By Katherine Jones
For the Salisbury Post
The 2010 Salisbury Farmers Market opened with a record number of 29 occupied spaces, an all-time high. This was not the case for the 2011 opening this past Saturday due to the extreme weather that was forecast.
There were, however, a good number of vendors braving the windy and wet conditions to provide market shoppers a good variety of produce, plants, meats, baked goods and crafts.
Among the vendors present was a newcomer to Rowan County. Neta Monroe moved here from Louisiana when her husband was transferred by the Hefner V.A. Medical Center. Neta is quite creative and displayed some nice tote bags she made by recycling horse and chicken feed bags.
Erica Miller had great strawberries that were grown on the Miller farm. She will have more this coming Saturday. David Correll had several kinds of lettuce, spring onions and some cole crops.
Ernest Ritchie of Country Garden brought many plants: annuals, perennials, hanging baskets and assorted potted plants. Bluebird Acres Farm also had a variety of beautiful plants.
This coming Saturday I expect there will be many more vendors present. You will be able to choose from several varieties of lettuce as well as spring onions, strawberries, collards and other greens. The baked goods will include fresh strawberry pies, many kinds of bread, muffins, cakes and cookies. Packaged meat will be available that is from locally grown and pasture-raised livestock as well as fresh eggs. Plenty of crafts along with plants, plants and more plants including bedding plants and vegetable plants.
Again this year the market will be accepting debit and credit cards as well as food stamps, WIC and senior vouchers. I encourage you to visit the website www.salisburyfarmersmarket.com to learn much more about the vendors and what they will have to offer each week. There is also a section for your personal shopping list that you might find helpful.
The Farmers Market is located in downtown Salisbury at the corner of South Main and Bank streets. Market hours are 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. every Wednesday and 7 a.m. – noon. every Saturday.
Katherine Jones is a Master Gardner volunteer for the Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County.