by Suad Patton Bey, photographs by Megan Wolfe
The calendar has shifted from September to October, but Oxford hasn’t quite decided what season it wants to be.
Pumpkin spice has arrived in coffee cups, football has returned to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and stores are filling their shelves with sweaters. But at the Oxford Community Market (OXCM), summer isn’t ready to leave.
Peaches and tomatoes still crowd the tables, while the first signs of autumn begin appearing among the produce.
At SoLa, the changing season can be seen directly on the plate. A summer bluefin tuna dish served with tomato salad has already transitioned to cabbage as summer produce begins to fade. Corn and figs are arriving next—two short-lived crops that chef Erika Lipe jokingly calls “the only things that console me once tomato season is over.”
“When tomatoes, corn, peppers, squash, and greens are at their peak, we want to take advantage of them while they’re here rather than trying to force the same menu year-round. It keeps things interesting for us and, hopefully, for our guests too,” Lipe said.
The same seasonal rhythm shapes the kitchen at Snackbar, where the menu changes every six weeks. Some ingredients remain available throughout the summer, while others can disappear almost as quickly as they arrive. Figs, said chef Sebastian Markowitz, may have a window of only about two weeks.
The shift from summer to fall isn’t immediate. OXCM Director Betsy Chapman said the period between the two growing seasons can create “a little bit of a dip in the market” before cooler weather arrives and fall crops begin to appear.
And among the most anticipated are pumpkins. “Everyone’s favorite fall crop is pumpkin,” she said.
Behind those seasonal menus are relationships between Oxford’s chefs and the farmers who grow their ingredients. Local farms supply restaurants ranging from The Oliver to City Grocery.
“Saint Leo was the very first one to be very aligned with what we did,” said Mark Mounger of HalleluYAH Gardens.
Saint Leo began talking with Mounger as early as January and February about what produce the restaurant would need for the coming season. His farm grows between 60 and 70 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, giving local chefs plenty of options. “Having that variety of tomatoes just gives the chefs fun things to play with,” Mounger said.
“We talk to them on Sunday night for the Tuesday market and let them know what’s available,” Mounger said. “They can tweak the specials for the week based on what’s available.”
But even months of planning can’t account for the unpredictability of farming. Weather and growing conditions can affect whether a farm is able to meet the demand for a particular crop. Mounger keeps an open line of communication with the chefs who frequent the market.
“Weather can always be unpredictable,” Mounger said. “Gardening isn’t always 100%—it doesn’t always work the way you want it to.”
HalleluYAH Gardens hasn’t experienced any massive crop failures, Mounger said, but the farm isn’t always able to produce as much of a crop as anticipated.
“We pride ourselves on not missing orders,” Mounger said. “If we feel like we’re not going to be able to hit that order, we’ll let them know two weeks ahead of time.”
But unpredictability can also mean abundance. When a harvest exceeds expectations, local chefs find ways to make use of the surplus. Mounger recalled one week when the farm harvested hundreds of pounds of colored bell peppers. Lipe and Markowitz didn’t need the peppers immediately, but both decided to pickle them.
“They were like, ‘OK, give me 40 pounds.’ Both of them just went behind the table and loaded up,” Mounger said.
Chapman has watched farmers like HalleluYAH Gardens grow their businesses over the years by identifying what customers and local chefs want. For HalleluYAH Gardens, that has included recognizing strong demand for heirloom tomatoes among local restaurants.
“I’ve seen other farmers do this, too; they just sort of naturally figure out the thing that they’re good at and the thing that’s in demand and they meet it,” Chapman said.
Heirloom tomatoes are particularly sensitive and don’t travel well, Chapman said, making proximity between growers and buyers especially valuable.
“You find more variety each season at the farmer’s market,” Chapman said.
As summer draws to a close, the desserts appearing in home kitchens and magazines shift from peaches to apples and pears, while the produce at the farmers market begins its own transition. Okra, melons and some tomatoes are still available as shoppers await cooler-season crops: lettuces, collard greens, kale, carrots and radishes. As temperatures fall further, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts will follow.
“We have a great deal to look forward to this fall,” Chapman said.
For a few weeks, Oxford lingers between the lively, bright produce of summer and the incoming abundance of the fall harvest.
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