It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

Article for Georgia AgNews - July 2011

The words above are usually only heard in December, but with the height of harvest season upon us at local farmers markets, its like Christmas in July. The list of crops coming in from local farmers is becoming overwhelming. There also seems to be an overabundance of farmers this year. It’s definitely getting crowded at the markets.

Of course, it’s well into tomato season. Way back in May, when the markets first opened, everyone wanted tomatoes right away. Now that they are here, getting to the market early is the key to going home with ripe tomatoes. The crop this year is large, and the variety is impressive. There are the regular, round, red tomatoes everyone is so used to; but the heirloom tomato selection keeps growing each year. Look for some of the following at the Hall County markets: Polish Pastel, Black Krim, African Toga, Brandywine Yellow, Japanese Black Trifele, Hawaiian Pineapple, German Red Strawberry, and Carbon (winner of the “Heirloom Garden Show” best-tasting tomato award). There are also the traditional tomatoes: Brandywine, Cherokee, Boxcar Willie and Mortgage Lifter. Purchase a variety and give them a try. You may find your perfect tomato, and if you do, ask the farmer to plant it again for next year. And don’t be shy about asking for a taste of a tomato before buying – most farmers are glad to slice one for sampling.

Potato varieties are making a comeback, too. Kennebec White, Pontiac Red and Yukon Gold are a colorful selection to choose from. Kennebec Whites are good cooking potatoes that make an excellent, creamy mashed potato. Pontiac Reds are good roasting potatoes, also mashed or fried, a great all-around potato. Yukon Gold is the gourmet chef’s favorite, good mashed or lightly cooked for salad.

All kinds of beans are available now. The traditional beans such as Kentucky Blue, Blue Lake, White Half Runners and Kentucky Wonder Pole beans, as well as the stringless Fancy French and Maxibel French Filets offer a nice selection.

Carrots by the bunch are a great addition to the summer cook’s pantry. Freshly harvested orange carrots and purple carrots are good in salads, roasted with oranges and cumin, or sautéed in butter and finished with a glaze of orange juice or ginger ale.

Onions are a staple ingredient in all kinds of cooking and this year the harvest is large. Leeks are the elegant member of the allium family and are wonderful sautéed or pureed for leek and potato soup (Vichyssoise is the cold version of this soup). Garlic is also available.

Corn is beginning to be harvested. Golden Queen and Silver Queen are the most popular. Picked the day before or the day of the market assures a freshness you can’t get from the grocery store. As a treat try fresh corn this way: roast the corn in the hottest oven for 30-40 minutes in the husk, place on a big platter and take the husks off at table as you eat them. Serve with butter and salt. Ambrosia!
Cucumbers and bell peppers have been around for a month. Blend a cucumber with 5 tomatoes, 1 bell pepper, a clove of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and you have a refreshing gazpacho soup.

It wouldn’t be summer without more squash than you can shake a stick at. Yellow and Crookneck squash and zucchini are the most recognized, but try the pattypan squash, too. Pattypan squash resemble flying saucers and have a slightly sweeter taste. Eight Ball is a round 4-inch zucchini squash that is great for stuffing.

Okra is in season. Buy extra, clean and slice them and freeze for a taste of summer in January.

Eggplant is a great grilling vegetable. Ten minutes turning on the grill will char the skin and cook the eggplant. Place in a bowl covered with a moist towel for a few minutes and you can peel the skin right off. Chop the eggplant, add diced tomatoes and some pitted black olives, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil for fresh Mediterranean salad.

The peach crop this year has been and continues to be phenomenal. Buy extra, peel and remove the pit, slice and freeze. Come winter you can be making peach cobbler that tastes just as fresh as if the fruit was picked that day.

The blueberry crop is abundant. This is another fruit worth freezing. For the present, mix them with fresh peaches for Peach-Blueberry cobbler, crisps, or pie.

Lastly, it’s finally time for locally grown watermelon. Of course, the best way to eat watermelon is to cut it open and go. Try cubed watermelon with diced tomatoes and feta cheese, dressed with a light salad dressing such as raspberry-walnut vinaigrette. Puree a watermelon and spread it on a chilled metal pan, toss in the freezer and mix every 30 minutes for a couple of hours to make your own granite, an Italian ice treat.

You can also find local honey, organic baked goods, desserts, jams and jellies, salsa, and more at the markets. Local craftspeople are showing up, too, with knitted clothing, turned wood products, yard art, paintings, jewelry, pottery, quilts and more.
It is not only the height of the growing season, it’s time to start canning the harvest. You can stock your pantry with tomatoes, green beans, cucumber pickles, carrots, peaches and more. Get a book, ask your mother or grandmother to teach you, or take advantage of UGA’s National Center for Home Food Preservation online course (http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/).

Hall County offers farmers markets 4 days a week. The Hall County Farmers Market is open on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. The Spout Springs Library Farmers Market is open on Thursday afternoons. The Historic Downtown Gainesville Market On The Square is open on Friday afternoons. For more information on all 3 markets, visit http://hallfarmers.org.

Steven Thomas
Market Manager – Historic Downtown Gainesville Market On The Square
678-943-4442
steve@hallfarmers.org
www.hallfarmers.org