I have gotten onto the bandwagon about heirloom fruits and vegetables. I love the idea of getting back to the variety that was once common. I feel loss when I think of varieties bred to adapt to various climate and pest hazards that have been lost with the move to make fruits and veggies that transport better.
However, I am not far enough into it to remember the names of the specific varieties. The specialty today was melons. Every week a different farm gets featured in the newsletter for the St Johns Farmers’ Market that I always go to. This week it was Morgan’s Landing, where I often shop. The featured item was melons since melon season has just begun. He had three varieties of watermelon and about eight of canteloup.
The only thing that kept me from buying one of each of the canteloups was knowing he and I would both be back on another Saturday. (Watermelon doesn’t tempt me, even heirloom.) The split one was called by a cheese name because it supposedly tastes like a cheese. It is the only one I have tasted so far. Cheese wasn’t the first thing that came to mind, but it sure tasted and smelled sweet and good. Seeds for the yellow-orange one came from France and for the bright orange from Kazakhstan.
The onion is “sweeter than ordinary onions” so I tried one. The tomato is also heirloom with “purple” in its name. The delicata squash didn’t even get a mention; I guess they have been revived long enough to now be considered ordinary. And the cucumber is just a cucumber thrown in to make the money come out even and avoid change. The eggs are from chickens who enjoy pasture life.
Okay, so the bread isn’t heirloom, but it sure is artisan. There are two loaves, though the photo doesn’t make that clear. The loaf for sandwiches is Walla Walla onion bread. The flat bread is nectarine-rosemary-bleu-cheese bread and tastes just wonderful! I had one loaf on my list, but couldn’t resist after tasting the sample.
It was a very good day at the Farmers’ Market!
knitNkwilt 