Salad for dinner

After a few weeks of not having salad greens, they are back! It was so sad to see many of you coming to the market stand with hope in your eyes, asking: "salad"? While nothing compares to fresh field greens, many of you have tried a nice alternative using swiss chard or the beets and beet greens. For those that didn't get it, here is a link to the beet and peach salad recipe I had at market last week: Beat, Peach, and Goat Cheese Salad

While I am happy to be able to offer the salad greens again, it makes me think about all the disappointing weeks without it as well as other crops that I had expected to offer but failed to due to pest/disease pressure, uncharacteristic weather, failed germination, or farmer error. I do not like disappointing any of my market customers, but this is why I have decided to do the farmers market rather than rush into a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I need to work out the kinks in the plan, and most importantly learn how to arrange for a Plan B, when the unexpected, inevitably, happens.

I feel confident in my summer offerings, and as they wane I am excited for market customers to taste the bounty of the Fall harvest. Hopefully I will have something you have never tried before to keep your Fall cooking just as exciting as your Summer was.

Turning water green

Working with tomatoes, either pruning, trellising, or harvesting, will turn hands a dark black color from the plants. And once washed, the soap and water turn a bright green color. That's what happened to me after a great, long tomato harvest this afternoon. I'm not sure how many (thousands!!) of pounds I picked today. But, I love washing all the dense, green powder off my hands and arms knowing there will be loads of delicious heirloom tomatoes at market tomorrow. 

 

The above picture is of the Prudens Purple tomato. Accompanying them at market will be Striped German (an orange and yellow tomato that has the most superior taste) and sweet, sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes.


All the picking and green powder is worth it when we finally sit down to a comforting dinner of our own tomato soup.

New Market

We had a change in plans for our summer farmers markets. We are no longer attending the Westcott Community Market, and are sad to say goodbye to that community. We decided we needed a weekend market to allow more time between harvests, and have joined the Cazenovia Farmers Market on Saturdays. It's held right in the town center on Albany Street from 9am-4pm. The above is a picture of our first week there. We have had two markets now and are getting to know some very nice people and hardworking farmers. There is no bigger compliment than to have people come back to purchase produce week after week.

We are greatly enjoying the downtown Syracuse farmers market and feel like our little farm has found a permanent home there. We have many customers that have become more like friends; smiling when they come to the stand, telling us about the delicious foods they made that week and even sharing the recipes with us. While a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is in our near future, we will hope to keep this market.

Stop by and see us there. The heirloom tomatoes are starting!!