I think I have said this almost every week this summer: This is a cool year. Production was slow. The Homer Farmers Market was the front line for witnessing this.

But that didn’t keep Lori at Synergy Gardens from bringing in totes and totes of carrots in June. Or Carey from Hilltop Farm from keeping us in greens all season long. It didn’t stop Christina at Snowshoe Hollow from offering us her artichokes. It didn’t stop Will Grow Farm’s celery, Twitter Creek Garden’s cauliflower, Wild Wellness’s strawberries. Everyone persevered.

But most importantly, veggies kept growing. Gardens don’t recognize deadlines and closing dates. So even though the Market won’t be full of food and crafts and the tents will be coming down, don’t assume all the vendors are gone.

Many of the farmers will continue this Saturday and next Wednesday. Through the month of October you will see those stalwart, dedicated farmers like Robert and Rick out there selling the veggies that they still have. Dan at Luba’s Garden says simply that if the tent is up, he still has veggies to sell.

So for those of you who have procrastinated on stocking up on those storage veggies (like potatoes, beets, and carrots) and those of you who are planning on getting the freshest, most nutritious and delicious food around as long as you possibly can, you still have time.

Keep an eye out at other places for local produce as well. Save-U-More is super at carrying local veggies and flower bouquets. The Alaska Food Hub, the online farmers market, is open through November.

And if you are such a big food nerd that stay up late reading about food security, local edible plants, the secrets of soil, the economic and physical health benefits of a strong local food economy, then you may want to register for the Alaska Food and Farm Festival happening Nov. 10-12 in Anchorage and online. Check out akfoodpolicycouncil.org.

A huge thank you goes out to this community and the amazing support here for our local farmers. Voting with our dollars for local food makes our community all the more resilient. Thank you!