Wilder Pictures: Farmer's Market Series, Volume IV + V (or) July, July

  I love July. It’s finally truly summer in Maine. The kind of real summer that most other places in America get for three or four months, but that up here in the northeast lasts for a fleeting two, at most. It’s always a surprise when it hits; when you don’t always need a fleece in the evening, when there isn’t a bite to the air as you sit in the sun, when the tourists come and you swear at them as they drive through town, far too slowly, with their Florida plates (but you secretly love that they come, if only because it makes you feel rooted, makes you realize how well you know this place). It’s a time before the edge of sadness that comes with fall, that comes even before fall, in late August, with the north winds (more after the jump).

Now, with all that said, the past two weekends have been uncharacteristically hot. Because while Maine does warm up in July, it never seems to get above the idyllic temperature of 77-78 degrees. So at 85 degrees, this past week was, as far as the mid-coast is concerned, a scorcher. I really shouldn’t be complaining, considering the rest of the country was basically in an oven, and I don’t mean to sound like I am; it was just surprising.
The warmth certainly seems to be good for the market, as it has been bursting with beautiful produce! While all of the farmers and shoppers were sweaty at the temples and the cash got wrinkly and crumpled in the heat, the chard, radishes, peas, scallions, strawberries, and every other bunch of green, purple, red, and yellow looked just delightful. Here, from the past two Saturdays, is the bounty of the Maine earth. Enjoy!

And the bounty of the population, as well, as evidenced by Mr. Smith, of Smith's Smokehouse. You haven't had smoked salmon until you've had his.

Agricola Farm's booth. 

Rainbow chard. Amazing, no?
 

Aaaand it looks like the snap peas were more popular than the shell peas. I, of course, dove into the shell peas like a greedy little pea-monster.

 Rap-scallions!

Purple...somethings. Beets? Radishes? I may never know. 

Haruki turnips. A-gain. 

Half Moon Farm chutneys. 

A PURPLE CAULIFLOWER! 

 Yellow ones, too!

More greens. 

Garlic scapes. My friend's mom makes a mean garlic scape pesto. I'd love to try it. 
 

Dill, cilantro, the good stuff. 

Letoose.

More scallion men. They look like little humans. Sort of. 

Strawbs. 

Aaaand last but not least, mushes.