A couple of weeks ago, farmer Mark Hockney, the owner of Tiny Farm was telling me about his summer lettuce. As you may know, Tiny Farm's specialty is growing lettuce with the goal of having it available 52 weeks a year. Under most circumstances, they can do it. But, about 6 weeks ago, in the midst of our unseasonably cool summer, we had a week of HOT weather. Farmer Mark told me that during that weather, he lost a couple of plantings of lettuce. He told me that even the varieties of weather that are well suited for the heat and humidity didn't make it. So, because of the hot weather spell weeks ago, there was a lack of lettuce in the Market in the last 2 weeks of August, when the weather wasn't too hot.
Since that mini heat wave, the conditions for growing lettuce from seed to head have improved dramatically and lettuce is starting to re-appear. Then as we continue to head into the fall, more and more lettuces, greens, and root vegetables will start appearing on the tables of our farmers.
Having Farmer Mark tell me about his lettuce grown trouble in July, reminded me to look at the availability of the products at the Farmers' Market with a different lens. Everything that is available today at the Market is a result of months of planning and preparation by the farmer. It has been made possible by the temperature and weather that had an impact on the growing conditions. No one has called a distributor to get products trucked in from far away in order to insure a steady supply. All of our farmers are local (within 70 miles of Durham) and grow everything that you see on their tables. We, as customers, get to share in the bounties and sometimes in the losses that are a result of forces beyond our control. It can make shopping at the farmers market a bit riskier, but so much more fun!
Thanks for shopping locally and enjoying our local bounty!
See you at the market!
Erin Kauffman
Market Manager
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Available Wednesday!
Fruits: GRAPES - Scuppernong, Figs, Apples, Cantaloupe, Peaches, Watermelon
Vegetables: BRAISING MIX, EDAMAME, Arugula, Beans, Beets, Butternut Squash, Butter Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, Corn, Cucumbers, Delicata Squash, Eggplant, Garlic, Green Onions, Herbs (Cilantro, Basil), Leeks, Malabar Spinach, Onions, Okra, Peppers - Sweet and Hot, Potatoes, Pea Shoots, Purple Hull Peas, Pumpkins, Salad Mix, Shiitake Mushrooms, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Zucchini
Meats: Beef, Chicken, Duck, Goat/Chevon, Pork
Eggs: Chicken and Duck Eggs
Flowers: Celosia, Gomphrena, Tuberrose, Lisiasnthus, Dahlia, Gladiolus, and mixed Bouquets
Specialty Items: RAW HONEY!, Tempeh, Mustards, Flour, Yellow & White Cornmeal, Grits, Goat and Cow Milk Cheeses, Baked Goods - Breads, Pastries, & Pies, Preserves, Gluten Free Baked Goods, Fermented Items, Nut Butters, Pasta, Herbal Teas, Herbal Salves,
Crafts: Wood Crafts, Pottery, Goats Milk Soaps
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