The days are getting shorter. That simply means that there is more to try to cram into smaller days, right?

One thing you need to cram into these shorter days is the last official Homer Farmers Market and its Harvest Meal Potluck.

The Harvest Meal gives you the chance to knock out several things on your list of to-dos at the same time. You get to:

1. Eat a great meal;

2. Celebrate another year of bountiful harvest;

3. Celebrate community with friends;

4. Enjoy live music by the String Alongs;

5. Buy the Market souvenirs you want as gifts; and, yes,

6. See who wins the Turkey Raffle drawing for the Market’s Thanksgiving meal prize.

But to-do lists also include shopping for meals. With the gentle summer we have experienced there is a happy abundance of food available at the Market. Our farmers only get more experienced every year and so everything seems to be getting better and better.

I can’t say it’s normal to see so many pumpkins and tomatoes at so many booths. The stacks of carrots and bins of beets seem be never ending. Add to that the squash, corn, kale, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, as well as cukes and zukes and you have quite a Market.

Despite popular belief, all these veggies aren’t necessarily grown in high tunnels. Paul and Jen, for example, grow everything at their lovely booth outside. Remember? There were veggies at the Market before the high tunnel program started.

And of course there are those who grow both in and out of the tunnel or even solely in the tunnel. For growers like Dan and Luba, this gives them a jump in the spring, but it also means that they have sweet lettuce even this late in the year since the high tunnel has kept the frost at bay.

It’s all about seeing how much you can cram into a summer, under plastic or outside.

So head on down to the Market this Saturday from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. to share the food and fun with these dedicated folks growing food for our community.

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