Locavore Odds and Ends

I don’t know about the rest of you, but this rain has me doing a happy dance. My boys had four baseball games scheduled this weekend, and three of them have already been cancelled. Tomorrow will be the first Saturday in the past six weeks we don’t have to be at the ball fields at 8:30 AM and stay there till mid-afternoon.

The rain won’t keep me away from The Collingswood Farmer’s Market, though. I’ll actually have a chance to get there, but I don’t expect to be there when it opens like I usually try to be (when there’s no baseball, of course). I’m sleeping in, baby.

What do you think of this picture? The flowers in the vase are actually the ends of my pineapple sage that have gone to seed. If you haven’t ripped out your garden yet, take a good look and see if any of your herbs are sprouting pretty flowers. We’ve got dinner guests coming tomorrow night, and I’ve got a natural, free centerpiece!

On to the odds and ends.

• South Jersey Restaurant Week is from October 18-23. I wonder if any of the chefs will be featuring foods from our local farmers. I’m sure several of them are.
• Slow Food of South Jersey is planning it’s fall discussion group. This season’s topic will be Voluntary Simplicity. The discussions will be based on a workbook with writings from well-known authors like Barbara Kingsolver, Annie Dillard, Vicki Robin, Thich Nhat Hanh, Wendell Berry and others. Cost will be $25.
• If you’re further north in our state, I just got word that Slow Food of Northern New Jersey will have a Wild Edibles Event on October 25th. When I was in Georgia last week at Persimmon Creek Vineyards, the owner Mary Ann kept stopping and picking up various wild edibles from all over the farm. I tasted all of them, and I’ve got to say there’s some tasty stuff growing under my feet that I don’t even know about.
• Speaking of my trip to Persimmon Creek Vineyards, I learned a lot about sustainable farming and polyculture while I was there. You can see some pictures of the beautiful vineyards on my post on MNN.
• Chatsworth will be holding it’s annual Cranberry Festival this weekend. It’s the third largest cranberry festival in the United States. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. If you’re a little forward thinking, you should be buying up fresh New Jersey cranberries to make some cranberry infused vodka to use in your holiday drinks come December.

Enjoy your cold, wet weekend. I know I will!