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Variety, the Spice of an Amish Farmer’s Market and Bakery

Posted by wilde on October 5th, 2006 — Posted in Vegetable

We’re in Amish country today. Just look around and you’ll see horses pulling buggies or carts. Youngins – always wearing hats – go most places on bicycles or on foot.

Farmers’ markets and their womens’ bakeries have something for everyone. What a delight!

It’s always fun to go to the local market when you’re traveling about. Here’s a great Amish market a few miles south of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. There are a couple places along this stretch of Routes 11/15 where you can purchase Amish-made quilts — just look for the quilts blowing in the breeze!

After viewing and purchasing some of the apples, pumpkins and other home-grown vegetables, we move on to the Bakery.

Guess where she’s headed! Shoe-fly pie, anyone?

And who wouldn’t be delighted working across the highway from such a beautiful river front view?

The Susquehanna River as viewed from across Routes 11/15 at Weaver’s Farm Market.

If variety is the spice of life, then it would be good to be a gourd! Check out the different colors and textures of these gourds.

Can’t imagine using that old wheelbarrow for anything but a display!

This Indian Corn tells the season, doesn’t it? The variety of colors makes it a great addition to seasonal decorations.

Indian corn hanging at the farmer’s market.

Talk about variety — Chrysanthemums are now available in so many colors. It would be a shame to not have at least one or two for a splash of fall color outside your doorstep. Look how many blossoms are on this mum — you can’t see any green!

Chrysanthemums are available in many autumn colors. This one has a multitude of blossoms.

In Zone 5 it’s a coin toss as to whether they will overwinter, but try planting a few mums anyway. They make for nice cut flowers that are fairly long lasting.

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Autumn Colors in Sassafras, Goldenrod and Asters

Posted by wilde on October 5th, 2006 — Posted in Vegetable

Sassafras is a favorite woodland herb. It is really a tree, but the roots can be used liked an herb. Sassafras grows quickly at the edge of the oak forest and requires cutting back every so often.

Each time that I cut sassafras I try to bring up some of the root to save for tea. Smelling the roots as you’re digging them up justifies the effort. A pleasing scent, I’ll say.
The roots are shaken of dirt and rinsed with water to gently clean. Roots are placed in a saucer or bowl in a cupboard and left there to cure.

When I feel like a cup of sassafras tea I have only to open the cupboard to retrieve a few roots, put them in near boiling water for a couple minutes, and pour the tea. The aroma totally gets me. You should try it!

In the fall the small sassafras trees seem like they dry up from the bottom with their lowest leaves turning a orange-yellow first, followed by leaves higher up. Eventually all the leaves turn a nice yellow-orange before dropping off.

Sassafras leaves turning colors from the bottom up.

Autumn colors start arriving in fallow fields in late summer. Land that has been allowed to sit undisturbed for several years will witness waves of color as the seasons progress, and some of the most noticeable colors come in the fall.

For most of September and into the beginning of October goldenrods dominate the landscape with hues of yellow. Purple asters complement the soft yellows and draw your eye’s attention.

Pretty colors in the fields are vibrant for a couple weeks as if heralding that the tree leaves will soon start changing their colors, too.

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