It has been a wet summer, but autumn is upon us and we have had 2 glorious weeks of cool, but sunny weather in Ottawa. Labour Day has come and past. Newly minted students from the local universities have flooded city streets with music, dance, and Shinerama stickers to raise money to fund cystic fibrosis research. The sun is setting earlier. The commute to work has become more hectic. And, it is time to start thinking about what to do with the oncoming fall harvest bounty.

To help out, Amrita Singh from CBC Radio 1 (91.5 FM) is kicking off a new season of Town and Out with an Autumn Produce Primer. Can you guess which local blogger she chose to provide some sound bites?

In preparation, my better half and I visited the bustling ByWard Market on Labour Day Monday, armed with the newest member of foodiePrints' blog arsenal, a Nikon D60 SLR camera with an 18-55 mm lens.

Crowded ByWard Market

Lots of Families Out and About

Before we begin, the unusually wet summer has shifted the growing season somewhat, causing some characteristically autumn produce to come to market late.

Such was apparent when I asked the lovely tweeps I follow about their favourites. Suggestions included: sweet corn, turnips, parsnips, carrots, butternut squash, and apples. Not only were they available, but so too were raspberries, strawberries and peaches, typically late summer fare in the Eastern Ontario region.

Strawberries

Strawberries AND Raspberries

Peaches

Only now has quality sweet corn started appearing.

Sweet Corn

Jumbo Cobs
Look for ears with bright green and tight-fitting husks and golden brown silks. Kernels should be plump and should come all the way to the tip of the ear. Fresh yellow corn is sweetest when it is eaten as soon as it is harvested. The longer an ear of corn spends away from the plant, the more likely its sugars will be converted to starch.

Regarding root vegetables like turnips, parsnips, or carrots...

Turnips
The turnips we most often see are rutabagas, relatives of the British white turnip. Choose heavy for their size turnips. Smaller, hence younger, ones tend to have a more delicate flavour and texture. They should be firm to the touch. If greens are attached, they should be bright green and not withered. To store, wrap turnips, unwashed, in plastic and place in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, discarding the leaves. However, like other root vegetables, they can last longer in a cool ventilated area. This is why our grandparents had subterranean root cellars.


Carrots
Carrots, including increasingly common heirloom varieties (purple, blue, gold), should be firm and smooth. Avoid those that are cracked or have begun to soften. If greens are attached, they should be bright and crisp. To store, bag in plastic and refrigerate for up to 7 days, again discarding the leaves.

Parsnips should be chosen in a similar manner as carrots and turnips. Look for firm roots that are neither shriveled nor spotted. They can be stored, bagged in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Regarding winter squash (we actually found none) and pumpkins...

Pumpkins

and more Pumpkins
Winter squashes like butternut, acorn and spaghetti, should be heavy for their size and have hard rinds mostly free of blemishes, cracks, or moldy spots. If any are present, they should be dry and well healed. Whole, winter squashes can be stored in a cool dark place for a month or longer, depending on the specific variety. Cut, they can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic, but should be eaten within several days.

Smaller pumpkins, like the ones pictured, tend to be sweeter and more tender. Like winter squashes, they should be picked blemish and crack free. They should also be heavy for their size.

One of my favourites of the fall harvest has to be apples, such as those from Hall's Apple Orchard and Market

Apples

Glorious Apples
No matter the variety, be it for baking or eating raw, buy firm apples with a fresh fragrance. Their skins should be smooth and bruise and gouge free. Paula red, Lobo, Fuji, gala, golden delicious, granny smith, and McIntosh apples are versatile varieties that are equally good raw or for cooking. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

More after the jump...

What do you do when the management of your condo building decides to perform electrical maintenance one Saturday and informs you that, for that day, all power will be shut down?

First, you contact the property manager to ask why the work can't be done during a week day when the majority of tenants won't be at home.

When you hear that the answer resembles the typical corporate excuse to dismiss rational concerns, you go to the dollar store. There, you pick up 8 mini ice packs ($1 each) and one large ice pack ($2 each). Reason: As Alton Brown recently explained in a freezer-related episode of Good Eats, placing bottles of frozen water through out your freezer provides insurance against spoilage during accidental power outages. The bottles of water act as capacitors, keeping neighboring frozen goods frozen, even as they themselves melt. In my case, because the power outage is intentional and prolonged (power will be off for approximately 8 hours), I substituted ice packs for water bottled and distributed them throughout my freezer 2 days before "lights out." Ice packs are filled with a viscous fluid that has different thermal properties than water. It melts far more slowly. Hopefully, this will keep my well stocked freezer frozen. Otherwise, I am going to heap spoiled foods on the doorstep of my property manager's home and car and wish him an unhappy Halloween.

So, if power is out, how am I blogging? I'm currently sitting in the lounge of a Chapter's (downtown Rideau location) with my ancient laptop, sipping something called a Grande Tazo Chai from Starbucks. After all the years of Starbucks' existence, I still don't understand why a medium-sized cup is called a "Grande." The drink itself tastes somewhat artificial, but the spice from the chai tea is carried well by its dairy ingredient. Given that the drink seems rich, I'm wondering if the dairy ingredient is cream. At $4.29, I hope I bought some time to sit and blog before I'm accused of loitering. At least the older gentleman, sitting in front of me is somewhat entertaining. He's playing the hapless proletariat, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to impress a much younger woman.

