Farmers Market

This is it. As predictable as fireweed fluff, it comes to this every year.  The last official day for the Homer Farmers Market is this Saturday.

This means several important things.  First of all, it means that this is your last chance to buy a raffle ticket for the turkey dinner of local fixing and trimming that the Market puts together each year to be delivered for Thanksgiving. Don’t miss that.

But it also means it will be the last Market with all the trimmings.

The String Alongs will be playing music, market souvenirs and tokens will be available at the info booth, and the credit card machine will be running so you can get the items you didn’t bring cash for. Though some vendors still will sell in the weeks ahead, none of that finery will be available.

This weekend also is the Harvest Community Potluck. As a tradition, the vendors say a big thank you to the community by serving up a local stew at noon to round out a meal of potluck dishes everyone can bring.

The Market is always a load of fun, sharing and community involvement, but it also is simply loaded with veggies. At this time of the year there is the biggest variety of produce from tomatoes to potatoes, parsnips to celeriac, corn to tomatillos, husk cherries to high bush cranberries.

The individual varieties are at a peak as well.  

Dan and Luba have eight varieties of potatoes, Collen has eight varieties of mint. Tomatoes of all kinds can be found throughout the Market. Options abound.

Then there is quantity.  

Bob Durr has zucchinis the size of baseball bats, but he also has four greenhouses of zucchini plants that are still producing. So don’t be shy. Buy a ton and freeze them or even go out to his farm and pick them yourself for a $1 per pound. He also has green tomatoes you can pick for $2.50 per pound. Think relishes, sauerkraut, pickles —  this is the time of the year to stock up.

So head over for the big meal and get your big veggies on Ocean Drive at the Market this Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Kyra Wagner is the coordinator of Sustainable Homer and the Homer Farmers Market’s biggest fan.

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