Toledo Farmers Market

Dawn Troutner Toledo Market Master
Market Report for September 5, 2014
Seven weeks of market are left. That would be 7 weeks everyone. Be sure to come out to the Toledo Farmers Market and make your purchases now. That would be Friday nights from 5-7 pm east side of the courthouse. Be there or be square.
These vendors aren’t square, they are at the Toledo Farmers Market every week with their tables full. Devin and Mason had potatoes, onions, summer squash, peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, broccoli, melons, and kohlrabi. Kristi had her delicious bakery. Darold had cucumbers, okra, onions, peppers, lettuce, egg plant, potatoes, tomatoes, gourds, summer, and winter squash.
Dale had his local honey and honey products. Chuck and Ginger had summer and winter squash, leeks, potatoes, peppers, a LARGE cabbage, egg plant, popcorn, bakery, eggs, gourds, little pumpkins and pumpkins. Dawn had cucumbers, red cabbage, fresh and dried herbs, jams, bakery, garlic braids, onions, heirloom tomatoes, winter and summer squash, beets, white grapes, watermelons, Asian beans and crushaw melons.
Sheryl had a table full of ceramics and home made towel sets. Lois, Brenda, and Ethan had cucumbers, green peppers, beets, zucchini, egg plant, and tomatoes.
Vernon and Wilma had eggs and more eggs. John had his bag toss game boards he makes himself. Shirley and Michael had Czech bakery and noodles. Joe and Barb had potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, okra, egg plant, leeks, kale, jams, and some bakery.
Thea and Will had candles, melts, hair bows, soaps, gourds, tomatoes and everything is grown or made by them. Red Earth Gardens had onions, carrots, peppers, green beans, blue potatoes, cucumbers, egg plant and a salad mix.
There are still plenty of items to be purchased at the Toledo Framers Market.
Even though the growing season is winding down, the gardens still needs a little TLC from us. Compost, compost and compost. That is what you need to do.
All those spent plants need to be pulled and thrown in the compost pile. Pull those weeds before they make seed heads. Or in some gardens, I am not naming who, pull and burn those weeds that have gone to seed.
Leave a few sunflowers, cone flowers, berries, or broom corn for our feathered friends to enjoy.
Harvest seeds. This is a great way to cut garden expenses. One large sunflower can provide seeds for hundreds of plants.
Harvest seeds from heirloom vegetables and standard plants. Only harvest seeds from your healthiest plants.
Don’t harvest seeds from hybrid plants, those are often sterile or will look nothing like the parent plant. Only harvest mature seeds from dry and faded blooms and pods. Mature seeds often are cream colored or brown. After those harvested seeds are dry, store them in an envelope or glass jar in a cool, dry place. Remember to label them.
Then there is the stacking of the tomato cages, pulling of the stakes used for supporting those plants.
Clean them of debris and store in a dry area. And be sure to put away ALL those garden tools that you left out all summer. They really would like to be out of the elements this winter. Hint, hint to someone I know.
Hope to see you all at market these last few weeks.