And the Beets Go On...

(Photo: NC Times)

Yippee! Whatever your political bent, I hope we can all agree that the end of election season is cause for rejoicing, if only because all those signs littering our communities can be cleaned up, and we can stop rushing to the phone only to realize it's another of our strident candidates calling.

The only opinion I'll venture here is that I was sorry to see Proposition 37 going down in flames in California. For those unfamiliar with 37, it was the proposition that genetically-modified foods be labeled among ingredients, as is already done in more than 60 countries around the world. Oh, well. We consumers will have to go back to paying attention ourselves. For starters, remember that 80% of American soybeans are genetically modified (usually so they can resist being doused with Round-Up), and nearly that high percentage of Canadian soybeans. Soybeans, soybean oil, and other soy derivations are in just about everything (along with genetically-modified corn and its derivations), so look for organic labels if that bugs you.

Now more than ever we appreciate being able to trace our food to its grower and to talk to our farmers when we have questions. I loaded up this past Saturday on vegetable goodies I'd gone too long without (see my hurricane post): baby bok choy, bell peppers, brussels sprouts, potatoes, onions, garlic, black beans. What riches!

"Branch-Ripened"(?) Brussels Sprouts

I was also excited to see we welcomed a new farmer to the Saturday Market:

Hand-Farmed Organics (HFO) of Carnation. Their mission statement: "To improve the way in which produce is grown, harvested and distributed. Everything we do is guided by our mission of being quality-driven, environmentally friendly and stewards of the land. We believe that quality food begins with the farmer, and because of that, we provide only fresh, local and naturally-grown items." Works for me.

More HFO goodies

And then, is that sage I see? As in, put-it-in-your-Thanksgiving-stuffing sage?

Right there in the "Herbs" basket

From checking out their website, I'd love to chat more with them about their use of chickens in farming. If you're a chicken lover, you'll want to click through their beautiful "Chicken Bios."

Unbelievably, we only have two more Saturdays before Bellevue Farmers Market closes for the season. Stock up now for Thanksgiving and the long, long dry spell!