Summer
1/24/2013
Peaches are Pank’s favorite! I bet I bought up every peach the Farmer’s Market could spare last summer. Luckily, I have a freezer full of those juicy gems to remind us of warm, summer days on a long winter’s night. Tennessee summers yield such a bounty of fruits and vegetables, that our local farmers are eager to share the love. If you have not visited a Farmer’s Market in a while, you are missing out. Most of them run weekly from May to October, but a few go year round. Please visit http://bit.ly/XCpkrm for a complete listing of Tennessee Farmer’s Markets. While there, think long term. Sure, a peach cobbler shared with your sweetie on the back porch in late July is sublime. Even still, a freezer bag of local goodness beats the hell out of a BPA coated can of soggy peaches drenched in high fructose corn syrup (among other crazy chemicals) on a late February morning for breakfast. “Meh, I can buy fresh year round in the produce section of Kroger,” you say. Have you ever noticed how mealy the ones in the grocery store are these days? Chances are, they were picked green and shipped from lord knows where! Don’t get me wrong, I shop at Kroger. Just not for peaches in the middle of January. To ensure ultimate freshness, it is important to preserve your bounty while it is in season. Whether you are buying from a local farmer, or planning to grow your own this coming summer, plan ahead for the season. Tennessee’s growing season is long and luscious. Here is your guide for what’s in season http://bit.ly/YofPCe . Once picked, make sure to preserve your fruits and vegetables in a safe way. There are tons of classes out there on canning and so forth. So, get out there and learn a new trick or two. After all, it’s fun to play with your food!