in season - peonies, local strawberries and local rhubarb

This is one of my favourite times a year to visit our farmer's market as some of my favourite things are now in season.

A few weeks a year, locally grown Peonies are available and it's such a sight - pails and pails of blooms! And so reasonably priced, you can pick up an armful to enjoy a bunch in every room of the house.

Rhubarb is also still in season, and something I pick up each time I can. We never tire of Rhubarb Crumble Coffee Cake, or Rhubarb Almond Muffins, or a favourite of ours - Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble topped with Vanilla Ice Cream. I also freeze it to enjoy through out the summer.

And local Strawberries have become readily available, and while I will eventually get out to pick my own for jam, we still can't leave without two pints - one to eat and one to enjoy over waffles or with our yogurt.

Within a day or two the Peonies unfurl into the most beautiful flowers and they smell so pretty.

This weekend I also stopped by the Oliver and Rust parking lot sale and grabbed another one of my favourite locally made pillows. I also used my market tote which I brought back from Nantucket!

In Season - Peaches

Few things are more quintessentially summer than a sweet peach, with it's juice dripping down your hand as you bite into it, still warm from the market stand on a hot summer's day.

We eat quite a few peaches in the summer, usually just as they are, but occasionally they are enjoyed with our morning yogurt, or on top of our pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup.

Even their colouring is summery.

I think this week I may even can some peaches. I think the boys would love a few jars of peaches with a vanilla bean syrup for over ice cream, or even some peach jam, which would be a first for me.

And speaking of canning, I've discovered that we have what I believe to be a Crab Apple tree in our yard. Not only does this mean that I will be trying to make a batch or two of Crab Apple Jelly, but it means that we will have a tree that will be in bloom in the Spring.

This weekend we stopped by a local flea market. I brought home a small little basket for $5. It's actually the perfect little basket to ripen fruit in. It's often thought that the best way to ripen tomatoes or peaches would be to place them on a sunny windowsill. But actually, these fruits ripen best when stored in a paper bag in a dark place. So far, this little basket has worked well. Right now I have some beautiful Heirloom tomatoes ripening that I can't wait to enjoy.

Looking at this photo of my kitchen, I just realized that I really need to get around to sharing more before photos. Hopefully I will be able to share more soon.

In Season - Blueberries and Gladiolus

I brought the largest armful of Gladioli home from market this morning. 

There were buckets of them, all locally grown, making the entrance to market square bright and cheerful. Because they were sold by stem, I could chooe from a variety of colours. I assembled a bouquet with stems from all of the pink varieties they grew.

I also picked up a pint of local blueberries. Eventually the boys and I will head out and pick our own, but for now, I couldn't pass by them. They'll be enjoyed with breakfast tomorrow in our pancakes or on top of our yogurt with granola.