San Luis Obispo Farmers Market

We always enjoy visiting other Farmers Markets while traveling. It is especially fun to go to the winter markets in California. This time of year there are some amazing and exotic fruits available. There is an abundance of citrus, and avocados. Some of my favorite unique fruits are tropical flavored pineapple guavas and tangy deep red blood oranges.

The Farmers Market on Thursday evenings in San Luis Obispo is quite an event. The street is closed off for several blocks. There are lots of food stands and lots of produce. On the street corners there is music and juggling. And the street is packed with people. It is always great fun to go visit it.

Recipes

Check out our updated recipe page. There are recipes for several types of fresh produce and more will continue to be added. My goal is to have a resource with delicious and creative ways to cook all kinds of fruits and vegetables.

Planting Garlic

This fall we planted a large area of the garden to garlic. We have ten beds, one hundred feet long with four rows in each. It was quite a bit of work to get it all planted but we did it. It was just in time too, before the ground began to freeze and snow stared to fall. It looks so nice all planted and mulched.

Harvest

Harvest was bountiful this year. Summer was busy, sometimes even crazy. We had a great season at the farmer's market. We always had a full table. I had an abundance of produce to can and freeze as well. We have been so blessed and have so much to be thankful for.

Pumpkins and garlic in the living room. We don't have a proper storage area yet so when it started getting too cold outside our abundant harvest filled the living room until we sold some of it, used some of it and organized the rest in the other room.

I did so much canning this year; pickles, jams, chutney, salsas, beans, tomato sauce and more. It is so satisfying to have it all on the pantry shelves. I also froze and dried quite a bit of fruit.

Digging Potatoes

These pictures are a little old now, but here we are digging potatoes.

Picking Sunflowers

Redfield Apple

I love the unique, the colorful. I love striped tomatoes, purple cauliflower, speckled lettuce and ... red fleshed apples. We got these gorgeous apples from someone at the farmer's market. They make a very pretty pie.

Autumn at the Market

Autumn is a lovely and abundant season at the market. There are lots of pumpkins, potatoes and autumn fruits. There are still some greens and also the last of the tomatoes. The colors are so beautiful in the sunshine.

Pumpkins and Squash

Sunday Afternoon

I like to paint. I haven't painted in a long time. It is hard to find the time. Last Sunday David was sick so we stayed home from church. It was such a relaxing day. And I even found some time to do a little painting in the afternoon.

Cinderella Pumpkin

I love growing pumpkins in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Here is one I grew this year that I think is just beautiful.

Sweet Melon

A melon from our garden. I can actually grow melons in our cool spot but they are late and might not ripen. So you won't be seeing any of these at the market, because I just grow a few for fun. This is a French Charentais melon and was very sweet and delicious.

Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

Yum...

Dried Tomatoes

If I have extra tomatoes to use up I like to dry them. I just slice them up thick and lay them on the dehydrator trays and dry overnight or until they seem done. They are wonderful on pizza, or tossed with pasta, or blended into a creamy salad dressing.

Sunny Sunflowers

I love sunflowers! They are so cheerful and summery. This year I have to rows of them one along the potato patch and one below the squash patch.

David Turns Two

Foccocia Bread

Raspberry Preserves

Zucchini Boat Race

Last Friday there was a zucchini boat race at the Chewelah Farmer's Market. So David made a boat(with Aunt Melissa's help) for the race. Then he got tired and grouchy and finally fell asleep. I decided a boat race wasn't worth waking him up for. So he missed the race but he did go float his boat down the creek when he woke up. He enjoyed that immensely.

Italian Zucchini

Dill Pickles

The smell of dill and vinegar fills the house. It is late summer and time to make pickles again. I am slicing cucumbers with the sun streaming in my kitchen window. There is something so pleasant and old fashioned about making and canning dill pickles. I love being in the kitchen turning garden produce into something delicious to store for the winter. I love the beautiful jars filled with pickles cooling on the counter when I am all finished.

Dahlia's

Flowers in the Garden

I love having a few flowers blooming throughout the garden. So this year I added some marigolds and nasturtium at the end of rows. I also have some flowering herbs like borage, along with a bed with cosmos, dahlias and other flowers.