Peaches? Farm fruit (somewhat local)? + CC Farmers' Market notes

[IslandCityGirl]

Originally Posted by Marlow

We are at the end of the season. But as recently as a week ago we got some good ones. I always smell them. If they smell like a peach, they'll probably be good. If they don't smell like anything they won't taste like anything either.

So if you see me going down the row of stone fruit sniffing, come up and say Hi.

Ha ha! Will do! And I don't doubt that I just missed the good ones with my late timing. They did smell good, but they weren't perfectly ripe yet when I purchased (I just bought a couple, thankfully, to test the waters). Other than one local peach that I managed to pick up at the homely little IGA in Port A a couple of months ago (which was delicious!), I seem to have a peach hex on me. It's seriously been maybe a decade since I've purchased a viable batch. It will be something to look forward to for next year. A trip to Fredericksburg will be in order! Thanks, Marlow (and everyone!) for the info and help.

Relatedly, if anyone has any ongoing advice about local produce and products as the seasons change, I'd love any inside tips. I know that this is a somewhat new movement here, but I'm feeling a bit like I'm on a desert island (ha ha - I suppose that's EXACTLY what Mustang Island is!!) when it comes to local farm products and produce.

Again, I encourage support of the weekly downtown market. I came away with some fresh herbs, comb-in local watermelon honey (very special/unique!), eggs, and grass-fed beef, but it's selection is really limited. I will be checking out the southend market too. If, throughout the seasons, anyone has any "in the know" tips re: that type of thing, I'd love to hear! I checked out the bi-monthly market days in Fulton last weekend. Total bust. It was like an arbitrage market: people buying stuff online and reselling it (bed sheets, jewelry, clothing... super weird). There were a few local arts and crafts, some smoked meats, and salsas, but zero produce/fresh stuff.

Anyway, until peach season next year!

[Marlow]

About the time the rest of the country is reveling in the harvest, everything here is dried up and miserable. When the weather cools, the farmer's markets will start to have lots of greens, broccoli, cabbage, beets and citrus. That should be from about November to March or so. Then they plant their hot weather crops of tomatoes, squash, beans, peppers and melons which goes til about July.

If you google Southside Farmer's Market you can probably get on their email list and they tell you who is coming and what they're bringing each week. If they don't have a link to that, DM me your email address and I'll send you their email address.

Also, I know there's a natural food store in Rockport but I haven't been to it yet.

[jackalope48]

Southside Market is the best and oldest. Unlike everywhere else Summer is bad farmer's market time here. Grow local and the Botanic garden are good resources for learning to grow yourself. The Chisolms who are usually at Southside are really the only mid to large scale growers. Everyone else is small or backyard.

[Marlow]

Originally Posted by jackalope48

Southside Market is the best and oldest. Unlike everywhere else Summer is bad farmer's market time here. Grow local and the Botanic garden are good resources for learning to grow yourself. The Chisolms who are usually at Southside are really the only mid to large scale growers. Everyone else is small or backyard.

To be honest, I'm not sure the Chisolms grow all their own stuff. That is based purely on my own observations about their produce.