Some upcoming events to check out:

"Party Down in Apple Town" is the theme for this year's Jackson County Apple Festival in Jackson, Ohio. This lively festival offers five days of live music, Lawn Mower Races, an Apple Peeling Contest, apple butter making and parades.


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Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Sheldon Finlay

The Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival offers two weekends of beer and whiskey tasting in Stockholm, Sweden.

Highlights of the event include beer tastings, tutorials and, of course, the beer awards. Categories include best fresh beer, best blonde lager, best porter, best ale and best Swedish beer, among others. Needless to say the festival provides a commercial trade and consumer platform for European producers as well as Swedish and Scandinavian.

The residents of Berea, Kentucky invite you to the 12th Annual Berea Spoonbread Festival this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The festivities include a 5k run, a parade, live music, a dog show and a Spoonbread Eating Contest.

Fougerolles, France plays host to the 18th Annual Foire aux Beignets de Cerises (Cherry Beignet Festival) this Sunday.

With plenty of free food and drink on hand, it's not surprising that up to 10,000 people turn up to the event each year. The fair features plenty of folkloric musical entertainment, arts and crafts stalls and local delicacies to tuck into.

More than 100 specialty producers from Wales come together this weekend at the 10th annual Abergavenny Food Festival in Abergavenny, Wales. The event offers tasting opportunities, cooking demonstrations and a chance to meet chefs.

Or you could sink your teeth into one of these;

The International Shellfish Festival in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Green County Cheese Days in Monroe, Wisconsin
Chowder, Blues and Brews in Florence, Oregon

September is a month when the seasons crash into each other, creating a mélange of flavors at the Farmer's Market.

Summer jewels such as tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers and cucumbers are still in season, and I'm starting to see cauliflower, Swiss chard, squash and kale. Crisp green beans are at their peak and earthy greens such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts are beginning to make an appearance.


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Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Yuliya Pozdniak

On the fruit front: Figs and berries are ripe and ready, plums of all colors are still available to enjoy and green and purple grapes are abundant. Crunchy apples and pears have arrived, a true sign that autumn is on its way!

One of the benefits of living in the country in a Mediterranean climate is the unbelievable number of fig trees that grow out of almost every nook and cranny in the village.

With numerous trees come bountiful fruit. Every day when I take the dogs for a walk I nibble a few - some purple, some green - all ripe, super sweet and delicious! It pains me to see so many fall to the ground, creating feasts for wasps and flies.




This is one of the most succulent, simple recipes using fresh figs!
I found it online at cuisine.com.au.

Poached Fresh Figs in Marsala

* 1 ½ cups marsala or red wine
* ½ cup orange juice
* 2 tbsp orange zest
* 2 tbsp honey
* 1 vanilla bean, split in half
* 2 sprigs fresh lemon thyme
* 8 fresh black figs, halved

In a stainless steel pot, simmer the marsala with the orange juice, zest, honey, vanilla bean and thyme on a medium heat for five minutes. Remove from the stove and pour over the fig halves.
Allow to cool and marinate in the liquid at room temperature.
Serve the figs in a shallow bowl by layering a slice of toasted panettone with fig halves, some syrup and a dollop of mascarpone or yoghurt.
Serve with toasted panettone or crunchy biscotti, dollops of mascarpone, ice cream or natural yoghurt.
Serves 4

Along with the big batch of baba ganoush that I whipped up the other day, I made its culinary cousin.
Hummous.


Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Image# 6613221

I'm a bit of a hummus purist. I don't like to add all that roasted garlic/roasted red pepper/cracked olive mumbo jumbo to it. The simplicity of the chickpeas, tahini, minced garlic and lots of lemon juice is perfect as is.

Serve a bowl of baba and a bowl of hummus together with a generous pile of toasted pita bread triangles and you've got yourself an amazing appetizer!

The best hummus recipe I've ever tried is also one of the easiest.

Jane Gol's Hummus
from The New York Cookbook by Molly O'Neill

2 cups (16 ounces) canned chickpeas, or 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for 4 hours, rinsed and skinned (see Note below)
3 tablespoons tahini paste
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt, to taste
Olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor or blender. Add ½ cup water. Process to a thick purée. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a thin film of olive oil to keep the hummus from crusting. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Makes about 2 cups

Note: To skin chickpeas, place them in a clean dish towel and rub until the skins come off.

