Finally! We Should Be Seeing Native Fruit And Corn Soon

The summer harvest was delayed slightly by the rainy spring, according to Rick Mascuga of the state's Department of Agriculture but if the hot and sunny weather keeps up, the farmers' markets will be full of native fruits and vegetables as early as next week. 

"Things are coming in spotty at this point," said Mascuga. "If it stays hot we should be pretty much caught up by next week." 

This week, farmers may have some cherries, but the Connecticut cherry season "was a disaster" according to Mascuga who said the plants were not well pollinated this year. 

"If you see native cherries , don't hesitate," Mascuga said, "because they probably won't be there (next week)." 

Kingsley Goddard, the owner of Barberry Hill Farm in Madison, agreed that cherries were a bit of a disaster this year. "We had beautiful blossoms and no fruit," he said of his cherries. He has high hopes for his raspberries, however, which will be coming up later this summer.

Mascuga said peaches may be available by the end of the week and more so sometime next week. Also, Mascuga said some native corn is available.  

"It's small but very very sweet and more will be available by the end of the week.

Barberry Hill Farm has a booth at the Madison Farmer's Market on Friday and recently opened up its farm stand on the Boston Post Road. For the farm's CSA farm shares customers, it is predicting the following for this week: Kale, Red Onions, Cucumbers, Tomatoes (Cherokee Purple), Sugar Snap Peas, Squash Blossoms, Beets, Green/Yellow Squash, Flowers, Broccoli.

Available this week at farmers markets around the state: 

• raspberries
• blueberries
• green beans are available but very expensive
• greenhouse tomatoes 
• beets
• carrots
• garlic
• radishes
• yellow and green squash is starting to come in heavy
• salad and pickling cucumbers
• lettuces are winding down
• peas are still available but on the downswing
• purple and yellow cauliflower
• the whole gamut of herbs, including cilantro, basil, parsley, etc.
• squash blossoms, for stir frying or to stuff
• cheeses, honeys, jams and jellies

Where to find them:

• Madison Farmers' Market is on Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m. on the Madison Town Green near 27 Meetinghouse Lane, WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.

• The Old Saybrook Farmers’ Market is on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 210 Main Street. www.oldsaybrookfarmersmarket.com, WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted, SNAP/EBT. 

• The Westbrook Farmers’ Market is on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Flat Rock Place in the Tanger Outlet Center. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted. 

• Dudley Farmers’ Market is on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m at 2351 Durham Road in North Guilford.

• The Chester Sunday Farmers’ Market is on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Town Center. www.chestersundaymarket.com

Pem's favorite recipe for squash blossoms

Ingredients 

• small bowl of flour

• small bowl of egg wash (an egg or two with a bit of water mixed in)

• panko bread crumbs with salt and freshly ground pepper, and/or minced garlic and/or parmesan cheese mixed in

• olive oil, enough to provide a liberal coating to the bottom of your fry pan

• squash blossoms

Wash squash blossoms and dry them carefully with a paper towel. Careful, they can be delicate! If possible, keep the stems on.

Dip the blossom in flour. Dip in egg wash. Coat with bread crumbs.

Flash fry over medium to medium high heat until bread crumbs are toasty brown. If you include the garlic or parm, watch carefully, because it will go from perfect to burnt pretty quickly.

Serve with stems turned out, so that you can hold them by the stem when you eat them. I don't think you shoud eat the stems, though. Or just eat with a knife and fork if the stems have fallen off.