Patriotic Flowers!

Look at this eye popping floral combo from Robin of Ridgemont Farms. There were other bouquets, but these really grabbed my attention. One of them sold as soon as I finished snapping the picture. According to Robin, part of the fun is trying to get certain combinations of flowers together at the right time. It looks like these are just in time for the 4th of July ......

Also, now is a great time to get bedding plants & hanging baskets at the market to fill in empty spots in the landscape ..... the price is right!

More Coming to Market!

WOW ..... there were some really great looking green things at the Ambridge Farmers' Market today. First a shot of Dave & Pat getting snowpeas and onions ready just before market opened. Dave is the market manager at Ambridge and as such, he blows the air horn to signal that the market is open and sales can begin. Believe me, he gets lots of prompting from eager customers telling him to "blow the horn".

Several farmers had broccoli today ..... who could pass it up? Not me! Other veggies today included beets, sugar pod peas, kohlrabi, onions, and lettuces - both leaf & head lettuces. Today was the first day for pie cherries from Oak Spring Farm.

Back to the lettuces though .... here is Douds-Floyd Farm and a line-up of happy customers buying lettuce, fresh herbs, and broccoli ..... another unique item today from Douds-Floyd Farm were the edible flowers, "Lemon Gem Marigolds". They're good for a bright spot of color and a spicy lemony taste in your salad.

Local "Fun Raiser" !?!

Check out this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on the PASA West "Fresh Local Fun Raiser" coming up this week on June 18th at the Pennsylvania Pure Distillery.
Hopefully you can still register although I've picked this up a little late!

Rain or Shine!

It didn't look good for the Ambridge Farmers' Market this afternoon. Just before I left work, it was pouring in the parking lot ..... not to worry though. By the time I made it to the market, things had cleared up. True farmers' market afficionados come out rain or shine, and of course the vendors are there unless it's a total wipe-out or it's dangerous. Bedding plants, herbs, veggie plants, and hanging baskets were popular today as these Enon Country Gardens customers can attest! Expect to hear more about them as they work with the Farmers Market Nutrition Program to provide nutrition education materials, educational materials about PA farm products, & outreach to FMNP participants to increase involvement in the food assistance program.


What else was at the market today? Lettuce and green onions. How about garlic scapes from Dave? They have an extremely short season. Or strawberries from 2 vendors. Pat the baker even had shortcake (!) for sale ..... saved me from having to haul out the Bisquick & whip up shortcakes when I got home! The strawberries and edible pod snow peas were going fast. After all was said and done, the sun even came out. There had to be a rainbow somewhere ......

Strawberries & Heirlooms

Here are the first strawberries of the season in this "neighborhood". Found these on Friday at Randy's Raisings in Calcutta, Ohio. Needless to say, our 2 quarts are GONE now!
Also, outside of the greenhouse at Randy's Raisings was a wagon load of tomato transplants. Not just any tomatoes, mind you, but a large selection of heirloom varieties. Having already planted 4 varieties of heirlooms, I opted for 6 Super Marzano paste tomatoes and a 6 pack of the heirloom "Nebraska Wedding". I'm giving away 3 of them to a restaurant owner --- maybe they'll show up in a "local salad" this summer. If you still need some heirlooms, I'd say to stop in at Randy's for a selection in 6 packs. Zoom in on the pictures below for variety names ..... also seen ...... Amish Paste, Azoychka, Black Prince, Brandywine, Prudens Purple, Cherokee Purple, + many that I can't remember. Also saw a few packs of purple tomatillos. Plus tons of standard tomatoes. Lots of peppers, but I didn't study those.

America's Favorite Farmers' Market Contest!!!!

Attention FARMERS' MARKET MANAGERS and all of you FRIENDS of farmers' markets! Here's your chance to have some fun and get your customers and community involved. The American Farmland Trust is conducting a contest where you can vote for your favorite farmers' market. The CONTEST for "America's Favorite Farmers' Markets" is starting in June when market managers can start to register their markets for voting.
Let's get started ...... we'd love to vote for you!