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...

Ottawa's Farmer's Market at Lansdowne Park is Ottawa's only "all local producers" farmers' market. That is, there are no resellers permitted. Located on the grounds beside the Aberdeen Pavilion, it also happens to be one of our larger Farmer's Markets and opens to quite a crowd at least twice a week.

• Sundays (May 10- November 22: 8:00 pm-3:00pm)
• Saturdays (November 7, 14, and 12: 8:00 am-3:00pm)
• Thursdays (June 18-October 8: 1:00 pm-6:00 pm)

Best of all, besides selling great produce, dairy, and meats, the Farmer's Market also sells baked goods, crafts, sweets, and plants. It has a food court too.

That said, I would like to take the opportunity to point out that on the Ottawa Farmers' Market board of director sits Gerry Rochon, owner of one of my favourite local farms. He and his family happen to sell some of the best produce at three of Ottawa's major outdoor markets: Parkdale (resellers allowed), ByWard (resellers allowed), and Lansdowne. And, Rochon is always the first to market with an impossible assortment of produce every spring because they start several crops in multiple poly tunnels when there's still snow on the ground.

Here are pics from Jenn and I first visiting the market early June. Sadly, we live a bit too far away to make the trip too often. Instead, we rely on Savour Ottawa certified vendors at two other outdoor markets, Parkdale and Byward.

Upon arrival,

Sign from the parking lot
we immediately went to see a familiar face, Pascale Berthiaume and sampled some of her (then) new Goat Cheese Ice Cream

Goat Cheese Espresso Ice Cream
Slightly thicker and richer than her regular ice cream, it carried flavours extremely well. Unfortunately, my first sample fell to the ground before making it into my mouth. Seeing me almost in tears, Pascale gave me another.

Beside Pascale's freezer, which is co-located with the Piggy Market display, was Delice Royal, a "Fine Bakery"

Delice Royal
There, we samples some freshly baked apple raisin cake

Apple Raisin Cake
and purchased some vegetable spring rolls

Veg Spring Roll
Crispy and slightly oily, they didn't last long.

Cross Section

We then ventured into the food court, finding a potato stand, serving...well potato products...

Hot Potato Company

We stopped at the Bombay Garden for another deep fried confection.

Signage

Veg Samosas and Pakoras
We split a pakora.

One Pakora

Cross Section

More follows:

More after the jump...

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.