Thankfulness, Day Thirteen

I know that this may seem a bit like jumping the gun; after all, aren't we all thankful for food and the harvest on Thanksgiving Day? I'm specifically thankful for the farmers' market, though.

Each week, on Saturday morning, I get up, throw some clothes on, and head down to the farmers' market. Usually FB comes with me, unless he's staying at his grandparents' house. Together, we navigate the utter awesomeness that is our local farmers' market. It's a lot of fun to see some things change throughout the year; spring greens and strawberries give way to cantaloupe, blueberries, and okra; summer squash is omnipresent, starting in mid-June; in late August and early September, the last of the summer's berries and melons yield to sweet potatoes and pumpkins; and then, as cooler weather descends, the greens return, accompanied by acorn squash and turnips. Throughout the weeks of the market, other vendors vie for space – the local dairies, the local bacon and sausage producers, the dog biscuit bakers, the German pastries, the local honey. We return each week with a basket bursting with fresh food.

Of course, we live in a city and a state where the seasons do change, and winter is approaching. Sleet fell in my backyard yesterday, which is admittedly quite early for us. Accordingly, my beloved market will disappear in just two more weeks; the Saturday before Thanksgiving will be, somewhat appropriately, our last chance to partake of the local harvest.

And while I did not freeze or can as much food as I intended, I do have jars of strawberry jam and bags of frozen strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. I have bags of raw and roasted garlic cloves tucked snugly in my freezer. While we've partaken of meat throughout the summer, I have portions of a cow (including plenty of roasts and stew meat) reading, along with plump chickens (and one not-so-plump stewing chicken). In other words, the proverbial larder is full. And so - I am thankful.