Nearly Over

This morning as I walked up to Market Square I realized that this was the next to the last Farmers Market of the season.

It's hard to say good-bye...
 

But temperatures are going down and holiday decorations are going up and I guess our farmers deserve a rest.

Actually, the Holiday Market will begin the first week of December and run for three weeks.  Although the focus is on crafts and gifts (or so I've heard), several of the farmers will have booths, so it isn't completely over yet.  The Holiday Market will open later in the day, around noon or thereabouts.

There is still plenty of produce to be found right now.  We haven't yet had a hard freeze and the cool weather means that lettuces and greens are again at their peak.  It goes around like that, you know -- we start the season with greens and end the season with the same greens.

Winter squash (butternut and acorn) are still plentiful; potatoes and sweet potatoes are better than any you can find at the grocery; broccoli and cauliflower are amazing; peppers seem to be everywhere; brussels sprouts are coming in; and, believe it or not, tomatoes are still out there and pretty dad gum good!




Can I mention broccoli again?

We have a new favorite dish of sautéed kale and broccoli, topped off with crispy bacon and toasted pine nuts.  I will share the recipe -- okay, not a RECIPE exactly -- I will share the METHOD in the next day or two.

But you don't need to do anything fancy with this stuff -- if you're in a hurry you can chop up the amount you want and microwave it with a tiny bit of water for just a couple of minutes, top with a sprinkle of grated parmesan, and you're ready to go.

If you're REALLY in a hurry, you can just eat it raw.

And if you cooked too much you can make it into a creamy cheesy soup or fold it into an omelet.

We've always eaten broccoli around here, but most of the time it came from a package in the freezer.  Now that I've gotten used to having it around fresh and raw, I'm going to keep it as long as I can find it.

Broccoli is my hero.  If I could think of anything that rhymed with the word "broccoli", I would probably write it a poem.  But I can't, so you're all safe.

For now....