September arrives

In wine country it's that time of year, albeit a little late, when the grape harvest kicks off across Napa Valley. At the Napa Farmers Market, many of our farmers harvest year-round and their bounty changes with the weather. For some farmers, this is the time when their season comes to an end. We already said our goodbyes to Stony Point Strawberry Farm at the end of August. Bera Ranch and G & S Farms will be wrapping up soon, so be sure to stock up on heirloom stone fruit and Brentwood Diamond sweet corn before it's gone for another year.

Micros Market Garden returned to our market on Saturdays! Patrick Deasy grows over 70 different varieties of vegetables, fruits, and flowers at the top of Atlas Peak. You may remember Patrick came to one market in 2022 but had to take an extended pause due to unanticipated challenges with the weather. Last year at this time Lone Oak Farms joined our market family, so we are very excited to add another Napa-based farm to our lineup. Speaking of Napa farmers, Soda Canyon is still on break due to pesky pests, and we eagerly wait to hear from Joey Pader when he's ready return, hopefully this month.

July and August are peak months for our market, so I'd like to share some highlights and also reflect on the good work we do year-round as part of our mission to grow community around local food. This summer we saw two peak Saturdays in July and August when we welcomed over 3,500 customer visits. For perspective, last year our top customer count was just over 3,300 and 2019, when we were located on Gasser Drive, our top count was only 1,800. September is the time of year when the customer counts start winding down, however I guarantee we have plenty to enjoy as we head into fall and holiday season.

Last month we partnered with Napa Valley Unified School District to bring back Story Time, with an extra special twist that kids got to hop on a genuine school bus. We're thrilled to announce that an ongoing relationship is in the works, and our goal is to host NVUSD Story Time on the first Saturday of every month. On August 8 we joined forces with Farmers Insurance and Vitalant to host the first ever blood drive at the market. Fifteen people donated blood, which is estimated to save about 45 lives, and we hope to do it again next year. Another way to save lives is by getting vaccinated. St. Helena Hospital Mobile Health clinic will have this season's flu vaccine at the market on Tuesday Oct. 10, and the new COVID booster as soon as it becomes available.

One of the perks of my job is enjoying the generosity of our farmers. Fernando "Jefe" Calderon of The Patch asked me if I wanted some tomatoes which, of course, I did. To my surprise he handed me an entire box full of heirlooms beauties. Immediately I knew this situation called for gazpacho.

Chilled Summer Melon Gazpacho

Adapted from www.foodwise.org seasonal recipes featuring farmers market ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

1—2 orange-fleshed melons, peeled and cut into large chunks (about 4 cups)

4—6 yellow tomatoes (depending on size), peeled and cut into large chunks (about 3 cups)

1—2 yellow bell peppers, peeled and cut into large chunks (about 1 cup)

1—2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into large chunks (about 1 cup)

1 sweet onion, peeled and cut into large chunks (about 1 cup)

1 jalapeno pepper, peeled and cut into large chunks

1—2 lemons, juiced

1 -2 limes, juiced Salt, to taste Cayenne pepper, to taste

1 green-fleshed melon

2 sprigs basil, leaves very thinly sliced

2 tablespoons basil oil (olive oil infused with basil leaves over low heat and strained)

PREPARATION

Put the first 6 ingredients into a large bowl and allow to macerate with lemon juice for a couple of hours.

Blend the macerated fruits and vegetables in a food processor or blender until smooth and strain through a fine mesh sieve pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Season to taste with lime juice, salt, and cayenne. Keep the soup cold by putting it into a bowl that is set over ice.

For garnish: Peel and dice green melon, season with salt, cayenne, and basil leaves. Put melon mixture into ring molds at the bottom of each serving bowl and basil oil. Remove the ring molds carefully, so that the garnish maintains a circular shape. To serve: Pour gazpacho over garnish tableside.