It happens every year…and every year we’re just as surprised and unprepared for it. Sometime during the night, August slipped out of town and left us with September, with an energy all its own. To resist is futile. August isn’t coming back.
But we had a warning…Yep. There’s always that week in August, when it happens… You all saw them, didn’t you? Sitting on the produce tables? Oh, just a few of them, to be sure…pale green, yellow or blushing rose. Apples…and in my head I hear a guitar shriek. It’s coming…September.
OK…maybe a little dramatic. After all, it’s still warm, still shorts and sandals, and the peaches, tomatoes and melons are still the stars of the show. Actually, there’s quite a bit of summer still to be had in September, just the right amount of warm days and cool evenings. We can still wear white (refer to last week’s article). And the produce still mostly looks and tastes like August. Yeah…we can learn to love September. So let’s dial back the panic level and slow the pace. OK? Lesson one: Don’t buy by the bushel unless you’re gonna have a way to get rid of whatever it is while the gettin’s good, or if you have canning skills or capacious freezer space. Or like me, you buy just enough, enjoy the season and let it go.
But before those peaches go away, and while the BBQ urge is still strong, have you tried grilling them? Of course, you’ll need freestones so that each half has that nice cavity to fill with things like honey or butter, brown sugar and spice. Put them cut side up in a shallow pan, or on foil, gently puncture them (careful…don’t break the skin) and just let the heat do the rest. Uh huh…that’s what I’m talking’ about. Of course you can freeze them, but I don’t.
Same goes for those watermelons…it’s hard to buy one that two people can consume in a week…although we surely do give it the old college try. But if you must, because it really is mostly water, it does freeze and thaw close to the original. Watermelon, BTW, because it contains numerous nutrients that plain H2O lacks, hydrates better than plain water.
Now tomatoes present a different set of rules…If you’ve learned my handy grating tip, you can and should freeze as much pulp as you can. Store by the quart for making gravy (OK, sauce) or by the cube to drop into soups or glazes. Stock up now and find where you put that box grater.
So come share September’s song with us at the LFM. Enjoy good food and each other’s company. Still time to meet up with old friends and to make new ones. Maybe with that person in front of you in line at the produce tent, or who shares a love of pets or crafts…or craft beer and beverages…Yeah, we’ve got that!
This week in the Artist Tent: George the Leather Man. Get a head start on your holiday shopping.
Don’t forget to read all of the Lansdowne Link newsletter for the full schedule of vendors, and for other important dates on the Lansdowne calendar.
See you at the Market…maybe bring a sweater!
Terry Baraldi