Sept. 20 is the date of this month’s full moon, known as the Harvest Moon. Right behind it (Sept. 22) comes the autumnal equinox and the first day of “fall.”
In fact, the Harvest moon may fall in either September or October — it is the full moon closest to the equinox.
The Farmer’s Almanac explains equinox this way: “The word ‘equinox’ comes from Latin aequus, meaning ‘equal,’ and nox, ‘night.’ On the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length. During the equinox, the Sun crosses what we call the ‘celestial equator’—an imaginary extension of Earth’s equator line into space. The equinox occurs precisely when the Sun’s center passes through this line. When the Sun crosses the equator from north to south, this marks the autumnal equinox; when it crosses from south to north, this marks the vernal equinox.”
It is during such a time of year that the young elephant, known expressly for his “insatiable curiosity” (“The Elephant’s Child,” Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling) sets out on his journey to find out the answer to his burning question: “One fine morning in the middle of the Precession of the Equinoxes this ’satiable Elephant’s Child asked a new fine question that he had never asked before. He asked, ‘What does the Crocodile have for dinner?’ Then everybody said, ‘Hush!’ in a loud and dretful tone, and they spanked him immediately.”
It is very difficult for us to know or plan around the weather more than a day or two in advance. But it looks like, in addition to the haze we now have from the California fires, next week will bring cloudy skies. However, with several nights of a big, bright moon, there are hopes that you may celebrate that beauty and perhaps find the weather is perfect for being curious, an evening harvest, or noting one’s appreciation of those who do harvest and share the food they grow.
The Fayette County Farmers Market is open Saturday morning from 8:30 to noon and 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.
Jim’s Premium Ground Beef (Jim Hobbs): Premium Ground Beef which includes steak, loins, chuck and brisket all in our ground beef, vacuum packed in 1#, 5# and patties 3/#.
Julie G’s Cookies (Julie Greenslade): Homemade cookies: chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, ginger, snickerdoodle, peanut butter, iced pumpkin, funfetti, double chocolate brownies, lemon bars, peanut butter fudge, gold rush brownies, chocolate peanut butter bars, sugar and oatmeal toffee bars.
Little Farmstead Flowers (Eicher family): fresh cut sunflowers, zinnias, dahlias, eucalyptus, and broom corn, and more! Large variety of dried floral and wreaths will be available, plus Bittersweet vine.
Persinger Produce and Cottage Foods (David Persinger and Julie Mosny): The Pie Lady: local honey, Bun’s Bars, banana cake, oatmeal raisin cookies, pumpkin cookies, iced sugar cookies, assorted fruit pies, cinni mini’s and cinnamon rolls.
Rural Beans Roastery LLC (Kameron Rinehart, Tino Poma): Featuring more than ten varieties of coffee beans for purchase in 1 lb bags, whole beans or ground. Some of the origins include Costa Rica, Sumatra, Brazil, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Columbia, to name a few. Samples will be available to taste.
Tupperware & Lemongrass Spa Products (Elaine Yoder, 740-606-6333 or Elaine Yoder on Facebook): Tupperware products (cash and carry), cinnamon rolls, pumpkin whoopie pies, mini sweet breads.
Wood by DW (Debbie Welch): Wood crafts and sewn kitchen crafts.
Your Other Mother’s Kitchen (Don and Sara Creamer): Bread, and other baked goods. If you want to stock up before the end of the market, please call us at 740-572-0134 or 740-466-3086.
AG Cutie Farms (A.J. and Grace Armintrout): Farm fresh eggs from right here in Fayette County.
Bridge View Garden (Hunter and Lorelle Rohrer, 740-505-5125): Mums, blue asters, red raspberries, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and yellow summer squash.
Cheryl’s Country Crafts (Cheryl Braun, 740-505-0068 ): Handmade fall and Christmas crafts.
Cozy Baby Blessings (Nancy Cutter): Hand poured wax melts, handmade earrings, crochet dish cloths and pot scrubbers. Handmade baby essentials including crocheted baby blankets and hats, flannel burp cloths, crinkle toys, infant bows and teethers.
Engeti (Alana Walters): Baked goods including dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, cakes, pies, cookies. Icees.
Greens & Greenery (Katrina Bush): Beeswax hand and cuticle creams. Glycerin and honey soap. Fresh garlic, shallots. Broom corn stalks for decorating. Lemon grass for tea (and taking orders for fresh lemongrass for cooking or rooting). Sourdough crackers (“everything,” garlic/turmeric, rosemary and new “Parmesan”). Fresh baked olive oil yeast battards (rosemary/dried tomato and rosemary/olive), baklava and buckeye candy. Rhubarb plants.
