Cantaloupes Nos. 12 and 13 are on my kitchen counter, awaiting the knife.

Nos. 12 and 13 refers to the count, not their size. My local grocery chain had a loss leader on cantaloupes last week, and they got me.

You should have seen the heap in the store: box after box after box of cantaloupes, taking up the space of a small bedroom in the middle of the produce section. Stacked at least 6 feet high, the pile drew me in like a fruit fly.

Ten for $10 was the special. Yeah, $1 apiece. I debated: I had recently purchased succulent, aromatic lopes at my farmers market. They set such a standard of lusciousness; how could these nonlocals compete?

But, with three children, one running cross country, in constant need of fruit, I bit. I lugged a cardboard crate of them home, adding the 10 to the three I had purchased just a day before at a slightly higher price.

Thirteen bargain-priced cantaloupes.

Score!

We had cantaloupe for breakfast. We had it for lunch. I mixed it with blueberries (2 pints, $5) for dinner. (The locals were better, but these were sweet.)

"Want some cantaloupe?" I said sweetly to every kitchen passerby.

I researched freezing it: Cut it up, freeze in chunks on a cookie sheet, bag it. You can make a light syrup, if you like, to pack it in.

I never got the chance. I sold it like cheap insurance; I should've had a commission.

"I am sick of cantaloupe," my husband said on Tuesday morning, five days into this extravaganza.

"It isn't often that you can cram a whole year's vitamin C into five days," I said, smacking him with my logic.

I cut up No. 12.

I'm eating it as I write this.

One to go.

Will she teach cantaloupe slicing?

Rosemary Perla of Slow Foods Pittsburgh will conduct an advanced cooking class for kids ages 8 to 16 today from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Whole Foods Market, Eastside. If you've taken her classes before, you may attend. Bring a favorite recipe made with five ingredients or less; Whole Foods will supply ingredients.

Late summer is a great time to party, and merchants, farmers et al. are offering a full slate of culinary treats and a bit of education to try this Saturday.

Downtown: Six Penn Kitchen, 146 Sixth St., Cultural District, will hold PigFest beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday. It's all you can eat barbecue and local foods as well as music for $25. Sample premium bourbons and beers for $10 more. The fest kicks off the restaurant's Local BBQ Week, which runs through next Thursday and features local products (Jam Farm lamb, Wil-Den Family Farms Fresh Air Pork) in barbecue. More information: sixpennkitchen.com or 412-566-7366.

Volant: Merchants in this Lawrence County town in Amish country will hold Harvest Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Take a hayride, see antique tractors and/or have some local corn, pie and peaches. Free admission and parking (volantshops.com).

Ohiopyle: Ohiopyle State Park will hold a canning workshop beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. Meet at the Ohiopyle Stewart Community Center. Preserve peaches, beans, tomatoes, pickles and jam. Fee is $5. Preregister by calling Barbara Wallace at 724-329-0986 or e-mail eeohiopyle@qcol.net. There is a $5 fee for lunch.

Bethel Park: Giant Eagle Market District, Village Square Mall, will sponsor farmers market from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Featured will be fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat and plants from Trax Farms, Wexford Farms, Mung Dybnasty, Rippling Brook Farm, Brenckle's Farms and Greenhouses and Bebout Farm. Probably there will be cantaloupe.

Sandusky, Ohio: The fifth annual Toast of Ohio wine heritage festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Sandusky Bay Pavilion, 605 East Water St. Admission is $1; fees for wine and food vary, and you can purchase packages. Admission benefits the Maritime Museum of Sandusky and the Merry-Go-Round Museum, which will offer tours. There's much more, including things for the kids to do: Call 1-800-255-ERIE (3743) or visit shoresandislands.com.