Farmer's Markets

Farmer's Markets

July 8th. The markets are all open now. The number of farmer's markets here in W. Maryland has been steadily growing over the last few years. I counted over 20 within a half hour drive of my house. There is one open somewhere almost every day of the week. This affords everyone the chance to buy food at the peak of its freshness and also at the height of its nutritional value. The key is knowing what is in season in your area and when. You can go to about.com and print out a list of the seasonal fruits and vegetables in your area. It helps to get to the market as early as possible because certain specialty items can sell out quickly. Also on a hot day some things like lettuce, greens, and flowers can wilt in the sun. What I like to do is to walk through the whole market first and see what is available and to see who has the best stuff. Then I go back and buy what I want. I usually have to make a couple of trips back to my truck because I can't carry it all. Some people bring big baskets with them, which is smart. I usually end up with a lot more food than I can eat before it spoils, so I end up either pickling, making jams or sometimes even freezing stuff. Last year the peaches, strawberries, and nectarines were so good I froze a bunch for later use in pies, cobblers, and such. When I go this week I'll be looking for cherries, blueberries, peas, zucchini and summer squash. Local tomatoes, peaches, corn and melons are just starting to show up but I would wait a couple of weeks on those. That's another bonus about buying fruits and vegetables when they are in season. As the supply goes up the price goes down.