Market in the Valley

The End of Meteorological Summer

August is just about over… and the days are getting shorter. For generations, cultures relied on the stars to help predict weather and the seasons. They found the rotation around the sun is constant and observable. From that observation, Astrology was developed and also where solstices and equinoxes represent the longest and shortest days of the year, and then the halfway points where day and night are equal. Similarly, meteorological seasons coincide more with seasonal temperature changes. The warmest months are summer, including June, July, and August. They are giving way to cooler months of September, October, and November before the coldest months of winter.

The feeling of fall can be felt when you walk around the farmers’ market and see all the freshly picked veggies that are ready to come home with you. With the first chill of autumn, farmers begin to harvest their crops and prepare for winter. In addition to cleaning up after a bountiful summer growing season, they must also store food in case the farm becomes inaccessible during harsh weather conditions or an early freeze that kills off vegetation before it can be harvested.

The fall harvest marked a time when families would gather together to pick and preserve the fruits of their labors. As temperatures cooled, they needed to get what they could before damaged or lost too much flavor due to rotting, so this required long days packed with manual labor.The need for this labor is why the school season begins in the fall instead of being year-round. While most of us aren’t tilling to the land and harvesting crops, these traditions continue today.
Like the other seasons in many cultures, the fall has been marked by rites and festivals that revolve around food production.

Today, many of us use this passage of time and transition to fall as an opportunity to come together with our families and celebrate before temperatures cool. Some may travel for the Labor Day holiday, while others mark their calendars for the State Fair.

Despite how you and your family choose to celebrate this transition into fall, it is important not to forget that COVID is on the rise again in the US. With so many large gatherings happening during various holidays, remember to take necessary precautions if you plan on attending any of these events.

Vendors at the Market this Week

Here’s a list of the businesses at the market:

Beck’s Elk River Greenhouse LLC

Svihel Vegetable Farm

Lor Produce

Yang’s Fresh Flowers and Produce

Bao Yang Vegetables

2JCK Organic Produce

Crepe & Cake

Quebracho

Rusch Farms

Wisconsin Cheese Outlet

Norwex

Diana’s Handmade Gifts

Heaven Scent Soaps

Great Harvest Bread Co.

MarkE 3rd St Produce

Schyma’s Pickles & Preserves

Early Boots Farm

Pampered Chef

R & R Cultivation

Miz Mollys Closet LLC

Dale’s Delicious Eggs

Talking Loon Foods

Elena’s Cute Creations

Totally Twisted

Weaving and Turning

Sarahgirl Soaps

Cheryl’s Nut Butters

JM Bistro

Kinney Mini Farms

Three Mad Poppers

Teaquinox

Coccinella

Urban Agriculture CBD

UFisheries

MN Fresh Fuel

Wonder Paper Art

Invincible Summer

Renewal by Andersen – Twin Cities

D$’s Bakes

A Kopp Music

PRISM

Walk to End Alzheimers