I got a call yesterday from Jan Williams of Kalawi Farms to tell me that the peach season has started! This afternoon, two early season varieties of peaches will available. They are called Rich May and Carored. Both Rich May and Carored have a reddish skin color and yellow flesh. The Rich May flesh often has some red pigmentation in it as well, that reddish color are the anti-oxidants! Both varieties are sweet but tangy and juicy, and both are cling stone peaches. (Click on the variety names to see videos about the varieties from a peach specialist at Clemson University).
This week is the first of about 16 weeks of peaches. Each variety of peach lasts for about 2 weeks. Kalawi Farms, which is solely a peach farm, has an approximately 50 acre orchard with over 30 varieties of peaches. These varieties get ripe at different times throughout the season. So the peach season, if all goes well, should last until early September! Throughout the peach season, notice that the flavors and textures of the peaches change as different varieties ripen and come to Market. It is very interesting to taste the differences in the flavors of the different varieties.
In other fruit news: SOUR CHERRIES are back for a short show! Sour cherries are a big hit with the birds, so it is quite a task for the farmers to beat the birds to the cherries. This makes the ones that come to Market that much more special. If you are looking for sour cherries, try to get to the Market early!
Also, blueberries should be right around the corner. I haven't heard from any of the farmers if any are ready today. I expect in the next week or so, they will start to come to the Market. If we are lucky, there may even be a few pints today!
With fruits starting to come into season, it is time to start thinking about preserving the flavors by making jam! This year, this Market has received a grant from the Farmers' Market Coalition and Ball Jars to help the market educate people about the techniques and joys of preserving and canning fresh food from the Market. We have received all kinds of supplies to do that. On Saturday, the Market's Assistant Manager led a demonstration of how to make no-cook freezer jam. Today from 3:30 to 4:30, Shanna will be back with samples of fresh no-cook strawberry jam! She'll talk about the process of making jam and there will be packets of pectin for you to take home to try it at home. We'll also have lots of resources and some coupons for you to pick up. Shanna will be next to the Market info table. When you stop by for a taste, you can also enter a drawing for a Ball Blue Book of Food Preservation!
Right now, we are working on finalizing a great series of canning demonstrations and workshops this summer. Very soon we'll be putting it up on the website and we'll have more info at the info table.
Finally, if you haven't driven by the Market's Pavilion recently and seen it, the Durham Farmers' Market now has an ATM!!! A portion of the ATM fees will go toward funding an EBT/SNAP (Food Stamps) program at the Market! We are currently in the process of setting it up and hope to have everything ready to go later in the summer.
See you at the market!
Erin Kauffman
Market Manager
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Available Wednesday!
Fruits: SOUR CHERRIES, PEACHES, Strawberries
Vegetables: ONIONS, POINTED CABBAGE, BROCCOLI RAAB, FRISEE, Artichokes, Asparagus (the very last of it!), Asian Greens (Bok Choi, Tat Soi, Mizuna), Arugula, Beet Greens, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Collards, English Shelling Peas, Fava Bean, Fennel, Green Garlic and Garlic Scapes, Green Onions, Herbs (including Cilantro, Thyme, Oregano, and Greek Oregano, Marjoram, Dill, Holy Basil, Bergamot, Chammomille, Bay, Lemon Balm), Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, New Potatoes, Pea Shoots, Radishes, Salad Mix, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Sugar Snap Peas, Summer Squash, Greenhouse Grown Tomatoes, Turnips, Zucchini
Meats: Beef, Chicken, Duck, Goat/Chevon, Pork
Eggs: Chicken and Duck Eggs
Flowers: Calendula, Peonies, Zinnia, Lupine, Batchelors Buttons, Sweet William, Zinnia, Iris, Sunflower, Agrostemma, Snapdragons and mixed Bouquets
Plants: Vegetable and Herb Seedlings, House Plants, Landscaping Plants
Specialty Items: Creamed Honey, Mustards, Flour, Yellow & White Cornmeal, Grits, Goat and Cow Milk Cheeses, Baked Goods - Breads, Pastries, & Pies, Preserves, Gluten Free Baked Goods, Fermented Items, Nut Butters, Pasta, Tempeh, Herbal Teas, Herbal Salves,
Crafts: Wood Crafts, Pottery, Goats Milk Soaps
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