I do think the weather has been a huge factor here, but I also have noticed every year that more and more people who sell at Farmer's Markets are NOT growing their own produce. Instead, they buy it from a larger farmer's market like the huge one in Dallas and transport it to the smaller market to resell it, or they get the produce from a wholesaler and resell it. A while back, the only large grocery store in Marietta, which was a Winn Dixie, closed down and all we had was a couple of convenience stores for several months until Homeland bought or leased the location and reopened it as a grocery store. During that time a local feed store opened by a high school student added produce to their store. The family's dad or mom drove down to the Dallas Farmer's Market 2 or 3 times a week and hauled back produce from a wholesaler. For a while, it was profitable for them although it required constant travel to downtown Dallas. Once Homeland opened though, the family dropped their produce because they couldn't compete with Homeland's prices. Even during this 'grocery store crisis', there weren't enough local growers in the area to provide fresh produce for the feed store and for Donna's Market. I don't know what it is like in other counties, but in Love County most of the farmers threw in the towel LONG ago. This used to be a HUGE pecan and peanut-growing area, and in the sandier soil areas, melons were a large crop also. Now there are almost no peanut farmers left and only a couple of melon farmers, and the melon farmers generally sell their melons right off of a truck parked on their own property. In the 9 years that we have been here, we have seen most all of the produce farmers sell their land to people who raise cattle or horses, or the families stop raising veggie crops and change to cattle or horse production OR they sell their land (subdivided into smaller plots of land) to people like us who want to live in the country. Many also have let their farmland revert to native grassland, which they cut and sell as hay or lease out to others who hay it or raise cattle on it. Farming as a paying occupation is pretty much dead here in Love County. If I truly want real homegrown produce (in addition to what I grow myself), I generally have to travel to Dallas or Fort Worth, both of which have very large farmer's markets. At those markets, if you are careful, you can find produce actually grown on real farms by real farmers. Of course, there are also a lot of people trying to pass off as 'home-grown' some produce they have purchased from produce wholesalers. I don't think small towns provide enough 'demand' to encourage market growers to try to provide a steady supply and that is sad. The non-existent farmer's market in Marietta is typical of what happens here in Love County, though.....poor planning leads to a poor turnout which leads to the activity or event being cancelled due to a lack of interest. A lot of people have good intentions, but don't follow through very well.

I would say, just get an FD fridge without the in-door water/ice dispenser. You'll save a ton of space (not to mention, those in-door water/ice makers seem to be the most trouble-prone part of any fridge--so avoid those, and you avoid all that potential trouble). My aunt-in-law (is that a word?) has a big beautiful Whirlpool FD that she loves. I think it's this one: http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/GX5FHTXVA.html The Frigidaire below (see link) is bigger, if that matters to you. And I haven't seen the Samsung you mention. But right there you have three options. There are also Electroluxes like this, but there are some iffy reviews on those and they almost never go on sale. The HUGE advantage of an FD over a SxS is that you can fit wide items in your fridge. Like trays and platters of food, those wooden baskets some fruits come in, pizza boxes, the Thanksgiving turkey and so on. You simply cannot fit those in a SxS because the fridge area is less than half as wide (the divider between fridge and freezer is easily 3" so you lose more than half the shelf width). Why "limp along" on something inferior when there are plenty of huge FD fridges available without in-door water/ice? It'll just cost you more money--it's not as if prices are going to go down. It makes sense to narrow it down to 3 or 4 fridges and then watch to see if one of them goes on sale or finds its way to eBay (some of the sales there include extended warranties)--but it doesn't make much sense to just postpone the decision indefinitely. Personally I also think it makes sense to get an FD fridge with as much REFRIGERATOR space as possible, even if it skimps on the freezer space, because it's a lot cheaper to get a chest freezer for the basement or garage than to get a second refrigerator. Here is a link that might be useful: Huge Frigidaire FD

I live about 3 hours east of there and make a pilgrimage at least twice a year. Great deals on bulk spices. One thing to look for if you like spicy food: chipotle powder. You can find canned chipotles anywhere, but this is the only place I've found it as a powder. It's roughly equivalent to the hot pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika) but it's very smoky and very hot. Addictive, and very easy to use--I have a filled a dedicated salt shaker with it and keep it by my stove and add it to eggs, meats, whatever. Great choice in oils. Lots of Spanish olive oils, classified as spicy or fruity or aromatic. Bulk organic coconut oil. Ditto on the advice to bring a big cooler. Lots of meats, including stuff that's hard to find elsewhere: rabbit, fresh duck (whole, and duck legs & breasts sold separately as well)--they have a good selection of halal meats as well. (Halal goat seems to be a good seller.) Good sausages made there, including landjaeger. Incredible seafood selection. They'll clean it for you right there. In addition to fish, they have all sorts of unusual items like octopus, squid, etc. Breads and baked goods: made on the premises. Every item I've tried has been at least very good, and some have been outstanding. Produce: lots of fresh veggies and fruits, including some really oddball stuff like durian fruit (don't ask--it's pretty nasty IMHO) One thing to remember: you may wish to bring a sweater or jacket. They keep the whole inside area pretty cool. It's a foodie paradise, and it's a good thing I live so far away; if I lived any closer I'd probably weigh 400 pounds. And as mentioned, it's cash or debit card only. No credit cards. Have fun!

What!!! No lovely "pair" of coconuts held up about "chest" hight??? You're falling down on the job, EJ! Now I want a Sno cone! You and your boys have a great rest of the trip. Take care....safe travels..... Teresa