It is kind of funny that I talked about superstition on the thirteenth, since I then fell prey to it. I had a great October day yesterday, and it started off in the most wonderful way possible. I was getting ready to go to bed and as I turned off my reading light, I heard it.......RAIN. And not just any rain, the very first October rain. This area has been needing some liquid sunshine for quite a while. The valley was choked with smoke and foul air and a dash of rain was just what the doctor ordered.
Well, the minute I knew it was raining I had to go out and play in it. Nevermind that it was 5 am on a Saturday. It was the most glorious feeling. It was a gentle, warm rain that went pitter pat and danced on the cement. It had already been raining long enough to coat everything and that meant that my bare feet were moist the minute I stepped outside. I just stood there in the dark letting the droplets kiss my nose, toes and eyelids. And the smell. Man, I wish that I could bottle it and keep it in my pocket for a dreary day. The air was so sweet with rain. I have never had that experience. I just took in heaving lungfuls. It was the best way to bid adieu to the night.
Once I awoke from my slumber I never would have guessed that rain had come to play a few hours previous. Everything was bone dry, but there were two wonderful changes. One, the smog and smoke were gone leaving the valley sparkling and shiny in the sunlight. And two, for some reason the rain had turned a majority of the trees various shades of autumn wonderful. Normally rain makes trees greener, but everywhere I went leaves that had previously been a monochromatic green the day before, were now in a riot of color. An October miracle if ever there was one.
It was the perfect day and I needed a way to celebrate. So I fortified myself with a pumpkin spice latte and set off looking for adventure. I found it at the local produce stand. Now this is where the superstition part comes in. You see, I love this stand. So do most people that I have run across. It is THE place to go. It opens some time in August and every year I mean to go visit right around opening day. But for some reason I never do, and instead end up going in October. I don't know what it is, but no matter how much I want to go early, I find myself waiting. There is just something special about the farm stand in October. Yes, there is a pumpkin patch. There are also hay rides, bales to take pictures on and a mini maze for the kids. Oddly enough, that is not why I go. I go for the produce. I have never seen such amazing specimens. Maybe it is because I am a city girl. Maybe it is because I have a black thumb. But everything at this stand looks a bit otherworldly and I think it is because of October. I just can't bring myself to go any earlier because maybe the magic would be gone and then I would be so sad. Silly superstitious nonsense if you ask me.......but then again.
I can spend large chunks of time at this place just browsing the bins and taking pictures of things. I look like a loon I'm sure. To me, these specimens are art. They are super models who reside in plywood enclosures. Their coloring is so vivid. The their stems so leafy and full. It just boggles my mind. As much as I love hay rides, photo ops with scarecrows and pumpkin patches, I ignore them all. Off you go people, have fun, just leave me here with the squash and corn.
Every year I find some new form of garden comestible. This year I found two new types of pumpkins. I thought I knew them all. I was wrong. The first one I ran across is shaped like a giant acorn, if acorns were giant and a flaming reddish orange color. They also look like hearts if you squint your eyes just right and look kinda sideways. The are amazing and I am going to buy one just so I can have it to look at to my hearts content without getting stared at funny by other people. It really is a marvel. Who knew that pumpkins came in acorn shape? Then there is a white pumpkin that looks like either a UFO or a pie top depending on if you ask my mother or myself. I say UFO, she says pie. But really, it is white and looks like a pumpkin that someone sat on, but in a really artful way. Of course I just had to have it. Now that I know there are UFO looking pumpkins out in the world, I may never go back to the generic orange fellows. Yeah right, who am I kidding. I am an equal opportunity pumpkin purchaser.
My absolute favorite farm stand food is the incredible, edible, eggplant. If I ever see a roadside stand or a farmers market, I immediately look for my lovely aubergine. The specimens here are so glossy and voluptuous it is almost obscene. Nothing should look that lush and inviting. And guess what, they don't only come in deep purple, there are also albino eggplants. I was so startled that I may or may not have slightly jostled a man aside so that I could take a picture. They also had tiny, baby eggplants. I have never seen small, skinny eggplants before, just their curvy purple cousins. Maybe they are the half starved, trendy relatives from the city. Either way, they were marvelous and they were nestled right next to a bin of peppers that were so bright they looked like Christmas lights. Reds, yellows, oranges, and a few green. They positively sparkled and radiated heat. I took more pictures. I felt like the produce paparazzi.
My most astonishing find were the brussel sprouts, (who knew they came in lumpy branches the size of a yard stick) and the cabbages. I have never, EVER seen cabbages so huge. The small ones were the size of basketballs. BASKETBALLS. It was nuts. The large ones looked like they could trample Tokyo. I would have loved to have seen them in their natural state in the field before they were picked. I can't imagine the wonderfully leafy beds they made. Then they and the brussel sprouts kinda started to remind me of the pods from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, so I moved slowly away and went back to ogling the eggplants.
Seriously, how can folks not be amazed by the things at a produce stand? How have we become so immune to beauty and wonder. The leafy stems of the carrots had better looking hair than me. It was full and waved in the wind. The plums looked like a basket of jewels just casually laying about. And the cauliflower looked like stately wedding bouquets. It was just amazing. So amazing in fact, that I am going back later today just so I can see what goodies have appeared since I was last there. Plus, all that ogling I did made me hungry so I had to go back and get my autumn recipes out. I'm a woman with a mission today. Operation produce purchase will soon be underway.
The shine of the apples, the earthy smell of the bins, the sounds of the hay wagons moving through the fields. It is an experience like no other and I am convinced that October lends it extra magic that can't be found in other months. So I will keep my silly superstitions and enjoy things all the more.
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