Are you feeling fall yet? Yep, me too. It is cool and almost crisp this morning. With a full moon, I am humming “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young. And our current news? Currants! Our little Rona garden in the park has been producing a good crop of these amazing little red berries. We will have some available (limited supplies) for sale this Tuesday at our market booth.

Red currants, though tiny, are actually packed with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They are tart and sweet at the same time. You can add them to salads, smoothies, and of course bake with them, as well as make jam or jelly.

In a 1931 cookbook, I found a recipe for spiced currants: Add sugar, cinnamon, allspice and vinegar and cook for about 30 minutes. How wonderful would that be glazed over a nice juicy pork tenderloin on the grill?

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Our market is still bursting with goodness and an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Palisade has a great peach crop this year, which will carry though to the middle of September, so don’t miss these luscious, juicy gems.

Did you know you can make pie or cobbler in your crock pot? What a brilliant idea for summer baking. A couple of hours cooked on high and you will be serving dessert to your smiling family in a cool house.

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Come down for dinner and try Katie Workman’s wonderful Greek gyros. Katie creates grilled pitas with sauteed gyro meat topped with her own homemade tzatziki sauce, organic mixed greens, tomatoes, red onions, feta and Kalamata olives. She also has great Greek salads and falafel. It’s a feast to enjoy. She has been doing this for six years and attends local events throughout the year.

Wander our artisan booths and you can start tucking away beautiful gifts for Christmas. I know it’s early, but think how much more holiday time you will have if you shop now. Francesca Bonfiglio has wonderful pieces of pottery that she hand forms and then fires. Minerals are added to create color, and she also presses flowers or lace into the wet clay resulting in delicate images. I love her wrap bracelets and earrings and her adorable signs that anyone would love. She is always smiling and a delight to talk to.

The Leonard Curry Trio is always a big local favorite. They make us smile and tap our toes. There is just no way to sit still when they start playing their fun music. Grab your partner and dance barefoot in the cool grass. This week’s music is sponsored by Juicy Lucy’s.

Cooking Matters will be in our cooking demo booth. This is a wonderful nonprofit Colorado organization that educates folks on how to cook economically and healthily. What a vital source of information for us to have available to the public. Cooking from scratch saves money and is so much healthier for us. She will have information on the Double Up Food Bucks Colorado program and other helpful ideas for your food budgets and the benefits of shopping seasonal and local.

Hope to see you there from 4-8 p.m. this Tuesday.