Fresh Fall Fruits and Veggies

      

A few days ago, I stopped by my favorite plant store Old Thyme Feed Store in Fairhope.

This is the place where my kids hate to hear me say, "I am going to just stop by for a minute!"  They have a great selection of perennials and annuals all year long.  I tend to lose track of time looking at all the plants. In fact, when I drive by I see all the pretty blooms and it lures me in like a moth to bright light.  When I began gardening in this area years ago, I would go here and get tons of advice from "Maura" (pic above -she orders and maintains the nursery and is a great gardener!) and Cecil, the owner. I have built entire perennial beds around her recommendations. 

      As I drove by the other day, I had a new lure "Fresh Produce".  They have a new produce and veggie stand that sits on the north side of the building!  I swear this place is a step back in time...where people still congregate to talk about the weather and buy seeds and now get groceries too.  A Barnwell couple, Joseph and Cathy Hock, are selling local and wholesale produce and seafood. He was the produce manager at a local grocery store and comes from generations of farmers in this area.  They had fresh collards, purple hull peas, turnips, spinach and all the root veggies in baskets on the table.  They mentioned how the satsumas were going quick and I told them I had a huge tree with branches so full they are touching the ground.  This tree sits beside my dryer vent where it inadvertently gets heat all winter long.

So, lo and behold, I ran home picked a bushel and just like the old days...took them to market!  It was an awesome experience! These satsumas are seedless, sweet and huge! He weighed them and paid me right there... I then turned right around and bought fresh purple hull peas and grapefruit with the money.

 In many ways, I think I was meant for a different generation! I wanted to share with all my gardening friends my new "find".  So, visit them and support local gardeners and farmers and tell them you read about them on my blog!

Happy Gardening!

Nicki