August 15, 2018
Rumor has it that last Wednesday was National Sneak a Zucchini onto your Neighbor’s Porch Day. I didn’t…couldn’t…make this stuff up.
And just yesterday, right on schedule, my neighbor (you know who you are) appeared at my doorstep with a basket full of peppers, squashes and some lovely roma tomatoes (a la San Marzano) that I immediately turned into the base for my next batch of red gravy.* Thanks, D.!
I, in turn, shared some of my LFM nectarines and some homemade pesto to freeze for dropping into those winter soups and stews.
And that’s what it’s like to live here in Lansdowne. Nothing goes to waste (who isn’t on Buy Nothing Lansdowne?) and one good turn always engenders another.
*Life hack: Halve the tomato, hold over a bowl, and have at it with the large side of a box grater. No peeling necessary. Use immediately for a super-fresh, made-in-minutes marinara or freeze for future.
Sometimes there’s maybe too much of a good thing. And overnight those delicate golden zucchini blossoms have morphed into an army of 2 lb. green monsters…hence the quaint custom of unloading them, under cover of darkness, on unsuspecting friends and neighbors. But instead of sneaking them onto porches, how about hiding them in plain sight right in your own kitchen?
The briefest excursion onto “the Google” will turn up dozens, possibly hundreds (or at least 47) recipes to put the sweat of your brow back onto your own table…OK, maybe that isn’t the most appetizing marketing pitch…but my point is that there are good eats in even the biggest zucchini (which, BTW, in Tuscany translates to “little squash”). Think beyond the usual breads and cakes and cookies…sneak it into rice dishes and frittatas, go Asian with some peanuts in a stir-fry, even potato puffs and snack chips! Maybe treat yourself to one of those fancy tools that’ll turn them into spirals and vegan spaghetti. Whee! And for that humongous one that snuck up on you…stuff that baby with anything, sprinkle it with parmesan, and call yourself a chef! Invite the neighbor to dinner and share it that way instead of the old sneak attack.
But back to the Farmers Market…where once again we won the race last week with yet another storm front. We are getting good at this. Speaking of storms…happily, after last week’s crop kerfuffle, Mitch and Green Zebra were back in their spot with those technicolor heritage tomatoes. DID YOU KNOW that high temps and a sudden overdose of H2O can split the skin of what yesterday was a perfectly ripe tomato? Sometimes we forget, as we pick and choose our produce, that farming is not for the faint of heart…it’s a game of equal parts sweat and hope. So, remember to thank the farmers!
A prodigious peach season! Buy as many as you can afford and get ‘em into the freezer for winter baking. Blueberries, too. And is there anything more heady than the smell of a ripe melon? ‘Tis the season for those ovoid jersey ‘lopes, and sugar baby watermelons. Can’t eat a whole one? Go halvsies with a friend, or maybe just treat a senior or shut-in who would otherwise be without. That makes them even sweeter.
Sara Burns and Kiss My Soul Naturals will be back, as a follow-up to her recent turn at the LEDC Utility Works. Sara’s soy candles are my favorites; they seem to tap into my best memories of places and people long gone. One even reminds me of my dad’s pipe. And as the weather gradually moves us indoors, they are my go-to mood elevators.
In the music tent: Rock ’n roll with singer/songwriter Charlie Bell and his cool guitar.
Artist of the week: Deramics. Deanna Haldeman brings her assortment of fine and functional pottery items…mugs, bowls and her popular luminaria.
ATTENTION LFM SHOPPERS: The LEDC will be selling LEDC/Market merchandise this Saturday, including cooler bags and custom-made screen-print t-shirts. Show your Market some love in a Fresh and Friendly Farmers Market t-Shirt.
Guest Community Table: WIC / FMNP Coupon Program to aid in good nutrition for women, children and seniors. Click here to learn more about who is eligible and how the program works.
Check out the rest of this newsletter for what’s happening around the town…like the first ever Quizzo match on the Lansdowne Landing, happening this Friday (which as you read this might be tomorrow or yesterday.)
And as always, stay on top of all things LFM by visiting us on FaceBook.
See you there…
-Terry Baraldi, A Voice in the Village