Mid-September and time to revise our routines, retire the flip-flops and rethink the dinner menu.
And is it just my imagination or has the thermometer finally dropped below Hades degrees? If not, at least the sun is sinking a little earlier each day and leaving us with longer evenings and the hint of cooler weather to come.
This has been a tough year for all of Lansdowne’s backyard gardens…fruit, veggie and flower. The triple-threat whammy of heatwaves, drought and thirst-crazed critters has been enough to take the heart out of the staunchest suburban survivalist. Cries of UNCLE have been heard echoing down the lanes.
That, dear reader, is just a glimpse into the year-in, year-out life of the farmer…what it takes…and what it costs… to bring in the crops in every season. Las Vegas didn’t invent gambling…farmers did. A game of skill, years of reading the tells of the sky, the clouds and the soil. And a game of chance…because the odds always have a place at the table. Farming is the visible manifestation of faith. Can I get an AMEN!
Meanwhile, back to September: Ya don’t have to be a card shark to know that change is gonna come. It just depends on your frame of reference to determine if you’re holding a winning hand or losing your tank top. Is it the “back to school” blues or the perfect month to head “dannashor”? Oh, and maybe get crackin’ on all those “summer” projects…remember them?
In fact, you may have missed the first salvo…I call your attention to the market produce tables. Those August apples were just the teaser…but while you were off finding your shoes, the PUMPKINS arrived….and now it’s a slippery slope into pumpkin-spice everything…from lattes to lip gloss. Enjoy responsibly.
Sure, there’s still corn on the cob and tomatoes to get you through the transition…but it’s a short hop from backyard barbecue to corn chowder and tomato gravy (OK, sauce…the debate continues). And for those of you with canning skills…your moment has coincided with the last of the peaches. Get busy.
September is Autumn Lite. You can keep the jackets in the closet for a little while yet, but still…you feel it. In the air, in the energy, and on your palate…sweet cravings make way to savory, and soup is back on the menu. And once you rediscover your oven, so are apple pies and pear tarts. But no rush. Plenty of time yet to take that Gala or Bartlett outside under a tree and just enjoy it “au natural.”
As we move through the next two months, we can come up with all sorts of indoor ways to use what nature and the farmers have delivered. From pumpkins to potatoes, from cabbage to kale. Maybe even a few libations for holiday toasting. Watch this space.
In the meantime, the LFM will be here each Saturday until Halloween, and I hope you’ll make it a regular stop. We can’t keep the seasons from changing, but we’ll be right where you left us.
ONE very happy note: It isn’t just the seasons that are changing here at the LFM. Over this summer, we’ve seen a growing interest in volunteering from whatever it is we’re calling the current 20 to 30-ish generation. (Trying to pin that down is just asking for an argument.). So we welcome people like Peter, Louise and Leena to our LFM tent; and all who are stopping by to ask how to get involved in our town. You are exactly what we need.
Thanks for reading here, but don’t forget to read ALL of Lansdowne Links…there’s a LOT going on. Like Arts on the Avenue, coming up on Sunday, Oct. 2. Volunteers are needed NOW! Please click on that link, and “get involved.” DO IT! You’ll be glad you did.
See you in September…and October!
Terry Baraldi