Celebrating Summer After It's Gone - EMWTTSFM. The Grape Report.
EMWTTSFM - Salad Days Are Ending
Food Review by Gary Gardiner
With fall approaching and overnight lows dropping into the low 40s, the days of fresh local greens are coming to an end. Growth slows, flavors change, and what remains at the Westerville Saturday Farmers' Market carries that unmistakable late-season feeling — a little more rugged, a little less sweet, but still enjoyable.
This trio of salads was my way of marking the end of summer — not with a big statement, but with what was available, honest, and in season. The greens and tomatoes came from Hammerie Farm. The bacon is from Tier Three, and the chicken was also picked up at the market. Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, grilled chicken, and bacon made up the base. I didn’t dress the salads before photographing or tasting, because if this is going to be a review, I want the reader to think about their own pairing. Still, I’ll mention my go-to: a raspberry vinaigrette for brightness, or a chunky blue cheese dressing if I want it heavier and saltier.
Let’s talk ingredients. The tomatoes are a mix, mostly cherry, which look great on camera, but don’t bring much to the plate. Visually, they add pop. Flavor-wise, they’re a bit of a letdown, especially compared to late-summer heirlooms or fuller-bodied slicing varieties. You can feel the season winding down in that alone.
The top salad (in the red bowl) features bolder flavors: chunks of dark heirloom tomato, crispy bacon, and blue cheese crumbles. It’s rich, salty, and slightly bitter — a daring mix that doesn’t need much else. You can toss this with vinaigrette or add a squeeze of lemon, allowing the ingredients to shine.
The bottom-right salad features grilled chicken, blue cheese, and cherry tomatoes on a bed of greens. It’s straightforward and clean, with the cheese carrying most of the flavor. The chicken is lightly seasoned but pairs well with the bitterness of the greens and the sharpness of the blue cheese.
The bottom-left is a more protein-oriented version with grilled chicken again, but this time with shredded Romano, cherry tomatoes, and bits of bacon. It’s the most balanced in flavor and texture, and arguably the most crowd-pleasing — salty, savory, and not too challenging.
This wasn’t meant to be flashy cooking — just a quiet celebration of what’s still coming out of Ohio soil before the cold puts it all to rest. The ingredients may not all be at their peak, but that’s part of the charm this time of year. You’re working with what’s left, knowing it won’t be here next week.
These salads aren’t trying to impress anyone — they’re just showing up, using what’s available, and making something good out of it. That’s enough.
The Green Grape Report
Food Review by Gary Gardiner
Kroger - Everywhere
Brand - Green grapes from California.
Price: $1.49 per pound with the electronic coupon. All the regular bagged grapes are available at this price, with the coupon.
Appearance - Bright color with few flaws.
Size -Largest grapes of the year at 12.1 grams per grape. The average length measured from ten grapes is 34mm, with an average diameter of 24mm.
Crispiness - Crisp and juicy.
Taste - Barely sweeter than last week’s 17%, this week’s sugar content is 19.1%.
PLU Code - 4420
The Review
It’s that time of year when there’s little variation week to week in grapes. Nearly everything comes from California, with its fertile fields and, for now, plenty of water to ripen and mature the grapes.
California grapes are here in full force, filling the plastic bags with clusters that tick every box. Large, sweet, firm, and juicy. It doesn’t matter which store you visit; the quality remains consistent everywhere.
That leaves the price, $1.49 per pound at Kroger, as the deciding factor. A coupon has reduced the cost to nearly half what it was just a few weeks ago, and suddenly the math matters again. For months, shoppers could ignore the fifty-cent difference between stores because flavor and size took precedence. Now, with grapes tasting great everywhere, the scale tips back in favor of the checkout line.
It’s a rare moment when choosing grapes is so straightforward. No need to squint at the bunches, question the variety, or worry about sourness. The grapes are good. The only questions are where the coupon is valid and how many bags to take home.
After nearly a year of writing about them, this might be the simplest review: buy them while they’re this good and this affordable. It’s rare for grapes to line up perfectly in every aspect. When quality, size, sweetness, and price are all equal, this week’s pick feels more like a seasonal treasure than a routine purchase.
The Westerville News is a reader-supported publication by Gary Gardiner, a lifelong journalist who believes hyper-local reporting is the future of news. This publication focuses exclusively on Westerville—its local news, influence on Central Ohio, and how surrounding areas shape the community.
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