This past Thursday, Oct. 31 was our last market day of the season!

It was bad … and it was good!

We debated whether we would even attend. A special weather statement called for heavy rain. But we went anyway. Being the final market we wanted to be there to say goodbye to all our regular customers & friends. (Besides, the forecast is often wrong.)

Our setup for the market was smaller – mostly in anticipation of precipitation – but still abundant for late fall. Along with the squash, pumpkins & garlic, we had the last of the sweet peppers, freshly picked hot peppers, beets, pawpaws (finally) and lots of greens – lettuce, salad mix, arugula, spinach & baby kale. And buckets & buckets of sunflowers! Who knew we would still be picking sunflowers at the end of October!

Outdoor marketing in the fall is always unpredictable. Some weeks the weather is glorious and we’re so happy be there …

Other weeks are not as much fun … like when it’s so windy that we dare not put our canopies up – even if there’s the possibility of showers. This particular week recently we to tape all our signs down securely, and could not display our small boxes of hot peppers. They blew right off the table!!

… or our last week at Georgetown the other Saturday, when the temperature was -1C on arrival and we couldn’t display our greens on the table. Rather, we wrapped them in a quilt to keep them from freezing until the sun rose & warmed things up!

But this past Thursday turned out ok. There was no wind. It was chilly but not freezing cold. Most importantly, the rain held off until late morning allowing many of our regulars to come do their shopping and say their goodbyes before it started. One brought a bottle of hot sauce she had made with our peppers. Another dropped off coffees on her way to work (thanks Kristina!) Many just wanted to say thanks for feeding them all summer and to wish us a good winter. Then as the rains increased, the customers decreased, giving us a chance to visit with the other vendors. While it was not the ideal final market we wished for, it was pretty good!

We are very happy to be finished markets for the year! After 5+ months, we’re tired. But we will miss seeing our friends – both customers & fellow vendors.

Sage is happy too! No more lonely days of anxiously waiting for Amy to return from market!

Thank you to all our customers at both Georgetown & North York Farmers’ Markets! Thank you for supporting our farm and allowing us to feed you & your families.

See you next spring!