On the bright side, my better half and I took a stroll through the Byward Market on our way to brunch at Dunn's this morning. There, we found pumpkins. We found lots of tourists too. They seemed to be very interested in the pumpkins.

Pretending to be a tourist, I joined the crowd and took pictures. This first picture is what a lot of Asian tourists seem to be interested in capturing:

Jack O Lantern-sized Pumpkins

Here's what I feel is a sexier take:

Better side of Pumpkins

Since Jack O Lantern-sized Pumpkins make unwieldy souvenirs, a pumpkin farmer two autumns ago started selling painted mini-pumpkins in the Byward Market. Now they're everywhere.

Painted Mini-Pumpkins

While most people forget that pumpkins can be cooked and eaten, one stall in the Byward Market had sweet "eating" pumpkins for sale. The sales lady suggested that the pumpkins make good pies. I only saw large bowls of luscious creamy soup.

Eating Pumpkins

If decorative pumpkins aren't on your Fall menu, how about lacquered gourds?

Decorative Gourds
I recommend against eating these...

The Byward Market is one of my favourite places to wander. Amongst its stalls, I always find interesting seasonal products be it produce or ethnic delectable. During the summers, it is an absolute must visit location for guests. Firstly, the Byward Market shows off the sheer variety of agricultural products available in the National Capital Region. Secondly, no guest of mine leaves Ottawa without ever having tried a beaver tail. It's tantamount to going to Paris and thumbing your nose at authentic patisserie.

During autumn, the ByWard Market bristles with activity until the first.

Here are pictures from a walk my better half and I took September 16th.

Apple Season is Open!

Apples and other autumn produce

Tomatoes

Tomatoes
Believe me, you've not had tomatoes until you've tried locally grown ones from neighbouring farms. Megamart tomatoes smell as good as they taste. When fall comes, it is almost blissful to follow the heady scent of truly vine-ripened tomatoes to the proud produce-people who sell them. One piece of advice: speak to them in French, you'll be handed a better basket.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins

Painted Mini-Pumpkins
What is fall without pumpkins? Be it pumpkins to carve or pumpkins to decorate with.

Cabbage

Cabbage Flowers
Here is something odd that we found at a stall. Yes, these are cabbages. From their leaves, I'd say savoy, but they seem to have been coaxed to grow layers like a blooming rose. I've never seen anything like it before. Unfortunately, we never purchased any as both Jenn and I had some rather unfortunate experiences with cabbage rolls as children. Until we find a good Polish or German woman to make us some properly, we refuse to purchase the vegetable.

Byward Fruit Market

Dragon Fruit and Bananas
From time to time, we like to peek into the Byward Fruit Market by the Byward Market Square. There, I like to peruse their exotic fruit, their gourmet products, and their fine European goods. Besides, the owners have a fine sense of humor as their following sign demonstrates:

Expresso and a Puppy
In their defense, the Byward Fruit Market is more of a fine food store than a green grocer. Kids are not necessarily unwelcome, but they need to be supervised.

As we strolled through the market I kept remarking to my Jenn, "Everyone mush be rushing to enjoy what's left of summer. It's difficult to appreciate autumn's bounty when you're in a rush..."

This just in: I was wandering a ginormous thread (+500 posts) in an online forum on the subject of humorous images. I found a colour version of the sign posted at the Byward Fruit Market.

Expresso and a Pupply, Now in Colour

Particulars:
Byward Fruit Market
36 Byward Market Square
(613) 241-6542

To foodies, there is no better source of fresh seasonal produce than farmers' markets. Where else can you find regional fresh fruits and vegetables that spend more of their lives on the vine than on trucks from Mexico? There is nothing sweeter than field picked berries or freshly harvested tomatoes. The produce even smells better. These days, farmer's markets even specialize in selling organic produce and re-introducing heirloom varieties of vegetables to consumers.

Another reason to visit farmer's markets has to do with the salmonella outbreak from contaminated spinach a year ago. The contaminated spinach came from a single source. The fact that a single source of produce resulted in continent-wide recalls demonstrates a serious issue with mass produced fruits and vegetables: single point of failure. Farmers' markets provide a solution by giving consumers a source of local fruits and vegetables.

Ottawa has two large congregations of farmers' markets. These are the Byward Market and the Parkdale Market.

Byward Market
Conveniently located in the downtown core, the Byward Market consists of high-end eateries, a Byward "Square", and dozens of fresh fruit and vegetable stalls. These stalls sell everything from home grown staples as tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, and onions to field picked berries, maple syrup, and potted plants. By August there is even peaches and cream corn.

The following is a picture of one of the many stalls.

Word to Live By

Parkdale Market
The Parkdale Market sells the same produce as the Byward Market. It is located on the corner of Parkdale and Wellington, just past the gas station. Just as the Byward Market sells its wares to downtown Ottawa residents, the Parkdale Market caters to Wellington Village residents. This is me and my better half's source of fresh fruits and vegetables in the spring, summer, and early autumn months. We actually forgo visiting the mega-marts for produce. The prices of fruits and vegetables at the Parkdale Market are more than competitive. Besides, we try to buy produce as locally as possible.

By August, some vendors in the Parkdale Market even sell field grown red and yellow flesh water melons from Quebec.

The following are pictures of the Parkdale Market during summer.

Summer at the Parkdale Market

Field Picked Berries

The following are pictures of the Parkdale Market during autumn.

Autumn at the Parkdale Market

Pumpkins Galore

Visit a Farmer's market. You will support local farms and, more importantly, safer eating.