As August winds down and September starts, we enter the last month of summer production at the Homer Farmers Market. This hasn’t been the warmest or sunniest summer, but as we could see at last week’s Zucchini Races, there was still fun to be had.

So if the gray gets you down, take in some of the fun in color down at the Market. This time of the year is the peak of production. As farmers try new varieties of veggies to see what thrives here, we are rewarded with a tremendous variety of astounding color unlike the typical grocery store. There isn’t just white cauliflower, but also orange and purple like you see at Rick Steffen’s booth. The beets you see at Dan & Luba’s booth also come in orange or purple, despite the reputation for beet always staining your soups purple. And, wait a minute, even carrots range from orange to purple.

Other veggies play a more subtle game with color. Zucchinis like you see at the Synergy Garden booth can vary from light speckled green to dark pure green. Radishes vary from white to pink to red. The lettuces lined up at the Homer Hilltop Farm booth range from dark maroons to solid green to light lime green. Kohlrabi hops between varieties of light green or bright purple. Snowshoe Hollow’s kale bunches sport all greens and purples in different textures.

But then there are the staples that are always the same. The huge napa cabbage at Paul’s booth, with white ribs and dense light green foliage. Or the trustworthy green of the dark broccoli at Rob’s booth or the consistent green of his basil. The healthy roots of the turnips at Twitter Creek Farm are always shiny white with their lush green tops.

This summer may have had many days that were dreary and gray, but the produce at the Farmers Market cannot hide the inner glow of summer. So head on down to the Homer Farmers Market this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or on Wednesdays from 2-5 p.m. and see what colors catch your eye.