Our outdoor farmer's market season here in upstate New York is drawing to a close. By November, the bitter winds will be blowing. One of the few markets that will stay open outdoors (partially because it is not truly outdoors) is the
market in Ithaca, New York, home of Cornell University.
Today, we visited Ithaca. It was about 9:30 in the morning, and it was, rare this month, already sunny. Because of our unusually warm temperatures, we've had a lot of foggy mornings. But, this is what we saw upon arrival at the Ithaca farmer's market:
Peppers on fire, next to glowing (to the right) fennel bulbs. Sun!
Yes, we did buy some red peppers today - we are so lucky still to be getting peppers out of the market. Usually, at least in the Johnson City area, they are done by now.
Doesn't that picture make you feel hungry? If not, try this one.
Another visual treat was another new squash variety, Jester. Last week, I blogged about another new winter squash variety we saw in Ithaca, the
Honeynut. We had already bought some more Honeynuts when we saw this. We decided not to try it, but after reading this recipe for
Jester squash stuffed with apples, I'm already regretting the decision. We had bought some heirloom apples (I'll blog about them later this month) and one would have been just perfect for this recipe.
Ithaca is a "green" city in many ways, and the Farmers Market is no exception. Many of the vendors sell organic produce. Waste is composted, and has been for some five years now. Everything given to customers must be recyclable or decomposable, from coffee cups to plastic bags for produce, to plates the many food vendors use. And as for plastic, the sign above (hard to read due to sun glare, but I will not apologize for the sun being out for once!) explains how the market had intended to eliminate "single use" plastic by the beginning of this year - but this has been delayed.
You can
even get married at the Market (after hours!)
Fall - it's nice it's here but it's even nicer to have late summer weather instead. Just my opinion!
Do you have a favorite fall food?
You are making me miss upstate NY. I was born and raised in Middletown, NY and fall is my favorite time of year. I live in Oregon now and much of Oregon is eco friendly, many cities have even banned plastic shopping bags. I went into the Target in Eugene, Oregon yesterday and happy to see they only have paper bags now. Thanks for a fun post - I am now going to check out the Jester squash recipe!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that recipe (which I haven't tried) would work with either Delicata or Acorn squash, the parents of Jester. Sorry to make you homesick - I visited Oregon once, years, ago, and I hope I can again one day. We pass through Middletown (on Rt 17) several times a year visiting my mother in law downstate, but we never stop. We should!
DeleteOoh, yum. This looks like a great market.
ReplyDeleteI love the peppers and fennel but I've never heard of Jester squash here in the UK. Will have to investigate :-)
I've never seen Jester locally here before, either. Reading about it online, I'm sorry I didn't buy one to try. Good luck in finding it - it sounds like it tastes better than either of its parents, but that may just be a matter of opinion.
DeleteI love all your beautiful colorful pictures. The farmers Market is a great place, I love to get fresh fruit and veggies there. It is also a great place to see all the wonderful new kinds of foods.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Renee. A good farmers market is a visual feast. And then you get to take it home and feast on it again.
DeleteLate summer is fantastic, in my opinion. I'm afraid the season has advanced to autumn here in England today. Cold and wet. Half the leaves blew off the trees yesterday. I envy the people who can get married right beside the devilly hot peppers. What a memory that would make.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a "green" farmer's market, where even the coffee cups are biodegradable.
ReplyDelete