By Sue Davis
Master Gardener Volunteer
Local strawberries are here! Most food storage books tell us the best way to store fresh strawberries is “buy berries from a local farmer and eat them the same day without putting them in the refrigerator.” I saw many people eating their just purchased berries as they strolled through the market last Saturday morning. If you want to enjoy a few berries everyday, Country Garden has pots of strawberry plants with ripe strawberries dangling down the side. Miller Farms has both field grown and hoop house berries; Eagle Farms hopes to have strawberries on Wednesday, if we continue to see warm days.
Twenty-eight vendors lined up at the market Saturday. They offered a good variety of items to pick from. There are many crafters offerings gourd birdhouses, soaps, quilts, aprons, hats and other gift items. Correll Farms, Cress Farms, Eagle Farms and Kraus Farms have a wide variety of lettuces and spring onions. Cole Crops like Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage, broccoli, collards, swiss chard, and spinach are available.
Many vendors have vegetable plants for sale. Bluebird Acres Farm has a large variety of herb plants available. They also have a nice selection of flower and vegetable plants. Country Garden has many varieties of tomato plants and a nice selection of peppers along with many other vegetable plants for the garden. Dawn’s Greenhouse has interesting patio sized plants including peas. Joyce’s Flowers has an assortment of roses, hanging baskets, bedding plants and containers. Lee Ly has cut flowers and some oriental vegetables for stir fry.
Emma Martin at the Bread Basket is planning a line of gluten-free pies. Stop by and let her know if you are interested and have ideas. Saturday she will have gluten-free lemon bars. Carla Anne’s has homemade peanut butter, the recipe used in her award winning peanut butter cookies. She is also selling her San Francisco Sourdough starter along with the recipe so you can make your own sourdough bread. How Sweet It Is! has harvest muffins, flavored flat breads and many other items.
Kraus Family Farm is new to the market this year. They have their own goat cheese, a cereal granola and a variety of lettuces. There are more interesting things coming from Kraus Farms as the market season gets going.
There was a nice crowd at the market Saturday, which started with a drizzle and ended with full sun. Many of the people I talked to were excited about the new market website www.salisburyfarmersmarket.com. Each week, a list of what is available is posted under Create a Shopping List. You can submit your list before making your visit to the market. Don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter while you are visiting the website.
The Salisbury Farmers Market is open Wednesday 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. until Noon at the corner of Bank and South Main streets in downtown Salisbury.