We almost forgot! Today is the last day for the Wallingford Farmers Market in Meridian Park for 2011. Chef Michael Whisenhunt of Joule will be providing the cooking demo at 4 pm and, of course, there’s lots of produce. From their blog:
Today is a great day to stock up on storage crops like winter squash,garlic, shelling beans, apples, potatoes and these storage onions from Lyall Farms. Storage crops last long into the cool, dark, wet months, allowing you to enjoy our local bounty all year long. Just store them in a cool, dark, dry place. And don’t forget, lots of other crops can be dried, frozen, pickled and canned, too, from Italian prunes to sweet corn to blueberries totomatoes, and more.
I swear, these orchards are like a bunch of mad scientist hybridists, creating new kinds of stone fruit every year. There are apriums, which are 70% apricot and 30% plum genetically. Then there are pluots, which are 70% plum and 30% apricot. Then came nectarcots — part nectarine, part apricot. And now we have, from Collins Family Orchards, nectarplums, a cross between nectarines and plums. Personally, I am still holding out for nectareachs! When they finally cross a peach and a nectarine, then I will be truly impressed. Oh, and it is not true that cherry tomatoes are a cross between cherries and tomatoes, BTW.
Yes, peanuts do grow in Washington. And these are raw peanuts – green peanuts still on the vine, in fact. Alvarez Organic Farms is in the midst of its annual peanut harvest right now, and that means we get to enjoy fresh, local peanuts to roast, boil, stir-fry and more at home!
More on the Wallingford Farmers Market blog.
(Nectarplums from Collins Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.)
Wallyhood wrote, “…raw peanuts – green peanuts still on the vine”
Not on the root?! This I have to see!
All kidding aside, good for them – peanut butter prices are up 10% from 2008 (The Great Re-recession). And Trader Joe’s out of organic peanut butter due to demand. Sounds like Alvarez may do well this season.