Fall Creeps In....

The last of the summer tomatoes....

Yesterdays weekly trip to the Farmer's Market was very nice for a couple of reasons. 1--we hit it earlier than normal, so we beat the crowd, and 2--Fall time produce is starting to show up. It was kinda sad to see that all the fresh corn from summer is gone. Last weekend, there was corn in every booth. Not anymore. There are still plenty of tomatoes and okra and peaches, but those will soon be phased out too.



Apples have arrived! Every type you could ever want is there and cheap too! We bought 3 varieties yesterday from one farmer for .89 a pound. When the grocery store is selling 'Imported from Chile' apples for $1.89 all the way up to $2.29 a pound, WHY wouldn't you by from the farmers???? Local and fresh is always gonna be better....and cheaper!


The Mums are starting to show up too. I love Mums! I'll wait a couple of more weeks and then I will load up the truck with pots of gigantic mums and place them on the steps leading up to our front door. Ahhhh....there is no doubt.....Fall is coming.....

Mum buds....

Mum-face

(This is so not my photo. I don't have
the camera to get this detail. This
is gorgeous.
Thanks, PDPhoto.org!)

Beans and Leeks and Peaches, Oh My!!

Humongous, bright pink Hibiscus at the
Farmer's Market this morning....

Yet another gorgeous Saturday morning and another fun visit to the NC State Farmer's Market. I'm so thrilled that my husband now joins me for these little trips and seems to enjoy it as much as I! It used to be only me who would go, which is fine, as I can walk around the market for a couple of hours with no problem. (our Farmer's Market is 75 acres big, so there is plenty to see!) Sal is more a 'get what you came for and leave' type of a shopper. I do coax him through the other buildings though and he'll usually find something new and yummy to try like homemade Chow-chow or jam or two. Either way, it's a fun morning out for hubby and wife. Wife especially likes it because it gives me a chance to snap off some photos. Today they are courtesy of my phone, which I have to say, does a pretty darn nice job in a pinch. You sure can find some gorgeous shapes and colors at the Farmer's Market for sure......

There are loads of peaches still....(new recipe below!)

a sea of peanuts....

green beans....

turnips--I don't eat them, but they take
a pretty picture!

With peaches in such abundance right now, I've been searching for new ways to use them. Peach Bread, anyone?! Try out this recipe!! It is super delicious eaten alone with coffee or with a little cream cheese on top or try it lightly toasted with butter.....ok, I'm drooling now....

Peach Bread

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh peaches
2 cups chunked fresh peaches
6 Tablespoons sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place 1 1/2 cup sliced peaches and 6 Tbls sugar in electric blender and process until pureed. Mix with the 2 cups of chunked peaches.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter; cream well. Add eggs and mix well. Add peach puree, peach chunks and dry ingredients, mixing only until ingredients are moistened. Stir in pecans (if using) and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 well-sprayed 9x5x3 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes in pans; turn out onto rack and let cool completely
Makes 2 loaves

Farm to Fork....

The outing to the Farmer's Market this weekend netted quite a bit of fresh goodies: peaches, tomatoes, okra, corn, lima beans and one honey stick for my daughter (her weekly request) from the Bee Blessed Pure Honey stand. How can you not love their name?!

I. love. okra. Unfortunately for my waist-line, I like it fried and as often as possible. However, I tried a new recipe last night out of the August edition of Southern Living magazine that showcased okra in an un-fried manner and it was outstanding! I used Chorizo instead of the smoked sausage only because I had it on hand. I think ground turkey, ground beef or cubed chicken would work wonderfully as the meat in this dish. It would be equally good with no meat, to be honest.....or with some pasta! It cooks up very fast, so it's a good last minute meal. Here's the recipe:

• 1/4 pound spicy smoked sausage, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 cup sliced fresh okra
• 1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced tomato (1/2 lb.)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Sauté sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until browned. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add corn, okra, and tomato; cook, stirring often, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Our Table Runneth Over.....

(gorgeous peppers....look at those colors!)

Sal and I went to the Farmer's Market again Saturday morning. I went specifically to purchase a pastry from the German Bakery there that I had seen the week before. It's called an 'Apple Purse' and after a fruitless (hahaha) on-line search to find a recipe, I knew I would have to buy one of theirs, eat it and figure out how they made it. It was a thick bread folded over a ribbon of apple filling. I gotta be honest....it was not good. And definitely not worth the $4 they charged me for it! I'll stick with my German Apple Cake recipe. Same premise and much tastier.

What we did walk away with were some other fresh goodies--peaches, butter beans and yellow squash. I also walked away with some pretty cool pictures of what will soon be the end of an amazing summer of yummmmmmy produce.....

Watermelon season is almost over.....

...in need of some brown sugar, cinnamon and butter....

...gorgeous tomatoes....

....all ears...


...and these make me think of Falltime....

I mentioned to Sal as we walked through that it would only be a few more weeks before the truck-loads of corn and melons were replaced with pumpkins. Orange globes as far as the eye can see. I can't wait to share those pictures with you.....it's insane!!!

A Tummy's Bounty....

Sal and I were up early this morning to hit two Farmer's Markets. One in Holly Springs and the other, the North Carolina State Farmer's Market--the big daddy one. The one in Holly Springs peaked my interest because of the amount of fresh herbs that were for sale. And fresh honey. Nothin' better! Then we jetted off to the big one.....

I love the N.C. State Farmer's Market. It is huge and has everything. This trip we picked up some apples and fresh shelled beans. So much inspiration, so little time....and tummy space!

T's waiting for a little B & L!

An army of Okra....

Peaches galore....