My good habit of attending local farmers markets is something of a bad habit right now.
The colors.
The smells.
Friendly people.
Big tomatoes, tiny tomatoes, ground cherries.
The problem is that when I arrive at the market, there isn’t much I need to buy.
My garden is producing enough tomatoes and several crookneck squashes are surviving the summer shrivel.
When my sister and I returned from Costa Rica, my friend LaDona phoned and said she had few saucer-shaped peaches on her tree. Chrissy gifted more peaches, and I blackened my fingertips in Adam’s thornless blackberry vines.
I can’t say no to free fruit, but I still want to go to the farmers market several times a week. Certainly, too much fruit can cause no harm.
A recent rediscovery is the Wednesday morning market at North Valley Plaza, held year-round from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., http://chicofarmersmarket.com.
In the past, I worked Wednesday mornings and would have had to make the choice between buying produce or changing out of my pajamas. Until college classes begin again, a friend and I take the bike path to the market, to combine fitness and nutrition into one friendly adventure.
One day I planned to buy only green onions, but loaded up the basket on the bike.
How could I possibly look at produce in fashion colors and leave with dollar bills in my pocket? That would be like a child saying “no thank you” to a second serving of birthday cake.
TEMPTED BY FRUIT
The temptation to buy begins before you set foot under the white shade structures.
Folks can probably smell the strawberries from the front door of the nearby Sportsman’s Warehouse, wafts of sweetness singing across the orderly rows of vendors on a crisp morning.
Blueberries? How long will those be in season? If I don’t eat them, I can always freeze them.
SMOOTH TRANSITION
In fact, I prefer to freeze fruit because I make the kind of smoothies that could have inspired the folks at Jamba Juice to form a franchise. The fruit is so sweet you can add other healthful items that taste funky on their own, including chia seeds or whey protein.
Last spring I froze the abundance of spinach and kale from my backyard raised bed. If I dig behind the ice cream, I may or may not find a few remaining snack bags filled with greens.
More recently, my friend Samantha, an almond farmer, educated me about the high (fortified) calcium content of almond milk. Calcium, of course, is recommended for women of my age. By freezing the almond milk in ice cube trays, they can easily be added to my morning fruit slush.
Soon summer will end. My classes at Chico State will begin, and three days a week I’ll be in a third-grade classroom learning to become a teacher. If I’m going to be strong and wired on sugary smoothies, I should stock the freezer with as much fruit as the cooling device can hold.
MYSTERY FRUIT
One good thing about being a market regular is first pick of novelty items.
Recently I met Auburn Johnson, who grows colorful food at Canopy Farm on Dayton Road. Right now, the talk of the market is the ground cherries, displayed in their papery wrappers. Auburn offers samples, which light up your taste buds like a handful of Skittles.
The grower said people like to add of the tomatillo relative to jam for a tart burst, or add to meat marinades. She must have overheard LaDona and I talking, because she suggested adding a few to smoothies.
However, most people simply put a bowl of the light orange fruit on the table, then turn around and notice that they have been gobbled, she said.
The fruit provides protein, antioxidants, minerals, and includes B-12 which is helpful for people who follow a vegan diet, she said.
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Contact garden columnist Heather Hacking at sowtheregardencolumn@gmail.com or follow on Facebook.
