The Depth of Summer

We are easing into the deepest expanse of summer here in The Valley.  At the farmers market, there are still signs of earlier crops - an occasional grower that has found a way to shelter his lettuce through the fiercest heat of July and the reappearance of strawberries from ever bearing plants - but the full bounty of the sun-drenched season is now on display, nearly toppling over the market tables.

That means onions and carrots share space with peaches, apricots, and nectarines.  Early plums and apples have appeared.  Pickling cucumbers and all manner of summer squash fill baskets in dizzying numbers. Heirloom tomatoes in wild colors and designs are proudly displayed and the poor hot-house growers (who were so valued in the cooler months) are passed by for field grown treasures.  The harvest is staggering.

July was a whirlwind of constant garden care, due to the surprisingly lengthy heat wave. We are used to hitting or hovering close to the 100 degree mark for a week or so in July, but this year we've had a three week heatwave that has only just today allowed a storm system to creep in and drop a minuscule amount of rain.  The cloud cover has blessedly encouraged a brief drop in temperature, and while the evenings of the last several weeks refused to let the heat go as dusk settled in, we are finally experiencing some cooler nights.

Last night there was a small First Harvest celebration at my friend's farm, where we tasted the first corn of her crop (the very crop that was just thigh-high two weeks ago in the last post!)  The corn is tender and perfect, but not quite as sweet or full as my friend would like it, and so the first real picking for public consumption will happen later this coming week. It's miraculous what some water and sun will do to that field in just a few days.

Whether the corn was up to her standards or not, we had a grand time last night moaning over the kernels popping in our mouths, butter dripping off our lips.  There was talk of the harvests of our lives, and seasons passing, and of how many years we'd been gathering as friends to cheer each other on, or simply hold each other up.  

There will be another feast yet. When the corn is good and ready, we'll invite not just our closest friends, but throw the gates wide and welcome all who want to take part in the celebration of the culmination of another planting season.  There will be corn fritters, and corn chowder, and my friend's spicy tequila butter sauce for those who like their corn on the cob with a little kick.  I'll be sure to share the recipes!

In the between time, before we notice the sumac start to turn from deepest green to blazing red, while we still run to the lakes for respite and eat entire meals around a bbq (or right out of the garden,) I'm wishing you a grand First Harvest, Lughnasadh, Lammas, or whatever observance you might be enjoying at the moment.  

Even if it is simply the celebration of the perfect cob of corn!

Farmers Market Saturday

I'm ashamed to say that I've not gone to our local farmers market much this summer.  But I do have a good excuse.  While I heartily advocate supporting your local farmers, especially if you do not have your own garden, I have more produce than I know what to do with this year.  My mother and I have already made two batches of salsa and numerous jars of jam and I've dried a dozen or so varieties herbs, tinctured several more and am handing out veggies to all my neighbours.  The extra garden plots this year have created our own little farm and we are terribly busy trying to keep up.

Meanwhile, at the market, the root veggies are center stage.  I grow these golden beets - they are SO good for roasting or tossing on the BBQ.  Also - tomatoes are everywhere.  I love picking up the heirloom tomatoes at the market as I don't grow those varieties.

Summer squash is everywhere too, and our plants are popping out a good crop of sweet squash that will last us through the winter.  The potatoes are slowly being dug and the onions are drying nicely in the basement.  The only thing that didn't do well this year was the cucumber - we tried it in a pot, but it wasn't happy there.  Luckily, the farmers market can hook us up!

Above is the yellow variety of tomato I grew this year.  Large, beefstake-type tomatoes that are very fleshy but low acid.  I've lost the name of this variety, but I'm very happy with it and will grow it again next year.  I usually stick to paste/Roma tomatoes because I love them for bruschetta, in salsa and in sauces, but these yellow ones are keepers I think.

Below is just the little basket I picked this morning for a friend.  Multi-coloured beets and carrots, yellow and red tomatoes, beet greens and a little calendula flower along for the ride.

I hope you've had a lovely harvest in the garden or at the farmers markets this year!

Farmers Market Saturday - October Harvest

The first day of October came on grey and wet, but that didn't dampen our spirits.  My mom, my niece, a friend and her kids and I all piled into a couple vehicles and headed to the farm stands for canning tomatoes, squash and perhaps a few pumpkins...

We had far too much fun and piled the cars far too full with goodies.  I found a few squash I haven't tried before, and picked up some veggies to make some soup.  A white Lumina pumpkin and a few other Cinderella-type pumpkins ended up in my car too.  I don't know how that happened...

Hope your October has arrived with magic and abundance!

