Increasingly cool temperatures favor the growth of the leafy greens and push the winter squash, pumpkins, and many late ripening fruits to ripen up. Cold weather sweetens many leafy greens. Apples and pears are peaking in maturity. Chestnuts and chinquapins are already in the market and the number of mushrooms has increased as well. There is a wide variety of beautiful and delicious “deco-edible” winter squashes and pumpkins. We have had the very visually interesting Galeux d’Esyines and Buttercup squashes in the market drawing interest. The old standbys of spaghetti, acorn, butternut, and Turks turban are in the market as well.
Alas, no pumpkins are in the market, either for pie making or Jack-O-Lantern carving. So, to compete in the Jack-O-Lantern contest next weekend, you will have to look around for them at the local groceries and nurseries. The more Jack-O-Lanterns, the more fun the contest is so don’t feel shy about coming with an entry. We have a couple of keen competitors working on their designs now! For creative inspiration, there are at least three books in the Jesse Peterman Regional Library in Floyd on the subject of Jack-O-Lantern carving. Also, we need lots of judges! The market- going public traditionally comes and looks over all of the wonderful entrants and then chooses their favorites. We have a Favorite and Runner Up prize for each of two categories: Adult and Children. Teenagers over 14-yr of age are included in the Adult category. We will start taking entrants at 830 am. At 1100 am we will stop receiving entrants and as soon as possible, start the judging with a goal of announcing the winner at around 1200 pm.
We will also have an apple pressing demonstration. Free samples may be available for market patrons who purchase apples from a market vendor and have a container of their own in which to receive their juice; your apples will be pressed for free.
Bob Grubel and Cliff DuMais will be in the market, providing their ever popular music. Vendors who will be on hand include: Good Food Good People, Riverstone Farm, Kester Clark Farm, The Floyd Market Collective, the Grateful Bread, Buffalo Mountain Kombucha, Old Millstone Farm, Indian Valley Farm, Red Rooster/Black Water Loft, and Sunmi of MOMMAUM.
Next Saturday’s market will be the last formal market of the season. Some vendors will continue to come through the winter and early spring of 2014; however, the market will not offer music, events, nor EBT or credit card service. After next week, the EBT and matching Double Value Program will be suspended in the Floyd Farmers Market until the 2014 season opens. So, we would like to remind all SNAP beneficiaries to come use up any EBT tokens that they still have at next weekend’s market in the Community Pavilion. For those SNAP beneficiaries who cannot make it to the weekend market, they can still use their tokens at the Sustain Floyd Mobile Farmers Market until November 7th. This service offers many of the same products found in the Floyd Farmers Market because they use many of the same grower-vendors as well as others in the area. The Mobile Farmers Market can be found at the Check Elementary School on Rte. 221N on Wednesdays from 2-6 pm and at Simmons Grocery on Rte. 8 on Thursdays from 3-6 pm until November 7th. They will have EBT service until November 7th.