Life Is Peachy!
The air is getting cleaner and the mornings, at least, are cooler. It’s the season for O’Henry Peaches! Ever taste one? Rumor has it that in a sea of delicious peach varieties available over the course of our local peach season, they are the BEST that grow in this area. Their combined tang, texture and sweetness can’t be beat.
As we all know, fruit is the best when it’s allowed to ripen on the vine or tree. Most fruits have signs to communicate which is the perfect specimen.
With watermelon, it’s the golden spot on the skin combined with that perfect “thunk” when you flick it. With cantaloupe it’s the smell and “give” of the fruit.
The lovely folks at Bock’s Fruit Stand shared how to find the best of the best O’Henry: look for speckles on the peach skin. These speckles are there because they are made by sugar pockets in the peach.
So cool…who knew?
Stop on by Bock’s or any of the other O’Henry vendors at the Certified Farmers Market this weekend and look for speckles on yer peaches for the ultimate peachy experience.
Peach recipe
Truly the best way to eat them is to simply cut them into slices, then close your eyes and relish in the flavor and feel. Truly one of life’s joys.
If you want to get fancy, maybe add a bit of whipped cream and/or sweet pecans. Easy hack for sweet pecans, done in about 7 minutes:
Most recipes call for baking. That works well and is probably the best way to cook them if just munching them. But if you are in a hurry, we’ve found that cooking them on the stovetop works fine for tasty sweet desserts.
Cut or break a cup or so of pecans into your desired size. Put them in a pan on medium heat. Add one to two TB each of maple syrup and butter (to taste…experiment) and a splash up to ½ ts of vanilla, then add salt to taste. Cook on the stovetop, stirring from time to time. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. They are done when most of the syrup and butter are cooked down and gooey. Take out of the pan and put on a plate so they dry separated as if left in the pan, they will clump and require a jack hammer to get out. We advise soaking the pan and utensil right away for an easy cleanup.
Ask Jarrett
Meet Jarrett by clicking here or on the image. He’s one of our Board members. You can find him most Sundays at Vecino Victory Garden where he directs projects and teaches folks about growing good food in ways that are good for the planet.
He has decided to expand his reach to help folks succeed at gardening. Have a question about your garden? Ask Jarrett by emailing him at jarrett@bclocalfood.org and he’ll answer them. And who knows…maybe he’ll even do a video about it. Watch as this series grows.
September 18 and 19- Natural Plant Dyeing Workshop- 9am to 1pm both days at Vecino Victory Garden, 1535 Laburnum Ave in Chico
Did you know that your red onion skins can color fabric or that your lettuce not only provides you with tasty salads, but can also be used to dye your shirt green?
Rachel Haight is offering a two day workshop where you’ll learn every step of dyeing from how to best harvest the plants to mordanting & modifying processes to playing with tying & folding techniques to create patterns and more. The cost ($65) includes all dye materials & supplies. Register here
Master Gardeners Events
Ever hear of the UC Master Gardeners of Butte County? They are a statewide organization through the UC Cooperative Extension to help gardeners succeed. Our local group is ON it! Check out their website for informative articles, their region-specific gardening guide and journal, and all their workshops!
Unless otherwise noted all workshops are at their Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch 10381 Midway, Chico, CA 95928. They are free to the public, but you have to register to attend.
We are SO excited about all that they are offering to the community this year!
Drought Triage -Wednesday, September 8, 9–10:30am
Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening -Tuesday, September 14, 9–11am
Berry and Grape Care -Friday, September 17, 10–11:30am
Garden Guide and Journaling Monday , September 20, 9–10:30am please note this event is at Magnolia Gift and Garden Center, 1367 East Ave., Chico
Propagation Monday, September 27, 10am–noon
Irrigation and Maintenance Wednesday, September 29, 9–10:30am
The Tuscan Water District
We only need three things to live: Air, Food and Water. Right now, our region is going through what will become an important historic chapter that will impact farming and our water supply for generations to come.
The issues are complex. They are highly controversial and contentious. We urge us all to be vigilant and respectful and not be personal in our passion. Most of all, no matter on what side of this we land, we ask all of us to find ways to protect the small farmers that feed us.
This organization stays out of politics. But as an organization that is working our butts off to create a stronger local food system, we request that comments that support both sides of the issue include an “Opt-In” participation for small farmers over a requirement they join or an “Opt-Out” default.
The future rests on our shoulders. We urge you to be aware of at least a little about this issue and add your voice as to how you want to see our water used and controlled. Please check out the Butte Water Watch website, as well as Tuscan Water District site, to learn two perspectives about the issues. Our guess is you will need more information to translate it all. Good luck.
Please, please be kind to each other.
More Fantabulous Events
Every Sunday- Work Day at Vecino Victory Garden- 8am to 11, 1535 Laburnum Ave in Chico. Join us this and every Sunday at Vecino to clean up, rearrange, pick weeds, stuff seed envelopes, turn compost, transplant or participate in a unique community garden. Questions? Simply reply to this email and we’ll get you to the right person (probably Jarrett).
Sept. 18- Kentfield Garden Winter Garden Planting Day, 1125 Kentfield Rd. Kentfield could use some love. They’ve gotten the beds clean and now want to get those winter plants in. They’d also love a little help with ongoing maintenance so any time you have a few minutes or an hour or four, stop on by the garden. There are little signs all over that will let you know what you can do to keep this beautiful treasure clean and producing food for all. Visit their Facebook page to keep up on all they have going on.
Save Our Seeds, seed cleaning day – Food has been harvested and we’ve kept a few prime specimens to collect seed from for next year. Sunday, Sept. 26 , 8-11, we are doing a Seed Cleaning Day at Vecino Victory Garden, 1535 Laburnum Ave in Chico. Bring your seeds and/or help us clean ours in an atmosphere of community and fun. We also though it would be fun to share seed stories and read from some seed books. We’ll have a few tasty treats to share to make it even more fun.
Paradise Seed Swap- October 3. Save the date for the return of The Great Seed Swap On The Ridge. We’ll be sharing the bounty of the season’s seeds. Bring yours to share, too. It’ll be held at the Paradise Community Guilds property, 5704 Chapel Rd. in Paradise. More details coming soon, but be sure to save the date! We’ll keep you posted but you can also check the Paradise/Magalia Gardens and Local Food page in Facebook for more information when available.
A little teaser- watch for an exciting announcement next email around a secret, special project we are in cahoots with the Farmers Market on…
Take good care and enjoy the air!
The Team At BCLFN.
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