Sunday, December 28, 2008

Sounds like summer . . .

But it's not! It's an unseasonably warm December 27th. I started my leisurely Saturday with a trip to a new farmers market. When I returned home I did a little gardening. IN DECEMBER!

Indianapolis has a relatively new Winter Farmers Market on Saturday mornings at 25th and Central, in the renovating Mapleton Fall Creek neighborhood. I had just run out of the apples I picked from my neighbor's tree, so I decided to check it out.



I had lots of varieties to choose from. I bought some Grimes for baking and a couple of good red apples to eat fresh. I got to use one of the three new shopping bags I got for Christmas. Two are nylon and fold up into tiny bundles. One even has a clip so I can attach it to my purse or belt loop. The third is a big canvas shopper from Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville store. I love them all!



I saw these funny fingerling potatoes. Their odd shapes reminded me of ginger root. The same stand offered beautiful winter squash. But I've still got plenty of potatoes and squash from my own garden, so I settled for photos.



Sunset Acres had samples of all their cheeses. I tasted several and decided on the horseradish white cheddar and the white colby. Yum! I also picked up some Fromage a Trois goat cheese featuring a white layer, a sundried tomato layer and a pesto layer.


My last stop was the chicken and egg stand. I bought these beautiful brown eggs and got to see photos of their chickens and Quonset hut-like mobile chicken coops. Their free range chickens are protected by a hard-working guard dog and a puppy in training. The grown dog is training the puppy. The humans just watch in awe. Hawks and eagles are their most dangerous predators. So the dogs watch the ground and the sky. Good dogs!

I talked to my friend, Kyle, who is organizing a downtown food co-op. I might plant extras of some vegetables so I can be a supplier. My dragon tongue beans and sungold orange cherry tomatoes are real eye-catchers, and tasty, too!

I stopped by the homes of a couple of friends on my way home. I still have lots of summer cherries in my freezer and decided to share the wealth.

It was 67 degrees when I returned to Kay's Leaning Tree Farm. We'd had some rain, so the ground was a bit muddy. But it seemed like the right time to move a couple of rogue asparagus plants from the front yard to the asparagus patch in back. I'd been meaning to get around to that chore for eight years. Dormant roots, wet soil, perfect! I hope they like their new home.

It felt great to have a summer-like day in late December. Today we're back to a high in the 30's. It's winter again.

14 comments:

Gluten Free Steve said...

How fun to get to a Winter's Farmers Market! And with "summer" weather! It's supposed to be 54 here in Denver today and 60 tomorrow. THen back to colder temps....

Maureen "Hold The Gluten" said...

How awesome! All of our Farmer's Markets and roadside stands are closed for the winter :( Here in NJ it was 65 degrees today. We had the kids outside playing in just heavy sweatshirts (um, and pants, etc). Hope you had a WONDERFUL holiday!!! Can't wait to read about your adventures in 2009 :)

Anonymous said...

It was nice here yesterday as well. Oops, I see GF Steve has already mentioned that (we're in the same town). I have to figure out if there are any winter versions of farmer's markets around here. I'm still receiving my Grant Family Farms eggs, but that's it. Don't you just love the deep orange yolks of happy chickens?! You know they are so much healthier -- full of omega 3s. And they taste so much better.
Here's to a fun and friend-filled 2009! I'm going to call on you for gardening tips.
:-)
Cheers,
Melissa

Gluten free Kay said...

Melissa and Steve -

I watched a little of the Broncos game yesterday, to see who the Colts will play. Sorry! Looks like we won't be bonding over a playoff game.

I ate my first farmers market eggs for breakfast yesterday. They were glorious!

I now have a large stack of seed catalogs. And my mom got me a catalog from The Tractor Store. So my thoughts have already turned to Spring.

Melanie said...

Wasn't the warm weather wonderful! You always go to so many neat places. I hardly ever leave the southside! Guess I need to get out more :)

Meli n Pat said...

I love your blog! I'm dreaming of even 30 degree temps this morning as it -18 here. Our summer Farmers Market carry most of what you have in your winter market - we lack a few of your summer fares! I'm jealous of those fresh foods this time of year. Enjoy, and happy belated birthday!

Gluten free Kay said...

Hey Meli & Pat,

I can't get to your blog by clicking your name in my comments anymore. What's up? Please give me a link to your blog so I can get your personal updates on Alaska weather. I'll add you to my blog roll so I'll always know where to find you. Thanks!

Meli n Pat said...

Hey there! I don't know what has happened. I hadn't changed anything, but...I think it's fixed? My little blog is normalglutenfree.blogspot if it didn't work. I thought our weather was bad, but it's dipped to -25 today. EEK! I'm not sure what I'll find at the grocery tomorrow - product or prices!

Unknown said...

Sweet cheeses Kay! I almost got involved in a "Fromage a Trois" when I was younger, these days I have to limit my exposure to anything exotic. You always have regrets the next day or so, when you have that inevitable time to sit and think about it.

Gluten free Kay said...

Meli - EEEK! is right! We're still warmer than normal, but I find myself wearing my outdoor scarf indoors sometimes. I need a little bit of winter so I have time to read all my seed catalogs and plan my gardens.

Chuck - Exotic? Yes! But sooooo worth it! I still respect myself this morning.

Suzanne said...

Hey Kay,
I loved hearing about this market -- and I had no idea it existed! Guess it pays to catch up on my blog reading.

I've been working my arse off during Nov/Dec, but come this month (Jan), I might even have time to check out the market! You had me at "horseradish white cheddar." OH MY! That sounds utterly wonderful. And definitely GF?

You are woman after my own heart with the eggs. I did a blog entry about local Indiana eggs, in case you're interested:

http://thenakedfork.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html

You continue to amaze me with all of you do on your farm! A Happy Happy VERY HEALTHY New Year to you, Kay!!!

Gluten free Kay said...

Hey Suzette,

I read your egg post. Splendid! I'm really looking forward to having my own chickens. Glad I have a few months of winter to do my chicken homework and assemble materials.

The new food co-op could provide us all with healthier fare. I'll post the link when I get more organized.

Anonymous said...

Kay--In going back to find your no-no list, I'm catching up on some of your posts I missed. The image of the chickens and their mobile quonset huts is something. Talk about free range! I don't think most egg suppliers mean free range in that sense--wow! Just curious what the dogs were ... border collies? Border collies are always "working" and need tasking so it seems they'd be good for that job.

Gluten free Kay said...

They weren't collies, but I can't name the breed. Shorter noses, black and white, shorter fur.

The eggs are from the Schacht Farm in Bloomington, IN. I went to their website to look for dog info. No dog photos, but there are pix of their chicken coops. Check it out at www.schachtfleecefarm.com.

I wish I had gone back to the Winter Market yesterday. I found out they have a special on packs of boney chicken pieces for stock. I could use some of those!