Thursday, July 24, 2008

Bass Lake Farmers Market ~ Wednesday Evenings


Booths at Bass Lake Farmers Market

This summer on Wednesday evenings through mid-September, there will be a farmers market happening at the Pines Village in Bass Lake. The booths are located in front of Good Ol' Daze. Admission is free for visitors.

We went to check it out one Wednesday evening in June and found just a handful of booths, but many visitors and a lot of fresh produce and flowers for sale. Everyone looked like they were having a great time.

Here are some scenes from the Bass Lake Farmers Market:


Lettuce and Greens for Sale


Organically Grown Flowers


Flowers from North Fork's "Three Springs Flower Garden"


Musical Entertainment


Crowd around the Vegetable Booth


Busy Shoppers ~ Lots of Fresh Veggies


Fresh Summer Squash & Peppers ~ cute young girl


Green Onions & Basil ~ fresh herbs piled high


Fresh Chard in many colors, Collards, Kale & Carrots

A nice and healthy way to spend an evening outdoors!

© Copyright 2008 North Fork News

Friday, July 11, 2008

First Annual Stone Fruit Festival in Clovis


Stone Fruit Festival Orchard Setting


Comfortable Paths and Benches were available


Way back last month the day after the Summer Solstice, we attended the first annual Organic Stone Fruit Festival/Jubilee held in Clovis at the Mokichi Okada Association orchards. We learned of it by invitation and advertisement from Kern Family Farm, our own local organic farmers right here in North Fork. They were there running the children's activity booth.


Hansel Kern and Friends


Creating Pine Cone Bird Feeders at the Kids Booth


Finished Pine Cone Bird Feeders


Cute Bunnies, also at the Kids Booth

At the festival there were about a dozen local organic stone fruit farmers represented. Each had a table and tent canopy nestled amongst the orchard trees and along a nice walking path. Our modest entry fee of $5 allowed us to sample fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, pluots and apricots) from each farm. Most farmers also had their fruit for sale at the big fruit stand in the front of the event.


Tasting Booths & Tasters



My favorite Sweet & Juicy Peaches



More Tasters Wait Their Turn


We tasted and sampled until we were almost completely full! We then each purchased a bag of organic fruit to take home. All the fruit was priced at $3/lb.


The Fruit Stand


Beautiful Apricots

There were delicious flaky pastries and sweet & tangy paletas (Mexican popsicles) for sale both made from the same organic fruit. The pastries were provided by La Boulangerie de France. The paletas were made by La Reina de Michoacan. We ate some of each even after filling up on all of that fresh fruit. The peach pastry and the plum paleta that I personally snarfed down, were magnificent!


Flaky, Juicy Peach Pastries ~Don't they look good?



Peach, Apricot, Nectarine and Plum Pastries

It was a fun and interesting event. I look forward to attending again next year.





© Copyright 2008 North Fork News

Monday, July 7, 2008

Our Western Wild Horses are in Danger



I read this CNN News Blurb this morning and that lead me to the Let 'em Run website and the video you see above by Lacy J. Dalton, Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg.

The idea that our government would purposely kill healthy beautiful wild horses just to save pasture land for cattle is stupid and saddens me greatly. Our wild horses are part of our western pioneering heritage and belong wild and free on the land. I don't have money or the means to save the horses myself, so I am doing what I can to share their story with as many people as possible. If you can adopt a horse or help them in any way, please do it, and do it soon. Thank you from me and the horses.

© Copyright 2008 North Fork News