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My family has recently made a commitment to do the extra legwork required to increase the percentage of locally-grown foods we consume.  So I was delighted to see signs for a “Homegrown Produce” sale in lower Wallingford this past weekend.  I skedaddled on over to 3628 Burke Ave where I was greeted by Helen, a self-proclaimed gardener, community theater member and part-time astrologer.

Sunday’s offerings included 3 kinds of green beans, zucchini, cherry & stipice tomatoes, raspberries, blackberries, shallots, elephant garlic, and 2 types of pears.  And Helen explained that the neighbors had already picked over a wider selection she’d had earlier in the weekend.

The smallish deep red stipice tomatoes are rich and meaty, and according to my partner, “It would be criminal to do anything with these tomatoes other than to eat them raw.”  As for me, I flashed back to my grandfather’s Midwestern farm, circa 1978, when sampling the flavorful and juicy raspberries which lack any bitterness whatsoever.

Helen’s produce sales are generally held 10am – 1pm Saturdays and Sundays.

However, sale dates/times will vary periodically due to the Variety Plus rehearsal schedule and Helen’s charts.  She’ll be transitioning to Fall produce soon & plans to keep her sales going through November.   Helen puts informational posters on her fence every Wednesday to announce what produce will be available the following weekend.  But if you’d rather get the information electronically, you can sign up for the Garden News Group newsletter by emailing hglazier at comcast.net.

This locavore thing might not end up being so hard to accomplish after all!