Now’s the time to purchase food to preserve for the winter: Sept. 28, 2013 Farmers Market Report

Now is the time to purchase the food products that you need to preserve for the upcoming winter. We have it in the Floyd Farmers Market! Green beans, leafy greens, summer and winter squashes and pumpkins, potatoes, and more are there for the canners. Kohlrabi is back in the market at the tables of Riverstone Farm, along with roots, tubers, and greens. Red Russian, Green and Red Curly kale, spinach, Rainbow and Green Swiss chard, collards, and lettuce, both the baby leaf and head types, are increasing in volume. We have several potato varieties: Kennebec, red Pontiac, fingerling, mixed specialty colored, new Jacqueline Lee, and Yukon Gold, and others. Delicata, white and green acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and “Carnival” winter squashes can be found at the tables of Good Food Good People, Riverstone Farm, and Indian Valley Farm.

There are still some eggplant, sweet and specialty peppers, tomatoes, and onions in the market-enough for canning and family sized dishes! Beets, carrots, and daikon radishes represent the roots available. Good Food Good People had shiitake mushrooms. Kester Clark Farm offered a beautiful, fresh wild harvest of chicken of the woods mushrooms, which all but disappeared immediately.

Apples are appearing in greater volume and wider range of varieties, just in time for the buildup to our annual Jack O Lantern contest when we also have our free cider pressing! Pears are in and Sam Lev of The Sour Doe (found at the Good Food Good People table) had a few lovely poached pear galettes on offer. Blueberries are now out of the market as are raspberries.

Maya will be back at the Floyd Market Collective tables to offer medicinal and culinary transplants. Riverstone Farm is now advertising whole lamb and pieces for later delivery. Sign up with Amy at their table. Highland Farm will be back in the market with fresh and frozen chicken and will offer Mr. Eggers’ Jacqueline Lee potatoes- a great accompaniment to a roast chicken or beef! Old Millstone still has plenty of Angus beef and pork to offer the red meat grillers. Good Food Good People always has plenty of meat products to offer as well.

Upcoming events in the market that should be on your calendar are the Breakfast in the Market on October 12th from 830-1100 a.m. and the Jack O Lantern Contest and Apple Cider Pressing on October 26th. For more information on those events, look us up on our Floyd Farmers Market Facebook: www.facebook.com/floydfarmersmarket . Erika Joy will provide our musical entertainment next week and Tim Pak and the Tin Roof Trio will play for us during the Breakfast at the Market.

The Floyd Farmers Market opens at 830 a.m. and closes at 1 p.m. We offer EBT service for SNAP beneficiaries and a Double Your Value Program to increase the impact of the SNAP benefits used in the market. We also offer a credit card service for shoppers. Come support our local vendors who sell their fresh produce, transplants, herbal products, and meat products! When you buy at the Floyd Farmers Market you may be supporting a neighbor, friend, family member, or acquaintance!