WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — One of the many great things about fall is how pleasant it is to cook outdoors. There are no doubt a great number of you who are grilling enthusiasts and grilling can be a year round event, and somehow bearable even in the heat of summer. But what about the wood fire? Cooking over wood imparts a special flavor to be sure, but it also evokes fall and “slowing down.”
I’m fortunate to have a place in the country and a campground style “fire ring” near the house. Starting a wood fire up in the heat of the summer doesn’t excite me, but I do love the taste of food cooked over wood. One can cook pretty much anything over a wood fire that one cooks on a grill. But to my mind there are some foods that benefit especially from wood fire cooking and slowed down time. Think potatoes and onions fried on a grill. Sweet potatoes, pricked, wrapped in foil, and nestled in the wood coals, are about as sweet a treat as you can imagine. And almost any vegetable – squash, carrots, green beans, onions, garlic, broccoli, tomatoes – can be roasted over a wood fire.
It’s not just the flavor of the food, but the slowing down of time and the un-rushed nature of this activity. It’s not meant for a dinner after a long working day, with just an hour to get dinner on the table and the kids bathed and read to. But it goes with state parks (most have fire rings available for day use….one doesn’t even need to camp or spend the night), and taking a break, and getting super-duper hungry as one smells the cooking food. The vegetables you may find at the market in October are great for grilling or cooking over wood.
Step up to the Fayette County Farmers Market this Saturday to enjoy live music and vocals from Vudu Childe (Daryl). And South Plymouth Pumpkins (Jared Persinger) will be on hand with a large variety of pumpkins and decorative gourds as this week’s community guest.
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. 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; these can be spent at both the Wednesday and Saturday markets.
The following list contains the names and products of the vendors that expect to set up this Saturday. Other vendors may participate as well.
The Jam Man (David Persinger): Assorted jams/jellies (CHERRY, GRAPE jam, ELDERBERRY in stock!). ALSO, this week: CHERRY BUTTER & PLUM BUTTER. Samples available. NO ADDED SUGAR: triple berry and strawberry. Apple crisp, chocolate Texas sheet cakes with or without pecans.
The Pie Lady and S. Plymouth Raw Honey (Julie & Dennis Mosny): local raw honey, assorted fruit pies, cinnamon rolls, cinni mini’s, buns bars, banana cake with old fashioned browned butter icing, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pie.
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.
Bridge View Gardens (Hunter & Lorelle Rohrer): Cabbage, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, zucchini, home grown tomatoes (cherry, slicing, heirloom), peppers, winter squash (acorn, butternut and spaghetti) and more. Decorative gourds.
Cozy Baby Blessings (Nancy Cutter): Crocheted baby blankets and hats, flannel burp cloths, teethers and pacifier clips. Crocheted dishcloths, pot scrubbers and quilted pot holders. Wax melts in over 40 scents now including the fall and holiday favorites: pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin pecan waffles, maple walnut fudge, vanilla pumpkin marshmallow, clove, Christmas cabernet and gingerbread.
DSC Produce Farm (Darren Cox): 8 flavors of salsa and 5 flavors of salad dressings, as well as .apple butter, elderberry jelly and strawberry cranberries jam.
Engeti (Alana Walters): pies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, yeast rolls, bread, cookies, sugar scrub.
Karyn’s Kreations (Karyn Brunton): Crocheted items and handmade beaded jewelry.
Jim’s Premium Ground Beef (Jim Hobbs): Premium ground beef in assorted packages (patties, bulk tubes).
Julie G’s Cookies (Julie Greenslade): Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, ginger, snickerdoodle, sugar, pineapple, macadamia nut, peanut butter, peanut butter jumbos, peanut butter fudge, lemon bars and maple glazed apple crisp cookies.
Slate Hill Farm & Orchard (Greg Hood and family): Gala, Fuji and Enterprise apples.
The Casual Gourmet (Jason Gilmore): Baked treats.
Katrina Bush is a vendor with the Fayette County Farmers Market.
