Råmjölk and Wrinkled Farmers

We (me, erik, his brother klas) went downtown sat. morning to check out a weekly market, which now that i've been i'm ashamed to have never been before! Not that it is a super steller amazing market, but it is more than i realized uppsala had, and here i've been all along....oh where oh where do i get local food....and every week the farmers were at this market. duh! anyway, it was mostly old people (interesting comparison to the US where farmer's markets are spilling over with young farmers) selling a few things on rikity tables, but i was delighted nonetheless. beets, potatoes, carrots, carved wooden butter spreaders crafted by the potato grower's barnbarn. (grandchild.....barn=child, get it?:), eggs, dried flower boquets, lots of mushrooms.....and at the end of the market's row of tables on an almost unnoticable crooked sign which i nearly walked by i read: Råmjölk. what?! raw milk in sweden? (i had just inquired about the legal status of raw milk recently and was told i'd need to go directly to the farm for an undercover transaction) i asked the wrinkled woman behind the sign how much and eagerly handed over my money. she handed me a one liter store brand carton covered in masking tape, wrapped in an old flour sack. I walked away feeling like i was carrying a very valuable, contraband substance. I loved the simplicity of the packaging....and how she felt no need to adorn her tasty milk with a fancy glass bottle or a carton with a farm logo on it. instead she reused....a step above recyling, and something we all need to do more of. (by the way, check out www.realmilk.com if you're interested in reading more about raw milk) And to finish the story, the milk was delicious, full of healthy cream, and i enjoyed the last drop this morning with my granola.

It is getting cold in Sweden, and I'm now fully realizing just how far north i am living. It snowed last week! It didn't stick, but the puddles were frozen for a few mornings last week. Brrr....although layering is fun, and i'm loving wearing striped socks atop cotton tights under a dress which is underneath 2 sweaters and a scarf.

Erik and i have been going to Hågaby (a village of sorts with solar panaled houses and a wonderful feeling of community living) every Sunday afternoon now for lunch and free music. It is wonferful and so interesting to hear how much music with southern-roots is played and loved here in Sweden. (gillian welch covers, banjos, folksy-sounds, songs with lyrics about places i know) I feel like i'm home a bit when i am there. and the food....we pay more than we normally would for this meal on sundays because it is so amazing. all ekological, homemade, vegetarian (though i think healthy meat is good for people, still, it's important to eat tons of veggies anyway) I got so full after this meal i thought i'd pop. a delicous root vegetable soup with a dollop of goat's cheese, foccacia bread with olvies and salt, a million fun salads: cooked beets with a yogurt sauce, chick peas with red onions and herbs, shredded carrot salad with seeds of all sorts, vinagered cabbage salad with feta cheese, hummus, brown rice, etc etc!

ok, time to end this. the sun is out and i feel seriously like i'm sinning when i am inside in sunny weather! klas calls erik and i "slaves of the sun" because any time it's shining, we are pulled outside and must bask in its light. so maybe we are, but with the dark, cold winter coming, we need to absorb all we can now!