Are sour cherries your jam?

Trevor, who has been working the Orchards of Concklin tent for as long as I can remember, is a quiet sort. There are three topics that make his face light up: the house he has been building for years in his native Jamaica where he winters each year, our mutual love for Louise, a devoted market shopper and apple-cider drinker who lived to be 105, and sour cherries. “People say they use them for baking only but I think they taste better than sweet cherries” out of hand he said last week when he was packing up after a very long, hot day at the market, surprised that he was taking sour cherries back to the farm.

It's true that bakers prefer sour cherries for baking because sweet cherries have a very high sugar content with very little acidity to balance it out. The end result is often too sweet. Not only do sour cherries have more acidity, but their skin and flesh are more yielding and supple which makes them perfect for baking and making jam. Want to leave cherry pie to the experts over at Noble Pies (theirs is named marry me Cherry, after all)? Make a rustic, sour-cherry galette instead. Or, make your own ice cream to serve with said slice of proposal-worthy pie.

Or, do what Trevor does: just pop them in your mouth.

Make sure to cook with fairy tale eggplants before they slip away from the market. Toss them on the grill on the grill and then serve them alongside grilled steak or lamb or on a bed of homemade raita for a light and refreshing vegetarian dinner on the deck.

Abandoned Cider is back after a long dry month without dry cider at the market. YAY.

Silvia's Kitchen had to skip the market last week due to the extreme heat but they are back this Saturday with their Argentine and Peruvian sweets.

Ash Hopper has a whole new, colorful look for their eco-friendly soaps.

Don’t forget to pick up a fragrant potted lavender for planting from Northwinds Lavender Farm. I planted mine last Sunday and it's doing swimmingly. It needs about six hours of sun per day, in exchange for many more hours of enjoyment.

The Riolo Team at COMPASS returns with a coloring activity for kids on Saturday. And our music this week comes courtesy of Brooklyn's Dan Straussknown for his melodic storytelling and warm, intimate vocals.

Is your college-bound kid cleaning out their room? Bring your unwanted textiles to our Green Tree Recycling Bin.

See you at the market!