Farmers Market Still Offers Plenty of Variety for Shoppers

Just because October is already more than halfway over, don’t think that there is not much left at Farmers’ Market.  There is always a wide selection of meat, cheese, and baked goods.  They are a staple at market regardless of the season.  As for the farmers, there are still plenty of fruits and vegetables available.

            This is certainly the year for apples with so many orchards producing an abundant crop.  Recently, as I was eating yet another apple, I had to stop and think about how many apples I had already eaten that day.  I couldn’t decide if it was number three or four and thought perhaps I didn’t need to eat yet another one.  I ate it anyway.  If the old saying--an apple a day keeps the doctor away--is true, I shouldn’t have to go to the doctor for a very long time.

            Now is the time to take advantage of the vegetables you won’t be able to buy locally or as fresh once market is over such as peppers, greens, and eggplant.  Also, it is time to start stocking up on items that you can store and use all winter long such as garlic, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.  Also, there are still plenty of autumn decorations to be had such as pumpkins, gourds, and Indian corn. 

I didn’t realize how much of the insect world I have been observing as I spend long hours in the field.  Clearly, I have been paying attention though, from the number of stories I have told in my recent articles.  Here are a couple more “bug” stories.

“Wooly worm” caterpillars are all over the place this time of year.  Usually, I find them on plant leaves but on a couple of occasions I have seen them in places I never would have expected.  The hottest pepper I grow is called Fatalli, which is nearly as hot as a Ghost pepper, and the other day there was a wooly worm on one of these peppers.  When I flicked it away, I saw that it had eaten nearly half of the pepper.  I would never have imagined that it would have eaten something so hot. 

A couple of days later I was digging sweet potatoes and there was a wooly worm eating a hole in one of the potatoes that was sticking out of the ground.  First of all, I was surprised that it could eat a thing as hard as a sweet potato and secondly, I was surprised by how much it had consumed.  The hole was nearly as big as a buckeye.  I feel a bit like I am witnessing pages out of Eric Carle’s, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” book. 

There are a lot of wives’ tales about wooly worms and what they predict about winter.  You hear things like all black means a bad winter and all brown means mild.  I really don’t believe in any of that, especially since I have seen wooly worms of every color this season.  However, I can’t help but wonder if the odd caterpillar eating habits I have observed are of any significance.

I got a little carried away when I planted my fall radishes.  I had a lot of seed leftover from the spring and just decided to use all of it.  Needless to say, I now have thousands of radishes out in the field—more than I could ever sell or use myself.  I am always looking for new ways to eat radishes so I was very pleased when I was sent the following recipe.  It comes from my friend Beth Cranford of Carrboro, North Carolina.  The combination of ginger and garlic, plus the kick of hot pepper, make this pickle brine outstanding.  I foresee making many jars in the near future.

Pickled Radishes

1 bunch radishes (I used an assortment of different colored radishes to make a very pretty jar.)

1.5 cups water

.5 cups apple cider vinegar

.25 cups sugar

1 tablespoon salt

3 cloves garlic, sliced thin

.25 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I used a fresh cayenne pepper, chopped)

1 inch of ginger peeled and cut into slices

Clean radishes and slice into rounds and place them in a quart jar.  Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve.  Taste and adjust seasoning if seems unbalanced.  Let the brine cool a bit, but while it is still hot add the garlic, ginger and red pepper.  Let cool to room temp and pour brine over radishes.  Put lid on jar and place in fridge.  Radishes will develop their flavor overnight and beyond.