Dear Powelton Market Friends,
It was a busy Saturday for most of the farmers
last week, especially the first couple of hours.
John King sat in a traffic jam on
I95 for an hour and barely made it to the market
on time.
While I have your attention, please remember
that the fruit and vegetables you buy at our
market have not been mutated, nor picked green and ripened
with gasses, nor otherwise altered beyond recognition,
so that they can be trucked to us from California
or Mexico or wherever without damage. Our
farmers bring us produce that has been picked
after it has ripened, or nearly so; in
exchange we have delicious but thin-skinned
more fragile produce that needs to be handled
gently.
John King will be back (earlier than last week,
he hopes!) with plums, blackberries, apples,
cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, greens galore,
cukes, zucchini, well, by now you know the drill.
He will of course have more of his Amish baked
goods and preserves. What he won't have is
lettuce; it does not like hot weather. We'll
have to wait until autumn for a wide selection
of salad greens. By the bye, did you try the
corn last week? It was the best ever, so good
that neighbor Karen Faulkner's guests at
the shore thought it surely must be Jersey corn.
Heh, heh!
Lorelle Becton's new soap fragrances are
a study in contrast: cool peppermint,
and warm Egyptian Musk. She also
has an all-herbal perfume she would
like people to try. If folks like it she
will make more, so go get squirted and help
her decide.
Duane reports that the UNI/UCHS garden will
be producing Swiss and rainbow chard, kale,
okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatillos, eggplant,
beans, blackberries, collards, mint, thyme,
basil, oregano, sage, and some flowers. This
week they will have Metropolitan Bakery bread,
some yogurt and cheese, and pesto made with
the garden's basil. It really is the height
of the growing season!
Summer is truly here for the Glick's flowers
too. Rachel sold almost everything she
brought last week, and will be back with more
of the glorious assortment of cut flowers that
they are growing this year. That beautiful little
girl who was with Rachel last Saturday is her
and John's daughter, who left with the family
contingent that arrived midway through the market
and went to her Daddy who was at the other Saturday
Glick location at 2nd and South.
A report from the dedicated Pat McBee, who,
with Helen Henry mans the Voter Registration
table each week: "Both Helen and I intend
to be there this coming Saturday, 10:00-12:30.
I had some great conversations this past Saturday.
Idea of the week: Talk about the election with
one stranger every day. Maybe the checkout person
at the grocery store or someone on the bus. You
can start with an open question like, 'What
do you think about the presidential election?'
If you get an answer that doesn't fit with your
politics, listen with interest, you might learn
something. If you get an answer that fits with
your politics encourage that person to help
spread the word. Pat and Helen will once again
host neighbors in talking about the election
in Pat's back yard, 3208 Hamilton Street, this
Saturday, August 7, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Lester Brown,
Democratic Ward Leader for the 24th Ward, will
be with us. You can get info from Pat at pmcbee@juno.com."
Jessica Manlin Strauss of Urban Girls Produce
tells me that, "due to the major flooding,
there will be no more peppers. Some other crops
had trouble staying afloat, but hopefully will
rebound. But the okra keeps on coming!"
Expect Jessica to also have lima beans, tomatoes,
basil and mint, some beets, French filet beans,
Italian flat beans, some edamame and soybeans,
some cucumbers, potatoes, maybe melons and carrots.
Incidentally, Urban Girls had expected to be
with us last week, but a vacationing employee
called at the last minute to report that she
was taking an extra week of vacation. That left
them with a lot of produce with no one to sell
it; it had to be composted.
Dave Fahnestock reports that it has been raining in
Lancaster County too, and that it seems
as if an inch is hardly anything. He is amazed
that the peaches are as good as they are (and
they are good!); Dad Bob will be selling those
peaches, along with tomatoes, and some
blueberries. The Honeycrisp apples should be
ready in the next week or two.
Brent & Lori Fox, who come every other week,
will be back next week.
The weather for Market Day sounds glorious -
see you there!
sue minnis
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