Last Thursday the temperature soared to 103 degrees F. River Wave Foods was at the Salmon Creek Farmer's Market and it was hot. Our kind and generous market manager, Ann, provided free snow cones and a sprinkler. We were assigned a space next to Tim, the gyro guy whose hot stove top added another layer of heat. It was a great day nonetheless and the intrepid vendors who did dare the heat were presented with lovely entertainment by the FM musicians and a freebee by management. The heat was short lived and by Saturday the overcast skies had reappeared accompanied by a light drizzle. But such is life. The weather is the topic that we can all relate to and talk about. It is something shared and complained about by just about everyone. For those of us who spend much of our lives at local farmer's markets the weather is always a concern; particularly here in the Pacific Northwest where the annual average rainfall is @ 37 inches. Most markets run from April through September or October. April, May and sometimes even June are filled with many days that are wet, cold and miserable. It is a leap of faith for vendors to set up their tents and hope that there is a break in the weather and that faithful FM shopper will appear. But one shows up and thanks the heavens for the sun or rain or whatever the gods of weather throw our way, for it is this weather that feeds the fruits and vegetables and make it all possible. Raspberries and cherries are done, blueberries are waning and blackberries are in their glory. Peaches are available as well as sweet corn, green beans and lots and lots of squash (zucchinis if you want to be specific). Such is the bounty of summer in the northwest. But like the heat of last Thursday's Salmon Creek Farmer's Market the word moves from being an experience to again being simply the word "hot". The peaches and berries are savored and eaten with reverence, each juicy bite a small moment of culinary joy They like summer will be gone all too soon. Enjoy!
