Where:           Kate Joyce’s house (just south of Belvedere Square, Northern Baltimore)

Topic:             Preserving Summer

Although a few closing numbers may remain, summer is decidedly (albeit routinely) rushing off of the stage, leaving behind the first cool evenings and dropped leaves implying that the next season won’t hesitate to follow up quickly with the 4^th act of the year.  As Barbara Kingsolver said, summer is about excess – of heat, of nature, of things to do, of wildlife and of course of food.  No other season slams us as hard with so many different types of vegetables at once.  Try as we might to concur the overwhelming nature of farmer’s market tables piled high with tasty produce, there is never enough time in the season to eat everything that we are so lucky to have available around us. 

And despite the crazy abundance of summer, we know that it can’t last forever.  So we try to cheat time by pausing it, preserving it, so that we can have a taste of it later when the memory starts to fade.

September’s Food Maker’s potluck is all about preserving the summer.  Some of us make pickles with loads of cucumbers, to enjoy the wonderful crunch long after the cucumber plants have died off.  Others ferment cabbage into sauerkraut, so that it can last months without spoiling.  Some make sauces or can fruits or smash berries into jam. 

For the potluck, bring a home made dish that is made with the abundances of summer, some of the fresh fruits and vegetables that can be found at farmer’s markets or home gardens all over Baltimore.  If you make any kind of homemade fermented or pickled foods, bring them along!  But if you don’t have any experience with these, don’t be scared off.  Just bring a dish using seasonal ingredients, and learn about some of the interesting fermented foods that others bring.  Honestly, where else could you talk to someone about the step by step process for making Kim Chi?! 

A few administrative items:

All Food Makers, family and friends are invited (all ages welcome).  As always, the cost if FREE, just bring along a seasonal dish to share.  Also, bring anything you need to eat with, i.e. plate, utensils, napkins, cups.  And the potlucks are BYOB so bring along whatever tasty beverage you desire.  Important: the address for the potluck will be emailed a couple of days before the potluck to everyone who signs up via our Google Group.