By Katherine Jones
For The Salisbury Post
Plants are abundant at the Salisbury Farmers Market this week and May is a good time to plant flowers and vegetables mainly because the chance of a killing frost is almost nil.
Many of the vendors have a large variety of plants. Herbs, vegetables and flowers were everywhere last week it seemed. Country Gardens had at least 21 varieties of herbs, seven or more of tomatoes and over a dozen of flowering bedding plants. They also had lettuce bowls and hanging baskets. Bluebird Acres also had a great selection of all types of plants, hanging baskets and containers.
Produce vendors have lots of homegrown products now. Last week I bought turnips, fresh snap peas, beets and new potatoes. Lettuce is still available in green leaf, red leaf, romaine and butter crunch. Lee Ly and Correll Farms are offering Swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, and a good selection of cut herbs. Eagle Farms has some wonderful greenhouse tomatoes. There are many other fruits and vegetables on hand with all the produce vendors including Miller Farm, Bostian Farm and Callahan Farm.
Have you tried the homegrown meat the vendors bring in? T & D Charolais offer several selections of steaks and roasts as well as sausage and bacon. They also have ground beef, ribs and soup bones. Believe it or not, they also have bones for your dog. T & D Charolais and Wild Turkey Farms sell only locally grown pasture raised beef and pork.
The bakers are still busy and that is to our advantage. How Sweet It Is, Carla Anne’s Cookies and The Bread Basket all offer a large selection of breads, cakes, cookies, muffins and pastries. I really like that they make large and small sizes in breads, pies and cakes.
Remember, you can purchase tokens with your debit or credit card to use at any vendor that accepts them. WIC and senior vouchers are also accepted by some vendors as well as food stamps.
Learn more about all the vendors and their products by visiting www.salisburyfarmersmarket.com. You can also register to receive the weekly newsletter online.
The market is located at the corner of South Main and Bank Streets and is open every Wednesday and Saturday from 7 a.m. until noon.
Katherine Jones is a Master Gardener volunteer for the Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County.