I know I’ve said this before…but there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING like eating summer fruits out of hand and in season. That means eating local…from the field to the market to mouth. And it’s a race against the calendar and Mother Nature to match your consumption with her production. Especially since you just couldn’t resist that last bushel of farm-stand peaches.
But, no judging… there is also absolutely nothing wrong with making this local season last into the next one. It just takes a little work and a few well-spent hours. Fun for the whole family!
Let’s start with those twelve over-ripe peaches…OK, eleven, because quality control, right? Set a pot of water to boil, drop each peach in for a 30-second swirl and remove. Slip off the skin and slice into a bowl. Eat several slices because, well…just because. Toss the rest with a couple of teaspoons of sugar and the juice of one lemon. Don’t eat any more! You’ll thank yourself in December. Now here’s the trick: lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze for at least 4 hours. Place in a freezer bag, with all the air removed, and give them a spot in your freezer. MOST IMPORTANT: Remember that you did this!
Oh…you also came home with an extra dozen ears of corn? No problem. But requiring a little more work and a skosh more freezer space. Corn can be frozen with great results, and if you’re going to eat it in the next two or three weeks, you can even freeze it lazy-man style, right in the husk. But for that fresh taste come Thanksgiving, you gotta put in the time up front. Husk, blanch (a 30-second swim in boiling H2O), cool and drop into storage bags. Seal with all air removed. The reward for all this will come when the corn gets more applause than the turkey.
And weren’t this year’s melons stuff to write home about!?! Watermelon red, cantaloupe orange or yellow green honeydews…Cut into chunks, or pureéd for smoothies, or into balls for frozen treats, melon balls can last in the freezer for months.
Of course, if you’ve already got a freezer full of hulled strawberries and blueberries, this might be the time to think about logistics and spatial relationships. Nice problem to have, though.
My favorite and easiest thing to freeze: Grapes! Seriously, have you ever? Word: Keep a stash on hand. A frozen grape on a hot day is like a party in your mouth! It all started as a weight loss tip but quickly went rogue when I discovered that it was also the way to quickly chill a glass of wine without diluting it with ice (we’re not animals!). Hey, sometimes ya gotta think outside the box…or bottle.
Or, like yours truly, you can just enjoy the gifts of each season in their time, knowing that the wait will be worth it. By October, I’m totally into those apples.
So, as we slide our way into the cooler weather, we’ll have even more energy for all the activities coming to the Avenue…like Arts on the Avenue, Oct. 3. If you haven’t yet signed up to volunteer, there’s still time and there’s still need. Go here: Arts on the Avenue Volunteers.
And lots more…so be sure, after reading this page (and BTW, thanks!) to go back and read the rest of the
newsletter. Otherwise, how would you know that OPEN SOUND is back at the Landing! Yay! Or that the LEDC is looking for your photos for the 2022 edition of the highly collectible LEDC Calendar. But ya gotta read to get the details.
Here’s lookin’ at you, Autumn!
Terry Baraldi