Juggling the Bounty

Our long hot and humid summer has had quite a positive effect on the local produce and now we are enjoying the benefits. We usually bring home quite a load from the Farmers Market but this week was larger than ever and included pumpkins! A couple of little sweet ones found their way into our hoard but they will have to wait until it cools off before becoming pies! Burt was impressed with our haul.

Even our two scrawny tomato plants have been overly productive, a surprise since they live in pots on our driveway and are subject to all sorts of abuse by the squirrels and chipmunks. 

The habaneros, another group of my abused and regularly neglected plants have also out done themselves and put out enough of these lethal cuties to make our dinners blazing hot for decades! 

Thankfully we don't have to rely on my questionable agricultural skills for the rest of our produce since there seems to be no end to the amount of edibles for sale by the local farmers. I do have to admit that I find it much more enjoyable shopping in the sunshine than under fluorescent lights. Everything looks so cheerful and there's no fiddling with those stupid plastic bags trying to get them open! In January, when there's a foot of snow on the ground I'll be thankful for the supermarket.

Seems like dealing with Mother Nature is always a tricky business and there's also the possibility of ending up with too much of a good thing. Wonder who's going to eat that mountain of broccoli? How will it all end up? Probably (if I know the locals) there will be cheese and beer involved if it's soup, definitely cheese if it's destined for a quiche. The cabbage will end up as cole slaw or sauerkraut, the latter with corned beef and of course, cheese. The one thing I don't miss is the frozen food aisle, except for the ice cream but there are plenty of tents selling it so all that's needed is a free hand.

The best thing about summer markets is how they inevitably take on a carnival atmosphere. With the colorful flowers everywhere, the ever changing melodies of the buskers as we stroll past and that unmistakable aroma of fried food, the only things missing are the side shows and pony rides.

So what happens when we get back home with all this stuff? How do we keep from losing all those festive feelings so far away from all the fun and excitement? Well, it appears that Burt just may have a plan and it will either involve basil and pasta or a special touch of madness.

Burt has a challenge for Nick, to see how many of the fruits and vegetables from our shopping trip he can juggle without turning them into mush. Starting with the tomatoes.

It seems Nick's special juggling madness is more than equal to the task!

However, Burt's imagination (and guile) knows no bounds . . .

but Nick is unfazed by the challenge. It's got to be easier than juggling cole slaw and pies!

There are always limits to everything, maybe that's enough excitement for today.

Thanks for stopping by, hope everyone had a great weekend!