Today is HOT! Though I still feel the cool down approaching. I grew up in Missouri, just down the road in Lee’s Summit. I never noticed then, but the seasons change ever so subtly here. In Colorado, where I spent my first 12 years as an adult, this isn’t really the case. There are two main seasons there, and two brief shoulder seasons. When I made my sojourn home and brought my little family with me, this was something both Cliff and I noticed in our second summer here. The cool down really does begin in August. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll certainly miss it. The overnight temps, which hover in the mid-70’s most of July begin to dip consistently into the 60’s, the daytime highs descend to the 80’s and before you know it, you’re thinking about a long-sleeved shirt in the evening.

This is the first year in many I have felt any sort of sorrow at the waning of summer. The pace of growth is relentless from mid-June to late-July and the past few years it felt impossible to keep the pace. But something has shifted for me. As a friend once shared, “It doesn’t get easier, you get better”. Maybe it’s that or maybe my kids are just older but this year I am savoring every last drop of this warm weather, even when we’re steaming. And it doesn’t hurt that I’m reaping the rewards of my spring efforts like our sweet sunflower field.

My paste tomatoes are filling out beautifully though still waiting to be properly trellised (oops), but are graciously held by our heaps of basil with leaves as big as your hand. The melons are slowly ripening and sometimes splitting prematurely with surprise afternoon storms, the corn is nearly finished, and I’m finally planting leafy, cool loving plants again. The summer garden is so robust but the spring and fall gardens host many of my favorite foods like rich greens and herbs, and roots that sweeten after a couple frosts. Harvesting something green under a thin cloth, wrapped up in a wool sweater and topped with a hat to match with a frosty crunch underfoot is my absolute favorite garden moment. So, I sincerely hope you too can find some joy in the beginning of this transition, as we gently release summer.

This week in the mercantile we have lots of beets, a vegetable that I recognize is not always a fan favorite. I implore you to give them a try. Not only are they a wonderful source of fiber and a wonderful ally to your body’s filter, the liver, but also to your heart by reducing blood pressure with its high nitrates. They are sweet, earthy, and have the loveliest meaty texture. Our family loves this beet salad, and I mean the whole family. Our kids finish the meal with bright pink faces. It’s earthy, it’s tangy, it’s sweet, and best of all, comes together very easily. And you can pick up Green Dirt’s Sheep’s Milk Plain yogurt, which is on sale this week, to incorporate.

Also, we added a couple of new items from Fair Share Farm. One in particular is very worth a try, the carrot pickles. Fermented with lemongrass and garlic in addition to the carrots, the yield is a beautiful balance of sweet, bright, and a little sour, and a perfect crunch. We adore them. We all know by now that eating fermented foods is a wonderful way to encourage overall health from the center of our bodies, the gut. But I recently learned that the diversity of fermented foods is equally as important. Each type of of fermented food feeds unique species of microbes which augments the overall diversity. So many reasons to love their wide variety of farm fresh ferments.

And for these last few dog days, remember to stock up on the Shelti Farms Tea blends. Sun tea has become a must-have this summer. A clean, replenishing way to stay hydrated, filled with plant powered minerals and a little raw honey too, which I restocked today.

And of course, we are stocked with all of the regular goodies like sourdough bread by Wheatsteak and onions and garlic from Heimsoth Farms. For a comprehensive list of what’s available see The Mercantile Page.