This week is the peak of summer light, the solstice. I’ve been hearing people groan at the thought of the summer entering into its downhill slide. The peak of light does not mean, however, that it is the peak of summer.

The Homer Farmers Market is the perfect example. The quantity of veggie starts available is going down and the quantity of veggies is going up. Last week the first carrots were for sale. Bob Durr is still requesting that people start canning pickles with all the cucumbers he has coming in. Ripe tomatoes should be showing up at the Market this week.

Those of us from around here can gauge the season by what the Farmers Market has to offer. But our visitors also gauge their time in Homer by the Market. Talking to a family friend during her annual visit, she gives me her list of must-do attractions that she has planned her trip around.

First off, she reminds me that moose and eagles are still worth getting excited about — a sort of unpredictable, mobile tourist destination. Like seeing a movie star in Hollywood, it’s a thing of luck but also something you really hope for when you are there.

But she can also instantly list the Farmers Market days and hours. She knows that she will get some marionberry/chipotle jam to take home with her. She will get lotion with lavender. She will get halibut tacos.

Knowing the Market rather well, I can visually follow her through the Market as she describes all the things she loves there.

Even though she only spends a week or two a year here, the Market is a great way for her to connect into the creativity and productivity of our community. She now is woven in to the fabric of our community and shares our story. Just like the shared stories of moose encounters and photos of eagles, the experience is always marvelous, no matter how often you have had it.

So head on down to the Market this Wednesday from 2-5 p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and experience what summer still has to offer.

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