Thanks to all who stuck it out for last week's steamy and only slightly drizzly Saturday in downtown Lansdowne. We were delighted to see that many shoppers came early and often and some folks hung out under the cafe tent while sprinkles interrupted the action for just a few minutes.

Some loyal, knife-wielding readers were disappointed that Neil's Sharpening Service didn't show last week. The rain in the forecast scared them off because they use a generator. Unfortunately, we received word on their cancellation Saturday morning, long after the newsletter was emailed out. Ideally, we hear from vendors before our weekly newsletter deadline (it goes out each Thursday) and we include it in this space, but sometimes, well, we don't. Our apologies to the many shoppers who lugged dull metal to the Market and had to lug it home again, every bit as dull (but possibly appreciative of the outing). Please try again on August 13.

Lineup

Weekly: Big Sky Bread, Community Youth Garden, Frecon Farms, Freeland Market, Fruitwood Farms, Green Zebra Farm, The Icery, Kia's Cakes, MyHouse Cookies, Poniton Farm, and Wilsons Curiously Good Foods. Biweekly: Creative Shepherd Farm, Mediterra, Mitchell & Mitchell Wines, MoJo's Pop Co., Relishing Grannies, South Mountain Creamery, Taste of Puebla, and Vera Pasta. Soap: Spotted Hill Farm.

The LEDC's own Community Youth Garden is back, albeit with a late start, but better late than later. Consider their tiny stand (we're gonna squeeze them in somewhere!) an extension of your backyard, as the kids will be selling homegrown organic basil, mint, and assorted cut flowers, all planted and weeded and watered and cut right here in the boro. Support your local yutes!

Future scheduling note: MoJo's Pop Co. will not be at the July 30 Market so be sure to pick up extra popcorn treats this week, if you need to feed your fix before their return on August 6.

Also, because July 30 is the fifth Saturday of the month, we invited the 1/3 vendors for an extra showing this month. If all goes as planned, the folks you see this week will be back both July 30 and the following week, August 6.

What's in Season

Berries have switched from the straw- to the blue- and the rasp-berry varieties and so we, naturally, made preserves last week. Peaches are now coming on strong. Be sure you have your favorite recipe(s) on hand to use them before they turn overripe, as we unfortunately learned this week. If worse comes to worst, you can always do a bit of judicial slicing and dicing to make a slow-cooker peach butter.

On the savory side, expect more and more zukes; try this roll-up recipe for an easy appetizer or a light dinner. Corn is busting out all over, as are the tomatoes. Naturally, we made corn-and-tomato salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar (both from our new-this-year vendor Mediterra) and salt and pepper to taste. (Yup, that's the entire recipe.) We microwave our corn (no more corn-silk-between-the-teeth problems!) and use the two-bowl method to cut the kernels off. We sometimes add goat cheese or feta cheese and other chopped veggies to expand this idea further.

Green leafy things are still around but probably not for long. Be sure to grab your kale, Swiss chard, collards, and remaining lettuces while you can. We recommend mixing your kale with macaroni and cheese for a good-for-you/decadent dinner that you can freeze unbaked for the future. We also wash and then freeze our kale for making smoothies.

Hot Tips

Ali of Mediterra offers tastings of his balsamic vinegars (red and white) and oils (plain extra virgin olive oil or seasoned with garlic, basil, or orange) and gives advice as well. He recommends tossing the salad fixings with just oil and then drizzling the balsamic vinegar on before a final retoss. That's the only way we do it now.

The Icery now has itsy bitsy cups cups of water ice for only $1. (Think of those bathroom Dixie cups we all grew up with and now only your gramma has, bless her heart.) Advanced users will appreciate that two different flavors of water ice can now be enjoyed for the same price as one (albeit larger) flavor.

Housekeeping

Coming up the last Saturday this month, July 30, is Kidcentric Day! (Yeah, we know the kids are always centric but this is the day we celebrate that.) In addition to the open mic main event (practice, practice, practice!), there will be games! A wet tent! Butterflies! DRONES! (Maybe on the drones; fingers crossed.) If you are comfortable with children and can help us that day, we could use a few extra volunteers to keep an eye out.