Farmland: Supporting my local farms.

Last week I noticed a cute little button on my friend, Leigh's blog, Burbs and the Bees (isn't that an adorable name? I love it!) for Farmland.org. I clicked over and liked what I saw...so then I got a cute little button. Farmland.org asks that if you're going to display a button that you talk about local farms and farmer's markets and such on your blog...spread the word! I figured I could do that...chances are I would have posted about it all anyway!

Several years ago a local farm built a small fruit stand on the corner of their property. As long as I've lived here (31 years) we've never had a vegetable stand nearby. It was very exciting. It's only about a half mile from my house...walkable for sure. (Honestly, I'm usually in my car because I typically stop by on my way home from somewhere...but I could walk if I wanted to...and if it wasn't so dang hot. And I wasn't so dang lazy. But anyway...)

The owner, Aliki, and her family and friends are all SO nice. When you walk up to the stand it's like you're walking into a family members home. They greet you with big smiles and cheerful greetings.

Tomatoes and figs dappled in the sun shining through the lattice roof. Aren't they beautiful?

They grow just about everything they sell. Maybe even everything by now. But if they didn't grow it, you can guarantee someone local did. I told Aliki last week that the true sign of summer, for me, is when she opens up her stand each year. She said, "Not until the tomatoes are ready. Then it's summer!" And I have to say, I agree!

Look at this gorgeous bounty! Peppers and cucumbers and beans and okra...and not pictured are corn and potatoes and onions and garlic and melons and apricots and plums and cherries and...and...the list goes on and on! I asked Aliki last week when she was going to start giving farm tours. She laughed. Do you think she meant, "Never! I have enough work to do already!"??

Jars full of beautiful golden honey...harvested right there on the property.

They also dry and bottle their own herbs. And just this year they began bottling and selling olive oil...from the trees right on their property.

Every so often they've got big boxes full of "soft fruit", fruit that is ripe and is ready right now to either be eaten immediately or preserved in some way.

This box of peaches and yellow plums came home with me. So far they've been eaten straight from the box; cut up, sugared and served with vanilla bean ice cream and right now Ian is eating a bowl of them with sugar and milk with his breakfast. The other half of the box will be turned into peach butter later today...I can't wait to try it!