Farmers Market Saturday - Community Garden Edition

For those that live the apartment life, having a large garden plot seems like merely a dream.  But if you live in a town that boasts a community garden, this dream can be a reality.  For a membership fee to the local community garden association , or a seasonal rental fee, you can till, plant and harvest your own plot of land. 

In many of the towns in the Valley where I live, community gardens are a happy alternative to container gardening on small apartment balconies.  I visited a garden today and took some photos so that you could see what some people do with these prized plots.

Veggies and flowers share space in many of the plots in this community garden.

I talked to a gentleman here, who said his pumpkins were 'volunteers.'  Possibly as a result of the lovely compost pile all the gardeners shared!

Some people were inspired to bring in garden art.

Some created little vignettes and 'rooms' in their plots.

I saw a few plots that boasted only cutting flowers.  Being that the weekly farmers market was just down the hill, perhaps they felt their garden plots were better served by colour and fragrance than by taste.

This website is one small example of a community garden plot listing (in this case, for the Vancouver, BC area.)

I googled "community garden plots" and thousands of results came up, so if you are looking for a plot in your area, search with your community name and you might be surprised what you find.  Community gardens are becoming very common place these days!

Farmers Market Saturday - Pumpkins!

Today at the farmers market, I saw the first pumpkin for sale! 

Never one to pass up an opportunity to score a pumpkin, I went for the handsome squash, only to be foiled by the little boy in front of me, who had convinced his mother to buy it for him.  In an effort to console myself I came home and dug through some Autumn decorations and then went through my recipe box and pulled out a few pumpkin recipes to try (I still have frozen pumpkin in my freezer from last Halloween's jacks.)

While I was in the pumpkin mood, I tracked down a few pumpkin festivals that sound too good to miss.  If you are in the area, check out these popular pumpkin parties:

Keene Pumpkin Festival in Keene, NH on October 22, 2011.

Halloween in Central Park in Manhattan, NY - October 9 through the 31st.

Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Fest in Half Moon Bay, CA - October 15 & 16, 2011.

South Jersey Pumpkin Show in Egg Harbor, NJ - October 8-9th, 2011

Festival of Pumpkins in Snohomish Valley, WA - throughout September & October at multiple farms.

Circleville Pumpkin Show in Circleville, OH - October 19-22, 2011.

Nanaimo Pumpkin Fest, Nanaimo, BC, Canada - October 16, 2011.

There are so many more too!  Check out your local farms and other agricultural organizations to see if they have any Autumn themed festivals planned.  There are many farms that turn their corn fields into mazes and open their pumpkin patches for picking.

With a bit of planning, you can stretch Summer's harvest into an abundant Autumn by making your way to your local farms and festivals this September and October.  Enjoy!

Farmers Market Saturday

Spotted at the local farmers market yesterday:

Clever signage made with kitchen utensils:

Plump red onions:

Gorgeous Delphinium:  Mine fell to mold this year with the very wet Spring/early Summer.  I chopped it down with sadness, but was thrilled to see last week that it had grown back, bushy and healthy!

Puppy dog tails:

Tiny peppers:  (I bought a good handfull of these cuties!)

The piper:

It's definitely pepper season!

When I saw these from the other side of the market, my heart skipped a beat.  I thought they were pumpkins!  I'm not a fan of spaghetti squash, but I almost bought one of these just for decoration.

Another successful market shop.  I came home loaded down with goodies.  I had fresh bruschetta last night on organic garlic and herb baguette, all from ingredients brought home from the market - yum!

I notice that my posts this Summer are almost primarily about gardens, farmers markets and fruit stands.  I do get rather occupied by Nature's abundance this time of year!

Farmers Market Saturday - Leftovers and Lughnassadh

Last Saturday I bought some mullberries and piled them on ice cream and in smoothies and snacked away whenever I wandered by the bowl of that pretty purple fruit.  But by mid-week I was tired of eating them 'as-is' and worried that they wouldn't keep much longer.

The only downside to farmers market buying is that you are often at the mercy of the seller's portions.  Things like berries are too delicate to be massed into large boxes and then scooped out and weighed according to the purchaser's desired amount.

So, a girl on her own like me finds that a large basket of berries is sometimes too much to eat quickly, before they spoil.  Not one to let anything go to waste, I made a quick jam of these mullberries when I realized I wouldn't be able to keep them whole and fresh much longer.

Refrigerator jams are super-quick and easy (exactly how I like to cook!)  You simply place your fruit in a saucepan, add sugar, cook until you get a nice boil and the fruit thickens, then remove from heat, pour into jars and cool.  Use on toast or if your jam is a bit thin, you can use it syrup-style on pancakes. 

