Fall and early winter are times of year that many creatures prepare for the season when food will be scarce. The ways that food is stored is fascinating; I am familiar with the squirrel underground storage of walnuts and acorns, which are common on my farm, but did not know that the American red squirrel also harvests, dries and stores mushrooms, or that 40-80% of those buried nuts are actually found (a remarkable number seem to come up as young trees in my garden).
The chipmunk is storing seeds and other food underground, and those lairs can be quite extensive (up to 10 feet). Moles and the related short tailed shrews use the venom in their saliva to paralyze prey, as they don’t actually hibernate and need food continuously in winter.
Many birds are migrating, but others, especially our woodpeckers, are storing food for the winter. Insects, including ants and bees and wasps of several varieties also need to make provisions for the winter. Our honey bees kept in domestic hives are now sealing up the chinks and hopefully have several deeps full of honey to feed them through the long months until plants bloom and produce nectar for feeding in the spring.
There are humans that work hard to prepare for winter, canning and freezing and drying, and placing select foods into cold storage. Self sufficiency is an ancient virtue, one that most of us do little to achieve; we have access to food year round through our markets and unless we’re growing the food ourselves, it can be cost prohibitive to both purchase the food and buy the canning supplies, not to mention the cost of energy used to can or freeze.
If you are not growing everything you need for the winter, stock up at the Fayette County Farmers Market this last Saturday of the season. Jam, breads, produce, and crafted items for holiday gifts. As you shop, enjoy the Bluegrass Ramblers, performing from 9:30 to 11:30 (sponsored by Fayette County Travel & Tourism Bureau). And enjoy the delicious breakfast entrees of KK’s Grubb Hubb food truck, serving up delicious food beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Our final kids craft will be making a Buckeye necklace with Mrs. Debra at the Kids Activity Table in the Info Booth. And Holly Hays-Ward of Holistic Chi Healing, LLC, and a WCH native, will be joining the market as our community guest. Her acupuncture office (the first in our community) is located right here in Washington Court House at 1135 Leesburg Ave. Holistic Chi Healing offers acupuncture and cupping services that are meant to help patients with a wide array of conditions. Visit the community guest tent to welcome Holly and learn more about the many conditions treated and/or how to schedule your first visit.
The Market is open Saturday morning from 8:30 to noon. It is located in the municipal parking lot on the corner of South Main and East East streets in Washington C.H. SNAP EBT food benefit cards and credit/debit cards are accepted. Those using the SNAP EBT card for food purchases receive matching dollar “Produce Perks” tokens ($1 for $1) good only for fruits, vegetables, and food producing plants. So,”buy one, get one” for up to $25 every market day. Five dollar coupons will be available again for Fayette County Farm Bureau members at each Saturday market.
The following list contains the names and products of the vendors that expect to set up this Saturday. Other vendors may participate as well.
Julie G’s Cookies (Julie Greenslade): Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, ginger, snickerdoodle, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter jumbos, pumpkin cookies with butter cream icing, sugar, pineapple, peanut butter fudge and lemon bars.
Lorre Black Umbrellas (Lorre Black): With only 1 Farmers Markets left & Fall and Winter approaching, now is the time to buy your family and friends a Lorre Black Umbrella. This gift will help “dot our community with color.” This gift will help our community create our very own Umbrella Alley!
Persinger Produce and Cottage Foods, The Jam Man (David Persinger): End of season Sale, 2 jars for $10!!now in stock: GINGER PEAR PRESERVES and PEACH FLAMINGO JAM. Chocolate Texas sheet cakes with or without pecans, JAMS: “Currant Affair” (a jam of black currants with a smattering of red currants), strawberry, pineapple, pineapple Habanero, peach, blueberry, cherry, blackberry, red raspberry, JELLIES: hot pepper jelly. No added sugar jams: blueberry, seedless blackberry.
PPCF & S. Plymouth Raw Honey) (Julie & Dennis Mosny): Local raw honey and honey comb. Blackberry, apple, rhubarb, strawberry, cherry, strawberry rhubarb and peach pies, buns bars, cinni mini’s, banana cake, iced pumpkin cookies and cinnamon rolls.
Tom’s Tool Shed (Tom McMurray): Tom will sharpen hand tools, mower blades, axes, and garden tools for a small fee.
Wood Designs by DW (Debbie Welch): One of a kind handcrafted wood items— birdhouses, signs, tables, gnomes. Crocheted items including kitchen towels, pot scrubs, pot holders, baby booties, and afghans. Will take custom and special orders.
Your Other Mother’s Kitchen (Don & Sara Creamer): Baked goods including artisan breads, brownies and muffins. Sewing crafts.
Bridge View Garden (Hunter & Lorelle Rohrer): Mums in a variety of colors. Seasonal produce including sweet potatoes, onions and winter squash. Homemade breads (yeast, savory and sweet) and rolls.
Cozy Baby Blessings (Nancy Cutter): END OF SEASON SALE on select baby items! Handmade baby essentials including, crocheted blankets and hats, flannel burp cloths, crinkle square and bunny ear teethers and pacifier clips. Also, Fall silk flower arrangements, beaded pens, letter openers and key chains and wax melts in over 60 scents.
DSC Produce Farm (Darren Cox): Salsas (including mango, and hot or mild chunky) and dressings. Elderberry jelly.
Engeti (Alana Walters): Baked goods including bread, cinnamon rolls, rolls, cakes, pies, cookies.
Greens & Greenery (Katrina Bush): Baklava. Buckeyes (the peanut butter kind). Local raw honey, strawberry jams for farm strawberries, sourdough crackers. Seasonal produce grown with no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, including sweet potatoes, beets, yellow and red onions.
