Country bounty and a Zombie Chicken

Heather a quilting buddy who reads voraciously and loves to run has proffered this Zombie Chicken Award, which in the words of her friend, Sherri:
"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken-- excellence, grace, and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all."
And so, on to the blogs I always check when I sit down at the computer....
Ree, Confessions of A Pioneer Woman
Kay, Prairie Quilts and Kolaches
Jill, The Quilt Rat
Brin, My Messy Thrilling Life
Comicbooklady, Quilt as Desired
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This weekend we have been taking advantage of the treasures to be found in country living. and supporting the local farmers. Yesterday we visited the Stratford Garlic Festival. I was intrigued by a spot on the CBC Friday morning radio mentioning "Chocolate Covered Garlic". Those that know me, and know me well, know that I cannot resist anything in chocolate; that and I am eager to enjoy local bounty. It was an excellent sunny day!

The Stratford Garlic Festival promised 2 main tents and lots of activity. We arrived in time for the nutrition and health talk on garlic. Yes you can freeze garlic, just use it before it gets soggy from thawing.

There are many varieties of garlic, some are best for eating raw, others are better for cooking or roasting. I purchased some garlic seed stock: Siberian, Leningrad and maybe some F-14 (not sure of the name of the last 2 bulbs). In October we will plant these as a start to next year's garden.

From the Garlic Festival on Saturday, we learned about the SPLAT Fest (Heritage Tomato Tasting) at McCully's Hill Farm for Sunday. McCully's grows fresh food in harmony with the local environment. There we enjoyed some wonderful tomatoes ranging from yellow peach to purple zebra, local goat cheese and some wine pairings. I bought myself a small peach crumble pie. It was still hot... I did save it for dessert.

Back to the chocolate covered garlic....Yes I tried it. The garlic was very fresh, a soft crunch and hot. The chocolate coating was sweet and dark. They tasted quite nice together. You don't need to buy me a box of these chocolates though. Trying it was enough.

This is the local bounty in the fridge ready for the next few days dinner. I also bought an eggplant that was as round as a large cantaloupe, come to think of it, I bought a cantaloupe too. We picked up corn, a basket of tomatoes and a 5 pound bag of garlic to hang in the cold storage as well.

These peppers are so amazing. Even when I cut into them a week later they are so crisp and fresh; their sweet freshness fills the air, you can smell them. AHHHHHHH.

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I am working at catching up, 3 more Fabric Postcards. The theme is "Landscapes". I keep thinking of all these new landscapes here and am still amazed by how many rainbows I have seen, so close that I feel as if I could touch them...