Autumn's bounty

This morning I ventured down to the local farmer's market, fearful that last weekend's hurricane had destroyed all of the tree fruits like peaches, pears and apples. My old pear tree shed just about its entire crop that now sits squashed in my driveway, a bounty for the local squirrels and yellow jacket wasps who for some reason seem to go a bit insane this time of year. So witnessing the destruction of my pear crop made me wonder whether local orchards had suffered the same thing and may have lost all of their tree fruits. Not to worry - I called our local orchard and all they lost was two trees of peaches that had gone unpicked, but they'd harvested their apple crop before the winds blew in, so they are in good shape where it comes to their crop being available. This time of year is so special because of the ripening of the tree fruits and the weather conditions have resulted in a bumper crop of them this year. Warm days and cool nights means an excellent fruit crop, including grapes, meaning that local wineries should also have a good year for their wines. I live for this time of year when I can purchase fresh pressed cider from the local orchard. I love that crisp, sweet flavor of fresh fruit pressed into cider. The local orchard, Beckwith's, has the best cider I have ever had anywhere. In fact, one of the great things about living here is how our town is beginning to recognise how special it is to have local farmers here by having such things as the weekly farmer's market, as well as specific festivals like the upcoming wine festival, which was postponed until early next month due to heavy rains on its scheduled day. This festival allows people to come downtown and to sample the wares of some of our local wineries. I went last year and I can honestly say that only one winery had what I considered to be downright undrinkable wine, but all the rest weren't bad. We also have an Apple Cider Festival in the fall where the local orchards get to come and press fresh cider and sell their fruit downtown. They give demonstrations on apple pressing and cider production which is fascinating.

Having events like this is good for business because it promotes our local farmers and orchards as a valuable resource to our area. I also see it as a bit of a "sprawl buster" because it means that if the local farmers do well enough, they're not as likely to sell their land to rapacious developers who want to erect McMansions on their land. Of course, with the bursting of the housing bubble, I don't see too many farms selling anymore. I think that this may be a good thing in that it also makes people aware of the carbon footprint of what they eat and the value of eating off of the local land instead of having stuff trucked in from California and Florida. Of course, during the winter months, this is what we have to do if we want produce (unless we buy it fresh this time of year then freeze it, but how many of us can both afford a freezer and have someplace to keep it?), so it becomes a necessity during the long, cold, dark winter months of NE Ohio. But the reward is the fresh produce in the summer and fall. Fresh picked fruits and vegetables just taste better and I see a movement toward local and sustainable agriculture, which is excellent. People are beginning to wake up to the idea that fresh food tastes better and is better for you, and it keeps sprawl at bay while you're at it. I also saw most people this morning at the farmer's market carrying canvas shopping bags, which is another encouraging trend. People are getting away from relying on plastic bags, which are dreadful for the environment. Most grocery stores now sell inexpensive reusable shopping bags for around $1, meaning just about anyone can afford them. I'm extremely encouraged by seeing things like this. Of course, this area has long been known as a haven of progressive thought, or in the words of the pundits, we're a "blue" county here as opposed to a "red" one (but there are pockets of rapid conservatives here locally, however, I suspect that they are in the distinct minority...at least I hope so for the sake of the upcoming Presidential election!). But that's what makes living here nice. People here appreciate the environment and sustainable practices. Even if it means paying a little more for things, people here will support it if it means saving our environment. And that includes supporting our farmer's market, which is a true gem here in our town. It is something I have become extremely grateful for. It makes living here a worthwhile experience, yet another thing to appreciate about Kent, Ohio. I may grumble and groan about all the things that are wrong with our town and need to be dealt with, but all in all, there are many good reasons to live here, not the least of which is our increasing appreciation of local agriculture and our local farms and farmers.