Mostly Snacks

I didn't load up too heavily on the fresh produce today, because I'll be out of town for a few days and there's no need for it to sit in the fridge. I did pick up some beautiful Cara Cara oranges, intensely flavored navels with flesh bordering on the blood orange color. Everyone's waiting anxiously for blood oranges to make their first appearance this season -- it may be Saturday. This cold weather we've been having is good for the oranges.

I got some Pink Lady apples, and the vendor told us it'd be his last week at the market. He's just about out of fruit, and it's time for some repair and maintenance around the farm. "It's our quiet time," he said. "We look forward to it." I picked up some mixed raisins, because they were so fat and beautiful, and I'm sure I'll have need for them during the next couple weeks of holiday baking. And I picked up some trail mix: you know you have to buy food on most cross-country flights these days, so I'm planning to pack a lunch.

I wrote up a recipe for this week's e-letter: root-based, of course, since it's Root Festival weekend. I referred to a bunch of cookbooks and created a side dish of grated rutabagas, pancetta, and peas. David had two helpings, so I guess it's good enough for publication.

My next big project is to compile a kitchen volunteer handbook, combining and organizing several existing documents and adding some new material. Plus, every week we add chefs to the schedule of 2008 demonstrations. The peak growing season is winding down, but there's always repair and maintenance!