I could use my last blog of summer to vent about the many disappointments that the Covid 19 virus has brought to me and my house and how the quarantine has reduced those of us who have followed the quarantine to the status of caged animals. But none of my words along this line of thinking will do me or any of you any good.
Quite the contrary, I give thanks for living in a rural part of the Finger Lakes region of New York State. We are fortunate that much of our foodstuffs are produced right here in the Finger Lakes and are sold along the roadside. The first local treat is fresh strawberries. The season is in June and is typically short, but what a treat. Jeanette and I love fresh strawberries and this year, I made my first strawberry/rhubarb pie.
We always look forward to buying sweet corn along any one of our many roadside farm markets. Sales begin in July and the corn was exceptional. These roadside stands are restocked each day with fresh corn brought in from the fields. One can still find good sweet corn at the roadside stands. Blueberries are plentiful in July and August and our favorite breakfast is blueberry pancakes made with local old-fashioned buttermilk stone-ground buckwheat flour produced in Penn Yan, NY. I bring the pancake grill right next to the table and we are devouring the first four pancakes while the second four are still on the grill.
Labor Day marks the beginning of the fall harvest. The area around Canandaigua and Penn Yan has been a traditional place to raise cabbage. By Labor Day, most of the corn in the roadside markets is replaced with pumpkins, squash, cabbages, potatoes and wild flowers. Local apples are just being brought to the market. I totally forgot tomatoes. I raise my own organic tomatoes and red potatoes. The tomatoes were late this year and I picked our last two tomatoes his morning.
With fall just starting, there are beautiful hills and colored leaves to see, hundreds of wineries to go wine tasting and to stock up your wine cellar before the winter winds start to howl. I hope that I have opened your eyes to some of the possibilities here in the Finger Lakes. I am going to enjoy what has been given to us and to be extra thankful for the bounty that we have received this year.