was the Organic Market, held every Saturday in the lovely grounds of the Artesana Rosewood. First, though, we had to stop to let the circus pass.

 

Just Passing Through…

 

 

You could also have breakfast or lunch at the Organic Market, if you were feeling so inclined, as there is always something wonderful cooking at the hot food tables.

 

Hand Made Organic Tortillas and Gorditas

 

First I had a nice chat with the young lady manning the plants and herbs table. My herbs have not been healthy lately and she gave me some much needed advise. After a trip to Home Depot to purchase some better potting soil, I will buy more herb plants from her next week and try again.

 

 

Next I bought mandarin oranges. The first of the season! Then right next to the oranges I spied something very odd. It looked like one of the round zucchinis that you see here, but it was covered in hard spines! When I asked the lady selling the vegetables what it was, she told me it was a cucumber. I must have looked skeptical because she cut one open for me and gave me a slice to taste. Sure enough, it was a cucumber, although it had a more yellow colour than usual and it tasted slightly fruity. It was great and I bought a few of them.

 

It’s a cucumber, honest

 

Then I was off to the cheese section where I treated myself to a small piece of a cheese that tastes quite a bit like sharp cheddar, but has a vein of port wine running all the way through.

 

 

Across from the cheeses we found French quiche. I know it’s French because the lady who makes it is from Paris. She also makes fabulous fruit tarts.There is jewelry, wool crafts and woven baskets, although I’m not really sure where those fit into the organic theme, but they are lovely.

 

Skincare and Medicinal Products Made From Cactus

 

The honey here is marvelous, and of course it is preservative-free. They also sell bee pollen and a number of other bee-related products. There are hair and skincare products made from a cactus, a number of products created with lavender and a natural skincare line for anti-aging that even has mosquito repellent. You can find a number of scrumptious baked goods and one group of bakers sells incredible artisanal breads.

 

 

One local company crafts fruit juices, preserves and liqueurs, while yet another sells fish that they will deliver to your home seven days a week. If you need something to go with your fish, there is fresh asparagus, wonderful mixed greens, tiny potatoes, giant fennel bulbs and purple carrots. Then on your way out you can stop and pick up organic coffee beans, grown in Chiapas or Oaxaca and roasted in San Miguel, to finish off your meal.

 

 

After the market we stopped at a tiny clock shop in Colonia Mexiquito, where Todd was having his watch band adjusted. We had a pleasant visit with the charming elderly shop keeper and his daughter, stopped to visit a friend in Colonia San Antonio, who had just returned from Zacatecas and then home for a quiet afternoon in the garden.

Life is good!