Saturday I went to the Brooklyn Flea. It’s back to rocking in the sunshine in the Fort Greene neighborhood after being only indoors all winter, and I’ll probably go several times this summer. You see the same stuff every week, pretty much, but instead of being boring, it’s comforting and nice to see familiar things.

This was what I scored:

One package of homemade maple marshmallows from Whimsy & Spice. I also got to meet the husband half of this baking duo. We had an interview scheduled post-SXSW, but I had to bail due to The Horrible Sickness, and I felt terrible about canceling. (Not as terrible as I would have felt passing on The Horrible Sickness, but it was still a really disappointing decision to make.)

He gave me a cookie sandwich with chocolate-whiskey filling to try. Chocolate and whiskey cavorting on cookies is a double thumbs up from me, although it took us three girls to finish the one. It’s really rich. I want more!

One ridiculously cute tiny cupcake, courtesy of Keavy Landreth of Kumquat Cupcakery. We had an interview last week for Hey Brooklyn that you’ll hear Friday. I picked a red velvet cupcake, and it was the best red velvet I’ve had in my limited experience; I only just discovered this flavor back in October. Why hadn’t I heard of it before? Is it just not “a Connecticut thing”? Hey CT, you’re missing out! (Or I’ve just been oblivious for a really long time, which is entirely possible, too.)

One “bargain bin” greeting card from Foxy & Winston. She has the sweetest animal prints and note cards. I selected a purple bunny print greeting card for $1. Someone special will get a couple of cute bunnies in the mail one of these days.

One jar of beets! (Sidenote: is anyone else rendered wholly incapable of saying “beets” without thinking “Bears, beets – BATTLESTAR GALATICA.“? Just me? Really?! Well then.) I got them from Rick of Rick’s Picks, who I wrote about in my Foodzie post. I recognized the packaging instantly and made a quick u-Turn to go check his stuff out. In addition to the “phat beets” he makes all sorts of canned pickled things, and I will be purchasing more in the future. Lots more. There’s German in me, and that German demands I feed it vegetables soaked in brine and vinegar. (When I said this to Carissa, she said that sounded gross, but it’s totally true! It’s not gross, is it? Discuss.) … (On second thought, don’t.)

Rick let us all sample his “Handy Corn” which is not as dirty as it sounds. When I told him I am a world-famous blogger that wrote about his company, he gave me a “handy corn” tee shirt. I wore all day Sunday, and it is quite cozy. Thanks Rick!

Later that night we went to the Bell House to see the Kaiser Cartel play with their friends Lucinda Black Bear and the Winterpills. You can tell all three bands like the people in the other bands very much. Everyone played on everyone else’s songs at some point, and they all have a similar vibe and feel to their music. If you like what you heard of the Kaiser Cartel, you’ll like the other bands, too.

There’s a song that Courtney and Ben play while they walk around, and they look into audience members eyes as they play and sing. It’s all very quiet and hushed, and when they were walking, it reminded me of a Jewish service, when the Torah is passed around the congregation and everyone wants to kiss it quietly and respectfully. It was like Synagogue for hipsters, and it was beautiful, and it choked me up in such a good way. I hugged them after, and they signed my CD. 

People of Brooklyn, I love you.

photos from their respective websites