As the summer wound down, I immersed myself in a local cultural tradition: the local agriculture fair, a harvest tradition in New England that dates back over a century.
With it are competitions for the best examples of cows, pigs, sheep, ducks, and horses, with wide-eyed young future farmers eagerly and anxiously parading their prize livestock around arenas. Barns brim with displays of the most perfect of everything: homemade pies, self-grown floral or vegetable arrangements, photography, watercolors, and every kind of squash, ear of corn, tomato, cucumber, string bean, and other local vegetable. Food vendors are everywhere! Clam chowder and clam cakes. Roasted turkey legs. Bloomin’ onions. Hot apple crisp with cold vanilla ice cream. Burgers and hotdogs and fries. It is a delicious weight-watcher’s bad dream. READ FULL ARTICLE