Strawberries make a rebound. But not for long.

Hey folks.  Get out to the market and get your strawberries this week.  The great weather of the past few weeks have really helped this little gems transition to autumn.  While they are far from their summer peak of sweetness, the local red fruit is doing quite well for late October.  But that should all change with the weather expected for this coming weekend and next week.  Cold and rain are going to wreak havoc on the plants and berries.  I'd expect most farms will need to close down shop, especially if we get the one. two punch that was modeled this morning.  Of course time will tell, but if you need to get at least one more strawberry fix this season - do it this week.

Preparing the Greens (kind of food related...)  in Pacific Grove on Monterey Peninsula.  

Melons and Strawberries on their way out. Tomatoes gone soon.

Hey folks.  Just a friendly little mid October note.  It looks like melons are on their way out for the season.  Some farms still have a few around, but as the crisp cooler air starts to filter into the typically summery hot valleys, melons are taking a toll.  Get your's now if you wish to enjoy the sweetness of this summer treat.  Sure, you can buy Bakersfeild melons for another month or so, and Mexican melons through most of the winter, but trust me, these are not the same.  With all that travel, they tend to lose a lot of the flavor that makes them such a wonderful delight. And it will be much harder to find any thing except the mass produced cantaloupe, honeydew and water varieties.

Still plenty of carrots.

Strawberries also took a hit.  Not sure if you know this, but after a rain, all of the strawberries need to be picked - even the green ones.  Otherwise, the molds get a foot hold, take over and destroy whole fields of this fruit.  Not to despair, the plants do survive quite well as long as the fruit is gone.  But it does take some time for these guys to set more, and even longer to get them ripe.  Add to that the shorter days of fall, and you have a supply issue.  Many of the berries producers are still waiting for the next round of crop to ripen up. Here is what you need to look out for.  Warm, hot days like we had last week.  Follow that with no rain, and continued warmth, and the season can stretch all the way through the holidays.  Yes, those religious ones at the end of the year.  More likely though, rains will come sooner than then, and after the first really big series of cold wet storms, and the farms start to plan for next year.  In the near term, expect a little rebound in supply over the next two weeks, as fair weather is expected through at least another 10 days.

So.  Tomatoes.  The Late Blight got me finally.  And got me good.  I had to toss at least five pounds of beautiful green zebras, tigrellas, black Ethiopians, sungolds and crispis.  So sad.  It should up a few days after that last rain storm, and ripped through my garden quicker than I could pull out plants.  Bummer.  And, of course, I was not the only one.  Plenty of farms had the bight take their crops.  Most just called it a season, pulled and destroyed the plants, before and spores could get in their soil.  A few were a bit luckier, and were able to quarantine the effected plants and keep some of their crop producing.  Regardless, the season is coming to a close, especially for the larger varieties.  So get your tomato fix now, before they are gone.  On an upbeat note, one grower of San Marzanos had a bunch on young plants that were not effected by the blight, so they expect to get some of these wonderful sauce tomatoes right through the early part of November.  Fantastic.

Fall Market Report.

Late summer at the Homeless Garden Project.

Okay folks, so things are starting to change around here at the Farmer's Markets along the central coast.  We are lucky enough to live within a few miles of two year long markets.  The big one is on Wednesdays from 1:30-6 in downtown Santa Cruz.  The second is on Saturdays from 9-1 on Western and Mission, at the very north western edge of town.  Both are pretty fantastic when it comes to produce purchasing.  I feel you can find some better deals on Wednesday, due to the many vendors.  But arrive early if you want the best selection and need to shop efficiently, as it becomes crowded and can be quite a social scene.  I got there at 2:30 last week and was unable to get my $1 avocados, as they were all gone.  Get out to your local markets.  You often can find the best selection and prices, as well as talk to the producers and get to know the farmer and the food.

Anyway, the purpose of this report is to give you an idea of what is out and good at the market this time of year.  Almost everything.  Seriously, this is just really a great time of year.  But you will need to plan for certain things to slowly fade away through the fall.  The first thing we can expect to go is the cucumber.  Supply is very limited right now, and most farmers expect to be completely out within a week or two, especially with the cold weather we just experienced.  Tomatoes often stick around through late October and even into early November, but the rains we just had are not good for this nightshade.  Some folks have younger plants in the ground which will do really well if we get a decent hot spell later in fall.  These are mostly plum tomatoes like the San Marzano.  Great for making sauce.  But all those heirlooms are on their way out.  The cherries are soon to follow, although they can last through some colder nights.  Oh, and the last of the sweet corn is still out there.  Lucky us who are enjoying this delicacies into early October.  At $1 an ear, I suggest eating it raw in a salad, as opposed to the usually summer tradition of grilled or boiled corn on the cob.  But it will be gone soon.  While abundant currently, we can also expect the sweet and hot peppers to back off through the next month.  The same goes for the eggplant.  As well as all the other warmth loving plants like string beans and soft skinned summer squash.  These, though, can stick around for a while if winter weather holds off.  Check out the real weather for more information on what the week and month ahead look like for us in Santa Cruz and central California.  So get your fill of these treats over the next few weeks before they are gone until next spring and summer.

So we are losing some of the good stuff.  Not to worry.  There are actually a few vendors who hot house, so you can usually find a cucumber or tomato, if really needed, at the market on Wednesday through most of the winter.  And there are plenty of other great things that are currently available and will stay that way for months to come.  This includes a variety of winter squash.  My favorite seems to change every year.  Butternuts are not really yet in, but we are seeing plenty of kambocha and delicata.  Even the artichoke and avocado, who are slowing down, should stick around through early next month.  And of course, we have all of our winter crops.  Can anyone one say root vegetables?  Those delicious golden (as well as red and    ) beets should be at the market through most of the winter.  Carrots, parsnips, sunchokes, onions and potatoes are plentiful, and should be for some time.  Turnips will arrive soon.  And we have our leafy vegetables, such as kale and chard that do well all winter around here.  As temperatures drop we should see more and more of the flowering brassicas - broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.  And don't forget the leek.  Of course, most lettuce winter pretty well in our area, so expect a good variety expect during the heaviest rainy periods of winter.  But we should not have to worry about that just yet.

These purple Brussels Sprouts are about to finish off their season.

The biggest change we are seeing right now is the availability of fruit.  There is still a lot out there, but supplies of nectarine and peaches have dwindled, and should continue over the next few weeks.  Plums will stick around for a month or so.  And to note - we have awesome stone fruit around here.  Seriously, I could not get good stone fruit this past summer while visiting in Maine.  Upon my return, the very first peach I bit into was just bliss.  Thank you Mr. Masamoto and all the California peach fanatics for giving us something special.  Back to the report - melons are slowing down, but there are still plenty of good ones out there through this month.  Grapes will dwindle in November, along with the arrival of cold and rain.  Strawberries should do well until the weather changes, but they did take quite a hit with last week's weather.  Blueberries are gone.  Very sad indeed.  Blacks and rasps are disappearing, but there are still some around.  Arrive early to shop if you need them (or just visit your local briar patch to pick your own).  The good news is that it is apple season.  So many to choose from right now, but we (being NY expats) prefer the Empire.  Oh so yummy.  Pears have arrived.  And we are starting to see more pomegranates coming in.  Finally, an abundance citrus should be arriving some time in the next month.

That is all for now.  Check back here soon for some winter gardening tips and recipe ideas as we shift into fall.