My note: The author has left out instructions to cook the chickpeas if using dried. After soaking the chickpeas, rinse them, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil and boil for 2½-3 hours.

Caruchon is a mellow, washed rind, pasteurized sheep's milk cheese that is produced by the Papillon House in the picturesque Aveyron département of southern France.




I really love this cheese!
Caruchon has a mild, yet rich, and tangy flavor with a dense, creamy texture that becomes soft and oozing as the cheese matures.
It is super flavorful without being too strong or overwhelming.

A good wine pairing would be a fruity Beaujolais.

Murray's Cheese in New York City sells Caruchon, as does Cheeseline.com.

Here's a small taste of what's on this weekend:

The Ludlow Marches Food Festival kicks off Friday in Ludlow, England, offering a weekend of fantastic food and drink.

Held every year in Ludlow, the small town with the large reputation for good food and drink - this year's Festival features more than 130 top quality small independent food and drink producers from the Marches, the England-Wales border country.

The 17th Annual Budapest Wine Festival takes place September 10-14 in Budapest, Hungary. Some the events include a Wine Exhibition and Fair, a Harvest Parade, Gala concert and a Charity Wine Auction.


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Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Anne Clark

The Shellfish Shindig in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, offers delicious fun for the whole family.

Come enjoy oysters, quahogs and steamers by the bucket and meet the shellfishermen and women that farm them. This celebration of mollusks will showcase the varied salty delicacies of Massachusetts' waters as well as sustainable aquaculture traditions.

A Chili Cook-Off, live music and arts and crafts vendors are just a few of the events on offer at the 10th Annual ChiliFest in Wells, Maine this Saturday and Sunday.

Caldwell, Texas, the self proclaimed "Kolache Capital of Texas" is hosting their 24th Annual Kolache Festival this Saturday.

Come to the Kolache Festival and learn the wonderful Czech philosophy. See the technique of stenciling, basket weaving, egg decorating, quilting, woodcraft, carving, sculpturing. Dance to the polka, and sing the songs of the musician. Taste the true ethnic food and lend your soul to the fulfillment of the Czech cultural heritage.

A few others to check out:

Salt Festival in Salies de Béarn, France
Euphoria in Greenville, South Carolina
The Murphysboro Apple Festival in Murphysboro, Illinois

Whether it is the spicy, peppery bite of nasturtiums, the herbal tang of lavender or the soft, velvety texture of pansies, edible flowers are a whole new world for your taste buds to explore.

Most flowers from herbs and vegetables are edible and they add beauty, unique flavor and texture to many dishes. Zucchini and squash blossoms can be stuffed and fried; chive blossoms and nasturtiums are delicious added to salads or draped over canapés; violets can be made into a beautiful colored jelly.

If you haven't yet tried these tasty gems, I highly recommend that you do!


Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, gabriela schaufelberger

IMPORTANT - Some dos and don'ts!
Following are some simple guidelines to keep in mind before you eat any type of flower:
Eat flowers only when you are positive they are edible. If uncertain, consult a good reference book on edible flowers prior to consumption.
Just because flowers are served with food does not mean they are edible. It's easy and very attractive to use flowers for garnish on plates or for decoration, but avoid using non-edible flowers this way. Many people believe that anything on the plate can be eaten. They may not know if the flower is edible or not and may be afraid to ask.
If pesticides are necessary, use only those products labeled for use on edible crops.
Do not eat flowers from florists, nurseries or garden centers. In many cases these flowers have been treated with pesticides not labeled for food crops.
Do not eat flowers picked from the side of the road. Once again, possible herbicide use eliminates these flowers as a possibility for use. Remove pistils and stamens from flowers before eating. Eat only the flower petals for most flowers.
Wash all flowers thoroughly before you eat them.
Introduce flowers into your diet in small quantities one species at a time. Too much of a good thing may cause problems for your digestive system.
Remove pistils and stamens from flowers before eating. Separate the flower petals from the rest of the flower just prior to use to keep wilting to a minimum. Eat only the flower petals for most flowers.
If you have allergies, introduce edible flowers gradually, as they may aggravate some allergies. - What's Cooking America