Focus on Life: Week 33 ~ In season

Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime is hosting a year long challenge which is... sublime... as you'd expect with such a studio name. The challenge is named 'Focusing on Life' and every week Sally is sending a prompt on what should we focus the following week.

Her prompt this week is to 'do some investigating and search for what's in season where you live'.

That's easy-peasy, lemon squeezy :)

See, I live in the Niagara Peninsula, in an amazing geographical area where the harvest just started for pretty much anything and everything. On top of that, about 10 minutes away from home, we have a Farmer's Market 3 times a week: Wednesdays, Fridays and  Saturdays from May 1st to November 1st: 6 months full of freshness and the pleasure of talking with real people, the farmers who actually know how they grew their produce and when certain veggies or fruits will be best (they even have recipes to share!)

Being on vacation for the past 2 week I missed the market for a full 3 weeks and today I found myself unable to wait: I woke up at 6:00 am (I am the 7:30 - 8:00 am person) and I left house before 8 to be there, at the market, when it opens, promptly at 8:00. The farmers hadn't even managed to get everything out, no prices where posted (but it's extremely easy to ask and find out :) ), and the market wasn't crowded so I had the pleasure of roaming around and fill my car in about 30 minutes.

And fill I did - after getting back to the car with a helper from the first booth I tried to explain my inability to stop adding items in the basket: I really, really missed the market these 3 weeks. Apparently I need this roaming through fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs laid by free roaming hens, flowers that you can't get in a store and made in splendid bouquets, fresh honey and honey comb, cheese, baked goods, and what not. You name it, we probably have it at the market :)

This is my 'crop' for today:

I had to have the Hungarian peppers bushel (with the promise the shepherd peppers will be next, a couple of weeks) and I found a cabbage with thin leaves. I also found (the farmer is my favourite one for many reasons, one of them being that he plays classical music in his 'booth' :) ) that I need to wait until end of September for the sauerkraut cabbage - which I will, but I will try to pickle this one too, just in case :)

There are fruits: late summer strawberries (incredibly sweet), huge blackberries, blueberries, peaches (the Winona Peach Festival is next weekend!), apricots, grapes (from Niagara region, picked up yesterday)...

More fruits: raspberries, and another type of peaches - plus some fresh sweet corn:

There is no successful visit to the market without flowers: sun flowers to brighten up the fireplace mantel, carnation, and my favourite summer flower... I forgot its name again!

Aren't these grapes delicious?! They make a great wine - and they are also nice for eating (being seedless). Yummy

Let's not forget the plums - a variety of them. Hubby mumbled I should go back and by more of the black (purple) ones, to make him plum dumplings. Now that he mentioned it - I should do that!

My favourite farmer (see above) brings the tastiest tomatoes: beefsteak tomatoes. And at another booth I found these small green apples - I had to try them (haven't tasted them yet).

Here you have my favourite flowers again - it's a shame that no matter how many times the farmer or someone else tells me their name I promptly forget it :( Something with 'L'... they are late summer flowers... phew, I finally figured it out (after about 10 minutes of google-ing all sorts of combinations): lisianthus!

And that splendid sun face one more time - I can never get enough of the sun flowers: they inevitably remind me of my traveling back where I grew up, in the summer: there were never-ending fields of sun flower, next to never ending fields of corn :)

I don't know about you, but I am truly hungry right now - so I will let you admire the season products in everybody's region.

I presented you the Niagara Peninsula (South-Eastern Ontario, Canada) region - thanks for visiting!
If you are in the region, remember we have lots of fall fairs and festivals starting - and the Peach Festival next weekend (yummiest peach sundae ever!).

Please make sure you visit everybody else - we have gathered our crops at Miss Sally's as usual. She might not be up and running yet, but I'll have a link with the participants as soon as possible :)