For the mullberries (which aren't a super sweet berry) I used 2 cups of berries and just under 1/2 cup of sugar.  It's very simple to put a teaspoon of your mixture on a plate, let it cool a bit and taste - then add more sugar if you need to.

Today, in lieu of the market, I spent the morning in the garden and then made some bread (in the magickal breadmaker) for Lughnanssadh.  I hope your First Harvest is abundant and blessed!

(picture linked to provider site)

Farmers Market Saturday - Ingredients for Sunday Dinner!

The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.  ~Galileo

Yesterday's finds at the farmers market have inspired tonight's dinner of bruschetta, a fun salad mix and mullberries over ice cream for dessert - yum!

Look at these lovely heirloom tomatoes!

Pretty purple mullberries.

The first apricots - one of my favourite fruits! 

I bought this funky salad mix, which includes some nasturtiums, mixed greens, multicoloured carrots, baby beets and some herbs.

And today, on a stroll with a friend and her sweet daughters, I had a little taste of wild raspberries.  Nature is just showing off this time of year - and I love it!

Something to think about if you don't have the time or ability to get out to a farmers market near you, is Community Supported Agriculture.  These programs pair consumers with local farms that offer boxes of in-season produce.  Usually the consumer picks up the box at a designated location every week, or every other week, but home delivery is sometimes available.  The boxes are filled with an assortment of fresh produce grown in your area and are reasonably priced.

Local Harvest has a page that helps you find a CSA program near you (if you are in the USA.)  You can also search online for programs in your area.  We have a program here in the Valley, and there are many across Canada.

See - there's no excuse for not eating local! 

Summer Storms & Sunflowers

This is a picture of the general state of our skies this past weekend...and currently.  We seem to be getting some good July rain this year, which is great to keep forest fires down, but not so great for the fruit crops that are running about three weeks late here in the Valley.

I wasn't up to putting on my galoshes for the farmers market on Saturday, so my veggie drawer in my fridge is sadly lacking this week.  Luckily the garden is giving baby carrots, beet greens, self-sowed lettuce that just popped up out of the blue and a purple pepper.  I'm hardly suffering.

I am however, mourning the loss of my yearly sowing of sunflowers.  I didn't put any in this year, and I couldn't seem to sneek any seeds into my mom's garden without her hawk eyes seeing the seedlings and pulling them out.  So they take over the whole bed, leave a mess of seeds and giant root balls behind...what's not to love?

In my search for sunflower love online, I came across a couple towns that have festivals named after the pretty yellow plants.  So this is your (belated) farmers market/festival advice for this week:

If you are in or around Mayville, MI this weekend, stop and see some of the great events at their Mayville Sunflower Festival!

Picture from Mayville Sunflower Festival website (linked) 

 Also - planning ahead - if you are in the La Porte, IN area in September, check out their 13th Annual Sunflower Fair on September 17th.

I'm a big fan of any kind of festival that supports your local businesses, charities and agriculture!

And hopefully with a bit of sunshine and some perseverance (with a good dose of invisibility potion) my mother won't notice that one little sunflower seedling I've hid away in the back of her acorn squash bed!



Farmers Market Saturday

While some farmers markets are quaint affairs featuring the farmer down the block, other markets are a full-day destination.  Detroit's Eastern Farmer Market spans an impressive 6 blocks and boasts over 250 vendors - take a look! 

Fair warning to all vegetarians:  there is some serious BBQ in this video:

Farmers Market Saturday - Farm Stand Tour

I know I've spoken of farm stands before, but I'm going to sing their praises again!  Today, instead of hitting the farmers market, I took my younger niece to the next valley to check out the farm stands.  The great thing about a farm stand trip (besides the obvious goodies) is the drive in the country.  This time of year, with everything in bloom, the warm sunshine and the scent of cut hay in the fields, is the perfect time to take a scenic drive out to the farm stands.

The small town I drive out to has about a dozen stands along the roadside.  You have to hit at least three of them each time you go, just to see what's in season and what specialties they offer.  In season now:  cherries!

And tomatoes!  Although these are a bit unripe for me.

One must-stop stand for me is the place that sells fresh Samosas.  I treat myself to one or two of these amazing Indian delights whenever I'm in the area.

My niece liked them too.

On the way out of town we spotted this funky frog welcoming visitors to an antique store.

A perfect day.

Take a drive this Summer and see if you can spot a farm stand in your area.  Support your local farmers and take home some wonderful produce!