I arrived early and only intended to be there for an hour or so. It rained. It hailed. But the opening Saturday of the Homer Farmers Market featured Homer’s new brass band. How could I miss that?
The day shifted from the dedicated early arrivals dodging under tents to avoid the deluge (and scoring all the radishes and bok choy) to the afternoon of sunshine, crowds and children dancing to funky New Orleans brass tunes.
It was the perfect showcase of what the Homer Farmers Market truly is: Connections for our farmers to their dedicated supporters. Connections for locals to tap into an economy that serves our community members rather than some outside corporation.
But beyond the philosophical advantages, it simply feels good to see folks we may not see anywhere else in the bustle of summer. It feels good to serve our family and our summer guests the green and purple spinach, arugula, and romaine salads dressed with micro greens, radish, green onions, herbs and chives that we can say were grown in our community.
It’s fun to try the different ways our local foods are preserved, whether it’s on a cracker at the Sweet Berries jam booth or in the form of pickled carrots at Luba’s Garden booth. You can compare different krauts and kim chi from Love Farms (along with their assorted versions of kombucha and even sourdough starter) or from Kcenia Reutov, tucked in with her loaves of bread and pastries.
If you prefer to do things yourself, designing your own pizza for lunch at Ron’s booth is for you. Or maybe you have a familiar favorite that you always go to for halibut tacos or a hot braut. Or maybe you are the sort who is scanning the booths for the plant starts that you will be putting into you own garden to grow your own food and beauty. You could even start canning your own pickles with Bob Durr’s boxes of cucumbers.
Regardless of what your interest, the Market has a little of everything for everyone. Stop in Wednesdays from 2 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and see what they have for you.
Kyra Wagner is the coordinator of Sustainable Homer and the Homer Farmers Market’s biggest fan.
