Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving was celebrated at Blush Lane at three locations: The Millarville Farmer's Market, The Calgary Farmer's Market, and our store in Aspen Woods.
Above is the last Millarville Farmer's Market of the year. It was pretty crispy in the morning, but the sun came out and so did the customers. The end of the outdoor markets marks the official end of summer!
The apple harvest is in full swing, and the question often posed by customers is "What is the best tasting apple?". To which I must sigh a little bit and curse my non-psychic abilities.
The answer is often best found by sampling a few to find out. Best for baking are the Shamrock, Orange Cox Pippen, and (surprisingly, I have just learned) Golden Delicious. If you normally like Gala, you will LOVE the freshness of a new crop gala, and likely the Summer Fuji, Ambrosia, Sweet Orin, Maigold, or Golden Delicious. If you like tartness you will go for a Honeycrisp, Orange Cox Pippen, or Shamrock. If it's crispness and complexity of flavour you go for, the Honeycrisp and Sweet Orin will steal your heart. You soft baking apple kind of people will die for the McIntosh and Spartans.
And the beauty of it all is, each person experiences an apple differently. I have had people make a sour face at a Honeycrisp and the next person says it's the sweetest apple they have ever had. You will be shocked at the sweetness of the yellow-green Sweet Orin, an apple that looks as though it is going to pack the punch of a Granny Smith. The Ambrosia-- "nectar of the gods"-- is heaven for some and too honey-sweet for others. Anyone from England will exclaim over an Orange Cox Pippen and anyone from Canada's East Coast will not believe their eyes when they see a Gravenstein. Those who love the crispness of a Honeycrisp or a Pink Lady will turn their nose at a McIntosh or a Spartan, apples coveted by those who love them.
So, the next time you ask which apple is best, be prepared to offer a little more information, and even try a sample of a few. We'll make sure to send you home with a bag of your favourites!

Yams are the orange ones, Sweet Potatoes are the white ones. If you want to humour me, learn a little more and find out that they are actually BOTH types of sweet potatoes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)
We've got Butternut, Acorn, Blue Kabocha, Red Kuri, Delicata, Confection Kabocha, Turk's Turban, Sugar Loaf, Spaghetti, Pie Pumpkin, Carnival, Sweet Potato, Buttercup, Small Wonder Spaghetti, Green Kabocha, Sunshine Kabocha: and even at that, someone will ask about one we don't have!
We also have a great Squash guide to tell you much more than I am capable of telling you about the "honorary root vegetable", synonymous with cold winter days and thoughts of hot steamy soup. Find it here: http://www.blushlane.com/documents/SquashPosterMAtt8.pdf
Finally, a photo of the store, ready for Thanksgiving, root vegetables heaped and bountiful. Thanksgiving is a time to think about not only what we are thankful for in our own lives, but how thankful we are to the farmers who grow all this wonderful produce for us to enjoy: Especially on a day like Thanksgiving, when even those who don't normally cook don an apron and buddy up with a Butternut.
To all the farmers in BC and Alberta who grow our fruit and vegetables, Blush Lane and our customers owe their thanks to you for this harvest!