Seasons and Schedules

It's funny how things roll out a little differently every year. It was once long-windedly explained to me by one man who sells me berries and eggs from time to time. There is an "official date" for the opening of the season for everything from mushrooms to a certain cheese being at its best.

We can come to rely on a schedule for everything that the season brings. But based on the way that the weather rolls out, one heat wave or one cold snap can throw this schedule off by a week or two. So one year when we get a lot of sun in the spring and lots of rain in the early summer, we may be precociously deluged by an avalanche of delicious foodstuffs before we have mentally prepared for them. Last year, I was patiently searching for things that were supposed to be out already, and the buildup was such a pleasure. The most wonderful discoveries materialize when you have time to think about them.

When you ask, the producers are happy to tell you about their experience this year, and what factors have had an impact on this years ongoing harvest. It seems like this summer is rolling out at a precariously fast pace that refuses to slow down for me. My life also refuses to slow down. Vacation time will be here soon enough. I keep reminding myself to roll with it. Roll with it.