The Best Days of the Local Harvest Season are Here!

Fall is the best time to shop at your favorite "grower only" farmers market because the variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables is absolutely amazing.  The best of all (or at least almost all) the fruits and vegetables are available at one time. 

I know, I know--I can hear the "yeah buts" already. Many of you are thinking "what about the strawberries in the spring and the peaches in the summer?"  And now I'm remembering those spicy, tender baby mustard greens that were available for only two weeks this spring and required no cooking. They became the secret ingredient in the best tasting slaw I made all year.

Sooo, let me rephrase.  Except for a few seasonal favorites--and everyone has theirs---this is still the best time to shop for fresh, local produce.  The Eilermans tomatoes are still sweet and the cucumbers are still crisp as we welcome the arrival of acorn, butternut and other winter squash from Biver Farms.  Veggie Boy's watermelons are still juicy as the first crop of new potatoes and bright red radishes are harvested on Silent Oaks Farm.

In today's world with the convenience of having almost any type of fresh produce year-round, it adds a specialness to the fresh food we eat when we buy it locally and eat it seasonally.  Just as I'm feeling a little sad when the spring asparagus is ending, the strawberries arrive.  And when the last local strawberry tops my yogurt one morning, I get a call from Agnes Kamp to tell me the peaches are almost ready.  

I've learned to savor the special timing nature provides when I eat foods that are locally grown and seasonally harvested.--which brings me back to why I enjoy this time of year so much.  This is the time of year that has the most varieties and types of produce available at one time and it's all waiting for me at my local Farmers Market.

Here's what's happening at the Clayton Farmer's Market this week:

MUSIC TENT:  10:00AM-12Noon The Billy Engel Trio   plays an eclectic blend of Blues, Funk, Pop, & Rock.  Great guitar riffs, inspired rhythms, and groovy vocals will have you dancing in the Market.  

CHILDRENS ACTIVITY TENT 8:30am-12:30pm Join the for fun play activities and sign up for a Library Card!

COMMUNITY SERVICE TENT Free Blood Pressure Readings

DINE AT THE MARKET Smoked BBQ, , and Grandma’s Nuts Snacks, Black Bear Bakery Bagels and Muffins, Making It Lemonade, and Eilerman Pies

FREE TAI CHI 8:30am Join Shelley Shray of the St. Louis T'ai Chi Chuan Association.

CHAIR MASSAGE: Offered by the A Healing Place Therapy and Wellness Center 

ORDER YOUR HOLIDAY PIES:  Kim Vogel of Eilerman Bros. Orchards is taking orders for her delicious pies made with fruit from the orchards!

Biver Farms and Waffle-licious will not be at the Market on Sat, Sept 17.

 Visit our website www.claytonfarmersmarket.com or call 314-913-6632