What an incredible year this has been - a  wonderful year to be in the western North Carolina mountains, for sure.  This was a great year to spend the summer in a cool, breezy mountain home.  It was certainly a relief from the hot, hot, hot lowland temperatures.  (This year was a scorcher in the South!).

Fall has been an even more wonderful season than usual this year.  While the colors were lovely, it has been the moderate temperatures that have made it so pleasant.  We went to the end of year "killing frost" party at our CSA farm, but the killing frost has yet to come!

A little back story... the killing frost party celebrates the official end to the growing season on the farm we get veggies from.  We actually get a fantastic box of organic vegetables each week through the growing season as part of the CSA (consumer supported agriculture).  It is conveniently delivered to the Waynesville Farmers' Market where we pick it up each week.  Often we are tempted by treats from other vendors as well (homemade baklava, fresh seafood driven up overnight from the coast, gluten-free cookie bars and loads of organic and locally grown produce, just to name a few things).

I was excited to hear that the farmers market has gained sufficient momentum that many of the vendors are planning to keep coming at least into the late fall.  Historically they have closed on the last weekend of October, though Bernie the fish guy came all through the winter last year.

I am so happy to have this continued source of super fresh, locally grown food, especially for Thanksgiving coming up!