In Season

This weekend I stopped by one of the many farm stands down the road from us.

Whatever it is, be it the first ripe strawberries of late Spring, or crisp apples in Autumn, the anticipation of local fruit and vegetables being in season is always a wonderful thing.

And right now, there are countless things available to enjoy. I love being able to shop for all my produce and know that it's been grown in my own neighborhood. We live in the Niagara Green Belt, where perfect climates allow for us to grow a vast array of delicious crops.

This week, the board with the list of local produce available exceeded 25 items! 

Here's what came home in my basket.

Peaches are ripe for the picking and boy, do we love a ripe, juicy peach! Tonight we're going to try them grilled and drizzled with honey.

Strawberries are still available too. These barely make it home from the stand.

Roasted is really the only way I will eat brussel sprouts, though I have occasionally had them in a salad. I also want to try some refrigerator pickles, so I picked up some fresh dill and lots of garlic!

My Roma tomatoes are simmering on the oven with lots of garlic and fresh basil. I'd like to pick up at least another bushel and can some as tomato sauce and pizza sauce. And with all the tomatoes and peppers available, I think I might even try some salsa this year!

We also love blueberries! 

Some garlic and pretty, purple potatoes.

And lots of fragrant Basil, which was enjoyed that night with fresh mozzarella on homemade pizza.

They also had these white Begonias. They are beautiful, full baskets with pretty hanging blooms. And they were only $10!

I have a cabinet with shelves I'd like to bring in to use in our cold cellar. It will be perfect for all the canning I've been dreaming about doing!

The Market Stand

Fall has arrived at The Market Stand!

This is my sister Becki, her husband Nate, and their handsome son Levi. 

This past summer they started The Market Stand on their property in Fenwick. You can find everything from seasonal local produce, baked goods, flowers and farm fresh eggs.

Becki sources local fruits and vegetables that are in season from local farmers each day. The Niagara Region boasts an abundance of produce throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall months, so the stand is always changing.

The Market Stand is stocked with everything you need to welcome Autumn! An assortment of garden mums, pumpkins and gourds are ready to transform your porch for Fall. Apples, pears and squash are are perfect for those crumbles, pies and soups that this season calls for. Pick up a package of homemade ginger molasses cookies, or a sweet, gooey butter tart made with real maple syrup for later with coffee. Place your order now for fresh baked pies for Thanksgiving!

They're located on the corner of Highway 20 and Victoria Ave in Fenwick and are open Monday to Saturday from 8 to 6.

Stop in and bring home some Fall!

   

My mom does all of the canning (using the local produce from the stand) as well as all of the baking. What's available is always changing. There's always an assortment of cookies, and fresh butter tarts though and occasionally you can pick up a warm apple crisp or a pie, but they never last long.

My dad keeps the stand colorful with an assortment of mums and cut sunflowers, all of which are tucked among his ever-growing collection of antique implements.

Follow The Market Stand on Facebook for updates on what's in season and available!

Strawberry Picking

After spending this morning at an auction, I decided to take the boys strawberry picking at a farm down the road from us.

With all the rain we've had lately, the fields have been really wet and picking conditions haven't been ideal.  But as the season is quickly coming to a close, I put their rain boots on and out we went.

The berries were a little sparse from being picked over, but the few quarts I could get were well worth the effort. Plump strawberries, perfectly sun-kissed and sweet, are the perfect reward.

Though the boys were no help with the actual picking, they kept themselves entertained by climbing fruit trees and playing in the grass (and eating it).

He was so content when I finally let him out of the buggy.

Sweet Cherries are also in full swing! The trees are just exploding with bright red fruit. Last year, unseasonably warm weather and then a hard frost wiped out most of our cherry crops. So this is a welcomed sight.

I wasn't ambitious enough to pick any cherries, though it would have been much easier. I just picked up a quart on my way home (as well as a flat of already picked berries!).

I came home and spent the evening hulling berries and making jam. My 12 little jars of sweet, strawberry jam are under a towel on my counter. Every now and then I hear a pop. One will most definitely be opened with breakfast tomorrow.

And with that, canning season begins.