Squash and pumpkin harvest is in! The new barn is a patchwork of color.

Mingle with artists, homesteaders, DIYers, woodworkers, bakers and other creative people at the farms annual Swap it! Community Trading Event. We’ll hold it in the new barn and provide tables and chairs. What happens at the swap, you ask? Basically, people bring as much stuff as they want, for some it’s a handful or jars, others it may be several dozen different items. The only requirement is that they are items that your household grew, made or created (the event isn’t to trade used goods). Everyone grabs a name tag, sets up their goods and wanders around for a bit. At 1:30pm, the swapping begins! Folks approach others that have items you are interested in and ask if they would like to trade with you. It’s mellow, it’s social. The more you bring, the more potential you have to bring home others people’s cool things! This photo is Amanda trading her enchilada sauce with Felix’s pickles.

Rest in peace Barney Gage. A shareholder and nearly lifelong resident of Canton, Barney Gage passed away this summer. As we harvested the flowers for his celebration of life this weekend, we remembered how he sauntered in the gardens, taking his time to gather produce.

I forgot how much I LOVE visiting other people’s kitchens! Especially when they are as cozy as shareholder Val’s. We assemble a microcosmos with our favorite ingredients close at hand. She had a veritable homage to the fields of littleGrasse in her kitchen. The counter island included a rainbow of peppers, tomatillos, garlic, onions and potatoes. This windowsill was my particular favorite. Val is fond of maintaining a gallery of herbs to forage on throughout the season. From the woody stems of thyme, sage and rosemary, to the greener basil, parsley, and cilantro, the herbs are easy to access and bring green life into the heart of the kitchen.

Barkley the pup is a great example of how we each inhabit the garden in a variety of ways. His owner, shareholder Amanda, uses her visits for produce as a chance to get out for a walk. She meanders from the village out to the farm, bringing her faithful companion. They take their time in the fields gathering greens, herbs and flowers. Barkley patiently observes all the action.

A heartfelt shout out of gratitude and appreciation to the Scafidi-McGuires. Sarah and her son Cole are pictured here harvesting potatoes with GH. They have been members of littleGrasse since before Colvin was born. They join us for several Garden Mornings each season and embody the dedication and lasting benefits that can be realized (both from the farmers perspective and at the household level) by taking part in the farm over many cycles of the seasons. From our perspective, multi-year membership is one of the most powerful ways to see the lasting positive impacts of this green space in the lives of the members.

Fabulous bok choy available now.

GH made fresh naan, and we used it like a tortilla and filled it with a kaleidoscope of flavors and textures.

Frankly, on the farm we are spoiled being surrounded by such abundant freshness. We work diligently for it, of course, but it’s so enmeshed in our lives, it’s good to pause and cherish it. Every season there are some produce items that capture our special attention. This year a star of the garden are the peppers, both hot and sweet. We roasted a bunch and tore them into strips for the freezer as a special guest for winter meals.