Labor Day weekend is always so special at farmers markets.
The holiday honors those who “labor” and few folks work as hard as our farmers who spend endless hours in the field, working through heat and rain, all the while coping with climactic whiplash and battling relentless pests.
Speaking of folks who work hard, did you catch this week’s newsletter from Obercreek Farm? If you don’t get this farm’s newsletter, you should, because it really gives you the view from the field, and a peek inside the mind/heart of the farmer.
“These are the last weeks to enjoy a juicy tomato sandwich, fresh onions, and most crisp peppers the season has to offer–but don’t worry, we'll actually be able to enjoy all those things for several more weeks to come. Labor Day is the end of summer in observance only. September is really that golden time when all the summer crops are still fruiting, the first fall crops are coming on, the weeds have slowed their growth, the heat is less intense, and the bounty is really here.”
It’s true. Just as we say goodbye to those lazy, unscheduled days of summer is when produce in New York goes full tilt. The produce bins are exploding with color and breadth at the market right now and early fall crops (like the Sansa apples at Mead Orchard or the Concord grapes at Caradonna) are colliding with the last of the stone fruit, corn and melon. Summer squash is bumping into fall squash and all this chaos is happening as you're transitioning to early mornings and bed-times, school lunches, and, well, rediscovering routines.
Remember, the market is here to make your life easier. We have all types of bread for school sandwiches, tartly-sweet plums, purple grapes and healthy Kariba Farm and Lentil Project snacks for lunchboxes. We have White Moustache yogurt and Hampton Grocer granola and blueberries from Caradonna or Mead, for power breakfasts before the school bus comes.
Letterbox Farm and R&M Farm offer plump chicken thighs for weeknight sheet-pan chicken dinners or sausages, a great source of protein to serve on a bed of polenta or farro with market greens.
But we get ahead of ourselves. Before the routines set in there is a really fun, very long weekend to be had! Whether you’re hosting a backyard shindig or attending one, make a dish or two (or three!) that truly celebrates the summer you’ve had and all the promise of the year to come.
By all means, have a tomato sandwich this weekend as Obercreek suggests.
You can have the most classic variation, or try this curried version for something different. Either way I highly recommend using pain de mie from Bien Cuit.
Make a corn salad or soup. Make some La Trafila pasta with mushrooms and tomatoes. Pickle some red onions or put up some tomato sauce.
Make burgers topped with sweet onions and serve them with skewered zucchini, peppers and onions on the grill. Make a blackberry pie. Seize the season: the bounty really is here. And so is September.
See you at the market!
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