![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
An Unexpected Pleasure
Sunday, 28 September 2014 14:34It's officially fall now, though we're having to run the AC on low to cool off the house and dry it out a bit. Sunny, blue skies, high supposed to be between 78°F and 82°F -- with the next rain forecast for Thursday, we'll have had over ten days of this stuff.
Naturally I have been inside all weekend grading the PHYS-1070 Exam 1s -- the Dean cut some of the department numbers, so no grader for my big class. First time in 12-15 years?
Last week we had some lows in the 40s, even dipping down to 37°F. But that ain't freezing, so we still have some newly picked tomatoes on the farm stands. The peaches were Glo Havens, possibly a good peach for cooking or preserving, but not a superb eater like the Red Havens or the Flaming Duties, which were unexpectedly delicious this year. Definitely a pass on the Glo Havens, so our peaches are done for the year.
But... I came from work in Friday and not only did our fruit bowl have three lovely tomatoes -- excellent tomato sandwich today -- but nectarines. Don't know the variety, but these are wonderful. Usually nectarines are hit and miss. Mealy or hard, with tough skins. But these guys? Like buttah. Very juicy, extremely flavorful, aromatic. Probably the best nectarines we've had in West Michigan. Before that, I think we'd have to go back to Medina before I was ten to talk about nectarines this good.
No surprise there. The Niagara fruit belt by Lake Ontario is very much the same glacial morain and weather as West Michigan -- probably one of the reasons I like this place so much.
2014 has been a wonderful local produce year. That cold Lake Michigan certainly moderated the summer heat.
Dr. Phil
Naturally I have been inside all weekend grading the PHYS-1070 Exam 1s -- the Dean cut some of the department numbers, so no grader for my big class. First time in 12-15 years?
Last week we had some lows in the 40s, even dipping down to 37°F. But that ain't freezing, so we still have some newly picked tomatoes on the farm stands. The peaches were Glo Havens, possibly a good peach for cooking or preserving, but not a superb eater like the Red Havens or the Flaming Duties, which were unexpectedly delicious this year. Definitely a pass on the Glo Havens, so our peaches are done for the year.
But... I came from work in Friday and not only did our fruit bowl have three lovely tomatoes -- excellent tomato sandwich today -- but nectarines. Don't know the variety, but these are wonderful. Usually nectarines are hit and miss. Mealy or hard, with tough skins. But these guys? Like buttah. Very juicy, extremely flavorful, aromatic. Probably the best nectarines we've had in West Michigan. Before that, I think we'd have to go back to Medina before I was ten to talk about nectarines this good.
No surprise there. The Niagara fruit belt by Lake Ontario is very much the same glacial morain and weather as West Michigan -- probably one of the reasons I like this place so much.
2014 has been a wonderful local produce year. That cold Lake Michigan certainly moderated the summer heat.
Dr. Phil
