Sunday, August 17, 2014

Thin Crowds for Peak Produce

Beets from North Star
When is the summer produce peak? Right now. Mid-August is when tomatos and corn are at their best, peaches are bountiful and beautiful, summer squash vines droop under the weight of fruit, and farmers harvest peppers by the truckload. Plus, we've still got some blueberries, blackberries are in full flavor, and late summer apples are ready for picking.

The irony is that on a mid-August Sunday, fewer people are in town to take advantage of the bonanza at farmers market like the one today at Headhouse Square. Certainly the market wasn't empty, but the crowds are thinner than in June or even early July. Everyone's at the shore or the Poconos or standing on line waiting to get into the Louvre.

But that's okay. That means there's more for you and me to gather on our weekly trip to the farmers' market.

Making its seasonal debut today at Headhouse was North Star Orchards, which specializes in apples and pears, but had plenty of vegetables, too, including gargantuan red and orange beets. Plus three varieties of apples.

Here are some more photos of finds at today's Headhouse Farmers' Market:

Ripe bell peppers from A.T. Buzby
Also from Buzby, Sicilia and common eggplants
Melon man from Tom Culton
Cherry tomatoes from Savoie Farm
Tomatillos from Blooming Glen Farm

1 comment:

Lisa from North Star Orchard said...

Excellent pic of our giant Rainbow beets - thanks! Those beauties are just one of many of Farmer Ike's fruit and vegetable breeding projects here at North Star. Although they are ginormous, they remain tender and sweet!

Other NSO-born-and-bred items to look for at the market include tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, peppers, peaches, and apples. We don't have our own home-developed varieties at the market every week, but they will come and go. Happy eating!

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