Usually by this time of year, I am ready for the end of market season, ready to put the garden to bed for winter and take a long rest myself. But autumn has taken me by surprise this time around the sun, and I find myself in denial that summer is over, even as the temperatures plummet and plants grow old and brown and the threat of frost looms nearer with every sunset.
I went outside after lunch (I’ve swapped mornings for afternoons, now that it’s suddenly cold) to pick cucamelons for the last time this season, bundled against the chill breeze and surprised to find the vines looking tired. They took a while to hit their peak this summer, but they’ve hung on until the very end.
Speaking of the end, this Saturday is the last regular market day of the Broadway Community Market. That means this is your last chance for summer vegetables like cucamelons! I will also be set up on Thursday, October 24, for the special Halloweenfest popup market, but the first frost will certainly have blanketed the garden well before then. In addition to cucamelons, this Saturday you can also find chard (assuming no frost tonight), carrots, jalapenos, onions, garlic, garlic salt, and crocheted items.
I’ve begun digging sweet potatoes this week, one of my favorite fall activities, but you won’t see them on my table Saturday. Sweet potatoes straight out of the ground actually aren’t very sweet; they have to go through a curing process first! This means I lay them out in a warm, humid place for a week or two until the skins toughen up and the flesh becomes flavorful and sweet. If you want some, I plan to bring sweet potatoes to the popup market on the 24th.
See you at the market!