…and I’m back. Spent the last two weeks in the wilds of Wisconsin, where I made my maiden kayaking voyage down (andoften in) the KnickKnick River, and then wandering the high deserts of Oregon to view the total eclipse. Both spectacular experiences, but you know what? There’s no place like home. I missed you guys!
I couldn’t help but notice a change in the air at Saturday’s Market…and it wasn’t just the drop in temperature. Although I knew it was coming, it always hits me like a bucket of cold water…apples are here! Not that apples aren’t delicious (like sweet jonagolden and crisp and pink ladylike), but they are the first sign that the lazy hazy days are on the wane, along with those sweet juicy peaches. So, get ‘em while they last…eat ‘em, freeze ‘em….or, if you’re a practitioner of the domestic arts, spin them into jars of sweet jams and jellies or savory salsas and relishes, and enjoy them deep into winter…and they make great holiday gifts! That goes for those last glorious tomatoes, too! Try some tomato jam, made sweet to spread on toast or savory to smear on a burger or meatloaf. Mmmmm! And of course, the indiscreet love apple, even when it’s green, will still find ways to cozy up to the new girl on the block, like in this spicy green tomato and apple chutney.
Now it’s time to give the versatile apple, in all its colors and textures, its turn in the LFM spotlight. Whether eaten out of hand, baked in a pie or covered in caramel, apples satisfy something more than hunger. They connect us with stories and childhood. Who didn’t lurk under a neighbor’s tree to steal one? You know you did. From log cabins to lunch boxes, the apple has been front and center in the American story. We could go on…and on…with fruity facts, but I’ll leave that to Google. NERD ALERT: Johnny Appleseed; 9 curious facts; Americana .
Want a Market Buck? Come to the market tent with a good (or groaner) apple axiom, or wearing anything with an apple motif and go away with one of our wooden dollars!
In the Music Tent this week you can get your oom-pa-paa on with Mansfield Brass.
In the Artist Tent: Cynthia Taylor Mould Art: Landscape paintings in oil and painted home décore.
AND DON’T FORGET: Arts on the Avenue Sunday, Sept. 10, noon – 6pm. Art! Beer! Food Trucks! Music! Be there!
Some Market notes:
Weeks 1 & 3 vendors this week. To see all the vendors for Saturday, visit the LFM website or our FaceBook page.
Ben of Freeland Markets will be switching from every week to every other. He’ll be there this week, so you can grab some goodness for that Labor Day grill.
Save gas…A full parking lot says that we’re doing something right; but instead of circling around hoping for an empty spot, why not avail yourself of the large municipal lot on Highland Ave, directly behind Dunkin Donuts? Walk through the rear gate and it’s a short walk to the Avenue. See you at the Market!
-Terry Baraldi, Livin’ the Lansdowne Life
One final note: We were all saddened to learn of the passing of Bonnie McShane’s mom, Claire. She was a big part of community life in Lansdowne, a warm and giving lady who will ever be remembered by this writer for her fabulous, too-pretty-to-eat (but we did) cookies! Our condolences to her family.