LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Early fall is one of the most exciting times at the farmers market here in Lake County.

Many summer crops are still abundant, with plenty of tomatoes and peppers still to be had. Cucumbers and summer squash are still available but you’ll need to come early if you want to get some as most farmers’ plants are slowing down at this point.

Fall and winter crops are starting to come in, with a large selection of winter squash, succulent greens and lettuces that have been enjoying the cooler nights, and newly harvested root crops. If you’re sick of eating zucchini, it’s a great time to make a kale salad to go with your dinner.

Generally, you’ll also find lots of apples at farmers markets right now. To take advantage of the abundance, ask farmers if you can buy a bushel of seconds to can applesauce or use to make dried apples. Plain, unsweetened applesauce is a great pantry staple that can be eaten on its own for a healthy snack, as a side dish with pork chops or potato pancakes, or as a healthy sweetener for desserts.

For another simple preserving project, buy a flat of tomatoes and freeze them whole to use later. Just place the whole tomatoes into Ziploc bags and put them in the freezer. It’s that easy.

Tomatoes are easy to can, but since fall can be a busy time of year, not everyone may have time. Thaw frozen tomatoes to use in soups, sauces, stews, and casseroles. If you prefer to remove the skins before you make sauce, just run the frozen tomato under water and the skin will slip right off.

Don’t wait – by November these beautiful summer tomatoes aren’t going to be around anymore and we’ll all be missing them.

Please remember that summer crops produce right up until frost, which often doesn’t hit until mid to late November in some areas of the county. Let’s help farmers make all their hard work worthwhile by supporting them all year round.

Back-to-school season can be busy and distracting, but if we want to have thriving farmers markets it’s important to keep coming.

Many farmers have planted huge winter vegetable gardens to help make sure there’s fresh local produce 365 days a year, so you might be happily surprised to see how much produce is available even though we’re transitioning away from the summer season.

Some seasonal crops available now include tomatoes – cherry, paste and heirloom; sweet and hot peppers; eggplant; all kinds of greens – lettuce, kale, chard, etc.; apples; winter squash; grapes; beets;
carrots; radishes; cauliflower; pomegranates; persimmons; onions; pears; and more.

Smaller amounts, but still available for early birds include cucumbers, summer squash and green beans.

Projects for right now are pepper jelly, fermented hot sauce, freezing or canning tomatoes, and freezing or canning applesauce.

The Lake County Farmers’ Finest markets at Steele Wines are open through the end of October in the traditional outdoor locations on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon noon.

The Clearlake Market is open on Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. at Highlands Park.

For more information visit www.LakeCountyFarmersFinest.org .