WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — Foraging. The wandering or search for provisions. The “gatherers” of hunter and gatherer societies would have eaten what they could kill (meat or fish) or find (fungus, fruit, roots, greens, nuts, eggs). What would be available would depend on the country/continent, closeness to the equator, the season. Imagine the skill necessary to keep oneself alive through foraging.
Many of us in this part of the states pick wild berries along a walking or bike path or at the edge of the woods. Mulberries, walnuts, hickories, pawpaws and persimmons are popular and widely used in some communities, and largely ignored in others. Mushrooms, including the morel, are prized woodland finds, and many have special and secret spots they return to each year.
A friend recently gave me a copy of Wild Edibles: A Practical Guide to Foraging and Easy Identification of 60 Edible Plants and 67 Recipes (Sergei Boutenko). While I’d not recommend the book for the recipes (heavy on fruit and not much else), the information about wild edible plants is fascinating. Many of the plants, often considered “weeds,” are widely available in my “yard.” The book provides identification information including pictures of leaves, bark, fruit, roots, as well as nutritional information and vitamin and mineral content, as well as any “cautions” for consumption.
Take burdock, which most of us wouldn’t even think of harvesting. All parts of this plant are edible; the author points out that while the young greens are quite good in salads, he favors the roots, which “are sweet, sort of like an earthy carrot.” Burdock is a known detoxifier and is used to “purify blood and treat skin ailments…” (pg. 76). Common mallow fascinated me; this plant with it’s incredibly woody, deep root is a relative of okra! And as such, it is “rich in beneficial mucilage, which helps relieve colds, flus and coughs” (pg. 96). The part of trees (birch, firs, and more) that can be eaten are featured. I know that if I had to rely on what I could hunt and gather, I’d really want the greens and fruit and nuts and would look forward to the season when I could find these. Spring would be welcome and busy.
With spring officially behind us, we are still harvesting peas and lettuce. The summer vegetables — tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and squash – are flowering, giving the promise of t crops in the near future. And we are already harvesting green beans! Welcome to summer.
Krippled Kreek Bluegrass Band, a five-piece bluegrass band that dabbles in a little country and acoustic rock and roll, will be playing live again this Saturday.
The Market is open Saturday morning from 8:30 to noon. It is located in the municipal parking lot on the corner of South Main and East East streets. SNAP EBT food benefit cards and credit/debit cards are accepted. Those using the SNAP EBT card for food purchases receive matching dollar “Produce Perks” tokens ($1 for $1) good only for fruits, vegetables, and food producing plants. So,”buy one, get one” for up to $25 EVERY market day. Five dollar coupons will be available again for Fayette County Farm Bureau members at each Saturday market; these can be spent at both the Wednesday and Saturday markets.
The following list contains the names and products of the vendors that expect to set up this Saturday. Other vendors may participate as well.
Red Hot Baking Co (Alondra Ridenour): S’more cookies, brownies, m&m cookies, peanut butter cookies.
Rural Beans Roastery LLC (Kameron Rinehart): Assorted freshly roasted coffee (beans and ground).
The Jam Man (David Persinger): Many assorted jams/jellies, including no added sugar cherry jam and seedless blackberry jam. Samples available. Assorted Texas sheet cakes.
The Pie Lady and S. Plymouth Raw Honey (Julie & Dennis Mosny): local honey and cut comb honey. Pies: black raspberry, strawberry, peach, apple, blackberry, cherry, rhubarb and strawberry, rhubarb. Cinnamon rolls, buns bars, cini mini’s and Caramel puffed corn.
Wood Designs by DW (Debbie Welch): One of a kind handcrafted wood items— birdhouses, signs, tables, gnomes. Crocheted items including kitchen towels, pot scrubs, pot holders, baby booties, and afghans. Will take custom and special orders.
Your Other Mother’s Kitchen (Don & Sara Creamer): bread, other baked goods, sewing crafts.
Bridge View Gardens (Hunter & Lorelle Rohrer): Fresh spring produce including zucchini, cabbage, lettuce, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, red beets, green beans, candy onions. Potted sunflowers. Fresh cut mint for tea.
Cozy Baby Blessings (Nancy Cutter): Handmade baby essentials including crochet baby blankets and hats, flannel burp cloths, teethers and pacifier clips. Also crochet dishcloths and pot scrubbers, beaded pens, key chains and wax melts.
DSC Produce Farm (Darren Cox): 10 flavors of salsa and 4 flavors of salad dressings. Sampling bacon salsa.
Edlynns Attic (Robin Dement): Dog biscuits, 2 new animal baskets(a unicorn and a turtle), popsicle holders, loveys, baby items, and more.
Fiddle Dee Pet Sets (Ellie Wait): Over the collar dog bandanas, scrunchie and headbands for humans.
Greens & Greenery (Katrina Bush): Herb plants including dill, parsley, sage, chocolate mint and lemon grass. Tomato and pepper plants, native perennial and annual flowering plants (astilbe, echinacea, yarrow, blue bedder salvia, coral bells). Raw unpasteurized local honey, strawberry jam, sourdough crackers.
Grounded Few (Christina Fox): Handmade candles, wax melts, bracelets, necklaces, keychains, stickers and home décor including pieces of preserved moss, dried flowers, and embroideries.
Hostetter Kitchen (Melody Martin): White bread, butter rolls, iced cinnamon buns, zucchini, pumpkin and banana (tea) breads, granola, bars, whoopie pies, cheese and herb breads (including pizza buns, cheezy bacon buns and pepperoni pizza), cakes, raspberry swirl buns.
Jim’s Premium Ground Beef (Jim Hobbs): Premium ground beef in assorted packages (patties, bulk tubes).
Julie G’s Cookies (Julie Greenslade): Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, ginger, snickerdoodle, sugar, pineapple, macadamia nut, peanut butter, peanut butter jumbos, chocolate peanut butter bars, lemon bars, funfetti cookies and peanut butter fudge.
Food Trucks – KK’s Grubb Hubb and Waffle Barn
Katrina Bush is a vendor with the Fayette County Farmers Market.
