Saturday Farmers' Markets are a stimulating place to visit as I social with the vendors, learn gardening tips from the farmers, and try new varieties of vegetables.  This year I planted cylindra beets which are a red elongated shape.  Saturday I bought music garlic and a bunch of orange beets and grilled the beets in foil. Delicious and easy.  Areas in the garden are freeing up again since I've dug up a few potatoes and spinach and lettuce are done.  I'll probably pull the yellow bean stubs today.  They don't stand a chance of producing leaves again with the little hungry bunnies making their midnight visits.  I'll buy beans when the farmers bring them to market.  Today I'll send in my fall seed order in to Baker Creek Farms for Chioggia beets, Ornamental Fringed kale, Brune D'Hiver head lettuce, and Chinese Red Meat radishes.  Mid July the planting can begin again.  Within the next week or so we'll be eating summer squash and have been eating sweet cherry tomatoes.

I've been reading up on Community Supported Agriculture as another means to being exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking.  The CSAs aren't confined just to produce.  Some farmers offer homemade breads, shares of eggs, meats and cheeses.  All new to me.  Learned so much from Lauria.  Wish we lived closer so we could help each other build chicken coops, root cellars, and maybe even sell produce and my aprons at the farmers' markets.  I've been scanning different areas of our acreage trying to decide the best coop placement where the chickens can forage for insects and grubs and get the sunlight they need.  Deltona and Orlando have recently allowed residents to have a limited number of backyard chickens.  There is an increasing number of cities and subdivisions across the nation that are loosening up their regulations to allow families backyard chickens.  Contrary to some people's beliefs, there is no smell when taken care of properly.  Lauria and Jim have about thirty chickens and six ducks ranging freely on their acreage and there is no stench.  Five or six chickens would provide us all the eggs needed for our household and chickens are so pretty.


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