Now that Labor Day has passed, many seasonal stores have closed, and the tourists have thinned down, it feels like the shortened days are truly ours again. It feels like the manic speed of summer can finally slow down.

Really? For the Homer Farmers Market, we know that we are just now starting to see the peak of summer. This is no time to slow down and go to sleep. Hunting season is upon us, there are the last of the berries to be picked and, for garden veggies, the race to get things in before the slugs devour them becomes real.

At the Market, the countdown now begins. We have four more fully staffed and bountiful weeks of Markets this season. Four more weeks of giant cauliflower. Do you prefer the white or the purple or the cheddar colored? Four more weeks to finally get that piece of pottery or clothing or handmade soap or jewelry or art that you have been eyeing this summer. Four more weeks of carrots, onions, greens, potatoes, broccoli, basil, cucumbers, tomatoes, flowers and herbs.

Now is especially the best time to spend SNAP benefits for the best fresh food you can get. The Market’s doubling program has been turning everyone’s $20 of SNAP benefits into $40 all summer. There is no better deal anywhere.

Everyone eats. But not all of us have the means to buy the finest foods. In our community, healthy food should not be a privilege, and at the Farmers Market it is a point of pride to support our friends and neighbors who need help getting access to our local veggies. Not only will the Market double SNAP benefits, but they also orchestrate the purchase of excess harvest at the end of the Market day to take to the Homer Community Food Pantry.

So head on down to the Homer Farmers Market this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or Wednesday from 2-5 p.m. and get your share of the bounty this season.

Kyra Wagner is on the board of directors and the Homer Farmers Market’s biggest fan.