Fall is a good season to shop at farmers market

            Fall has officially arrived—according to both the calendar and the weather.  Brisk mornings and cool but sunny afternoons have made this week so pleasant.  Shoppers and vendors will need to remember to wear layers to market on Saturday to adjust as the morning progresses from a chilly start to warm by mid-day.  Also, please remember that Farmers’ Market continues until the end of October, so there are still several weeks left.  Many customers think it is almost over, but that is not true.  There is a lot of good produce still left to purchase over the next month.

            One of my favorite fall decorations are the beautiful orange berries of the bittersweet vine.  Yesterday, I made my annual hunt for this sometimes elusive plant.  I was in luck, as my usual spots were even more productive than in the past, so I was able to cut a lot of vines.  Unfortunately, bittersweet seems to thrive in the same conditions as poison ivy, so I was taking great risk in its gathering.  I did take precaution, however, by donning boots, overalls, and gloves.  As soon as I got back to the house, I immediately put my clothes in the washing machine and took a bath with Fels-Naptha soap.  Fortunately, I am not nearly as allergic to poison ivy as my mother, sister, and aunts, who all seem to end up covered in this pesky rash at least once a year.  I guess by this time next week, I’ll know whether or not I have been spared.

            Another sure sign of fall, are the great numbers of dew covered spider webs glistening in the morning sun.  As a self-professed hater of spiders, I have suddenly realized how much of my fear I have been able to overcome in the last few years.  Produce farming means daily interaction with spiders so I have had to learn to deal with them.  Don’t get me wrong, a really large spider will stop me in my tracks; but now I am able to calmly sidestep around it and go on about my picking.  Small spiders don’t even faze me these days. 

Over the last couple of weeks I have had guests visiting from outside of the United States.  They just couldn’t get over the abundance of spiders in Ohio.  One friend, had to point out that every time we rode in my vehicle she saw at least two spiders crawling around.  I had mostly stopped noticing them, except when I pulled down my visor and one fell down in front of my line of vision.  That is pretty startling and can be very dangerous.  I know a girl who had that very same thing happen to her and caused her to have a bad car accident.

            To deal with spiders in the house, my mother swears by her grandmother’s remedy, which is to place hedge apples around in the corners.  Hedge apples are what we call the fruit of the Osage Orange tree.  Place them in a small dish so they won’t leave marks on your floor.  Whether or not this actually works or is just an old wives’ tale is debatable, but it is tradition in our household.  I’ll let you be the judge if you try this method in your own home.

            Fall, of course, means it is time to start cooking winter squash.  Spaghetti squash is a variety that has grown increasingly popular in the last few years.  Here is a nice recipe from my go-to fall cookbook, “Pumpkins and Squash” by Kathleen Desmond Stang.

Spaghetti Squash with Mushroom Sauce

·         ½  med. spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise (I used the whole squash—seems silly to only use half and there was plenty of sauce for the whole thing.)

·         2 Tbsp. butter

·         1 Tbsp. olive oil

·         ¼ cup finely chopped shallots (I used onion)

·         2 large Portobello mushrooms, stems removed and cut into ½ in. thick slices and each slice halved

·         4 large cremini or white button mushrooms, cut into ¼ in. thick slices

·         1/3 cup dry white wine

·         2 Tbsp. minced fresh flat leaf parsley

·         1/ tsp. fresh thyme

·         ¼ cup heavy cream

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the spaghetti squash by placing the squash, cut side down, on a baking dish.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 50-70, or until strands can be easily scraped from shell with a fork.  Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallot (onion) and sauté for about 5 min.  Add the mushrooms and sauté about 5 min. more, or until soft.  Stir in the wine and cook until the liquid is reduced to about 3 tablespoons.  Stir in the parsley and thyme.  Add the cream and heat until warmed through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the mushroom sauce over the hot spaghetti squash.  Serve warm.