Unbelievable amount of fruits, veggies at Farmers Market

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 29, 2009

By Katherine Jones
For The Salisbury Post
As I write this article on a hot afternoon, I am enjoying some ice cold cantaloupe that I purchased from Duard Cress last Saturday. It is delicious and refreshing, a delightful summer treat. Cress also has a new variety of melon that is a cross between honeydew and cantaloupe melons. The edible portion of the melon is white and has a wonderful, sweet melon flavor.
Blueberries and peaches are plentiful and will be available for a couple more weeks. Carolyn Barnette of Barnette Blueberries agreed to share her favorite blueberry recipe, Blueberry Buckle.
Mix 3/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup softened shortening and 1 egg. Add 1/2 cup milk, stirring to blend. Add 2 cups plain flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly. Carefully stir in 2 cups fresh blueberries. Pour batter into a 9-by-9-by-1 3/4 inch pan. Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup soft butter. Sprinkle mixture over top of blueberry batter and bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.
Other notes of interest:
Top Tomato Contest
The contest to discover the largest tomato in Rowan County is well under way and will continue through Aug. 22. The official weigh-in locations are Patterson Farm, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, or the Salisbury Farmers Market, 8-10 a.m. Wednesday or Saturday.
Baked goods
Kris Turco of How Sweet It Is! tells me she has fresh peach pies available as well as blackberry and blueberry. Posh Pasta and Cakes, The Bread Basket and How Sweet It Is! offer a fantastic variety of breads, cakes, pies and pastries. Emma Ruth at The Bread Basket usually has a great pineapple upside-down cake that sells out rather quickly.
Fruits and vegetables
It is still unbelievable what a variety of fruits and vegetables are available to us at the farmers market. Most of the produce is locally grown. Available now is corn, peas, lima beans, green beans, okra, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, onions, eggplant, potatoes, beets, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, watermelons and cantaloupes. Shop with Cress Farm, Eagle Farm, Correll Farm, Miller Farm and Country Garden among others for any of the items listed. Erica Miller of Miller Farm will have corn for 4 to 6 more weeks and is just now picking purple hull peas. Dawn’s Greenhouse will have fresh figs this week or next.
Flowers and plants
There are still beautiful cut flowers available as well as flowering plants in pots and baskets. Joyce’s Flowers has some incredible ornamental peppers and Dawn’s Greenhouse has plenty of potted and fresh cut herbs.
Meat products
T & D Charolais is still providing a large selection of beef each week and Wild Turkey Farms has beef and pork selections as well as eggs.
Cooking tip
Last week I cooked a pot of fresh peas seasoned with pork side meat. When the peas were done, I added a few pods of okra to the pot and cooked for a few more minutes without stirring. This gave the okra a delightful flavor. I then removed the okra to serve separately.

Katherine Jones is a Master Gardener Volunteer for the Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. She and Sue Davis provide a farmers market update each week.

For more information about the Farmers Market, visit www.salisburyfarmersmarket.com. The Farmers Market is located in downtown Salisbury at the corner of South Main and Bank streets. It is open from 7 a.m. to noon each week on Wednesday and Saturday.