I went to the farmers market in the Small City on Thursday. Because, you know, I don't have ENOUGH produce sitting around in the garden and on my counters, breeding fruit flies in the dozens and forcing me to spend my every waking non-Cubby-wrangling moment canning, freezing, or otherwise preserving things.
I'm getting a little nuts, I think. That happens this time of year.
ANYWAY.
Because I am nuts, I went to the farmers market to fill in the gaps from our garden. Gaps like having no more bell peppers because the plants I think got too much nitrogen from the sheep-shit straw and grew huge and leafy without actually producing a whole lot of peppers. Useful.
Gaps like no eggplants because the eggplants were attacked by flea beetles, probably didn't get enough moisture, and also may be in a bit of a shady spot during some parts of the day.
I am a Master Gardener, yes.
Also gaps like needing multiple ears of corn. Because who can face the winter with a freezer barren of maquechoux? Not me. And certainly not the MiL, who loves that stuff even more than I do.
So off Cubby and I went to visit the real farmers and stock up. And home we came with two large eggplants, several bell peppers, and three dozen ears of corn. The eggplants are still in the refrigerator, awaiting their fate in eggplant parmesan (the highest calling for an eggplant, in my opinion), there are still a couple of the bell peppers awaiting the next round of salsa-making, and the rest of the peppers and two dozen ears of corn went into a double batch of maquechoux. The other dozen was blanched and cut off the cob for freezing plain.
Did you know cutting the kernels off of three dozen ears of corn causes significant hand cramping? Yes. Although at least I didn't have corn kernels all over the floor, thanks to the magic bundt pan!
And now that I have mostly disposed of the farmers market produce, I can get back to my own hot peppers and peaches and pears and tomatoestomatoestomatoes forever and ever.
Is it winter yet?
5 comments:
Somehow I missed the magic bundt pan trick the first time around. Oh the shame! But now I am sufficiently informed and shall never again have to endure bouncing kernels.
Thank you.
I'm looking into the magic bundt pan trick now! I bought a gadget for cutting the kernels off the cob; I love it, but the hand cramping is still an issue. Messes? Not too bad; I have a BIG bowl.
Sounds like fun.
Maybe you should've lugged a few tomatoes with you and sold them or traded them for pears. :) Beth
Was the market well organized , where you impressed on how it was run , did you find everything you wanted and more?
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annie's other dog
Beth: It's a good enough farmers market for my needs. It's been around for awhile, but it's in a pretty small city, so it's mostly just utilitarian, you know? It's not at all trendy in the way some farmers markets I've been to are. No people selling cooked food or anything exotic, just about a dozen farmers under awnings selling corn, tomatoes, green beans, etc. I always find what I need there, but then, I don't usually need much. Since I am, in a way, my own farmers market.
ACK! I haven't made your maquechoux yet! Because I didn't grow corn! And never go to the farmer's market for the exact reasons you pointed out!
I must find corn...
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