Sept 26: Fallin’ all over
We welcomed fall this week; you can see it on the hills as much as you can see your breath in the early morning conversations. As the winds pick up, the nights chill out, and the touches of sun become more precious, here’s a tip to follow the lead of the plants outside, as they lean into the seasons, slow down and accept the inevitable changes a-coming!
We’re in our final weeks of big harvests, dismantling the cucumber patch, pulling the few melons off the vine, eyeing the squash down the hill and savouring the lettuce and flowers while they are still here. We’ve mowed down some crops and have begun putting the beds to…well, bed! We also spent some time this week separating garlic heads into individual cloves for planting. Our carrot patch is thriving! Sunchoke harvest happening real soon, and we will be doing a massive basil harvest soon, to prep for lots of ready-made pesto (stay tuned).
Tomorrow, some featured market items are tomatoes galore (let’s get saucey!!), delightful fingerling potatoes, peppers peppers peppers, and both purple and golden beets.
Herb bouquets are back, with oregano as the star and some sweet alyssum as a dainty addition and a wonderful scent.
(Keep in water for a few days and then remove oregano and hang to dry for later use).
Sauce packs are back again this week! Come check them out and start prepping your sauce to can or freeze. Trust me, your future self will thank you in November!!!
It’s also a fun weekend to come out Kelowna Farmer’s Market as it is the second year of Apple Fest:
“The Apple Fest stemmed from the need to inspire local businesses & customers to support Apple Farmers impacted by the BCTF closure and Okanagan apple crisis, where cheap dumping of imported product is making it hard for the commercial success of local apples to continue to thrive in the Okanagan Region. The Kelowna Farmers & Crafters Market hopes to keep the spirit of growing apples locally alive by putting on Apple Fest. ”
It’ll be an extra festive day with tons of neat activities and opportunities to support your local apple farmers (and all farmers!). For more details, check out their website: Apple Fest
Thanks for reading and we’ll see you at the market!
-OKHP Crew