Market Report for May 20, 2016

What a beautiful night for the Toledo Farmers’ Market. It was so much better than last week. Even the customers thought that as we had a great turn out. A total o f14 vendors this week came to market. Kristi had asparagus, and a table full of her delicious pies, kolaches, rolicky, breads, cookies, rolls, and crisps. Vernon and Wilma had eggs, those beautiful brown eggs. Caryn had her jams, snack mixes, her caramel corn asparagus, and rhubarb. Darold had some tasty looking radishes, and onions. Shirley and Michael had delicious Czech bakery, kolaches, buchty, kuehen and cookies.

Chuck and Ginger, who were under their red maple tree, had pies, cookies, angel food cakes crisps, breads, kolaches, popcorn, nutmeats, rhubarb, radishes, green onions, and asparagus. Dawn’s table had rhubarb, asparagus, fresh and dired herbs, houseplants, jams, jellies, cookies, brownies, rosettes, popcorn, tiki torches and bottle lights. Sheryl had a variety of ceramics, those school theme football lights, some new towel sets, soup bowl holders, scrubbies, soap sachets, baby sandals, and potholders. Those sisters, Vicky and Karen, had Memorial Day flower arrangements, sun catchers, kiln formed slay glass pieces, and a basket of violet houseplants. They will be back in June.

Joe and Barb had granola, breads, crisps, dried peppers, onions, asparagus, lettuce, and kohlrabi. Karen had a table full of soy candles, melts, corn cob sachets, and odor eliminator spray. Tassy had the jars full of cookies, and Dutch letter bars. Nancy and later, Tom, had asparagus and an assortment of frozen Buffalo meat. And holding up the market on the north end was a new vendor Janet selling big brown eggs.

There you have it the line up of another Toledo Farmers’ Market. Be sure to get there on Friday nights from 5-7 p.m. on the Courthouse square.

Dawn Troutner Toledo Market Master

As you read we have plenty of asparagus. Asparagus is a perennial bulb and stem vegetable that greets us every spring. It may take a couple years to get started and produce, but when it does it can be productive up to 20 years. There are many discussions on the time limit to harvest asparagus.

I have read that you should not harvest asparagus more than eight weeks. I have also read, you should not harvest asparagus more than three weeks. I usually harvest until the first part of June.

The next discussion that is frequently asked: how you harvest asparagus. Most just snap it off at ground level. Seasoned gardeners use a knife to cut below the soil line, but it is important to avoid cutting into emerging spears. But if you see bent spears that could be damage from cutting adjacent stalks, or insects feeding on them. I cut at ground level with a serrated edge knife. Then I snap off the stalk until tender. Those are the tender tip asparagus I sell.

Then there is the question when do I cut back the asparagus foliage. Do not do that while it is still green. In order for the plant to produce a good crop next spring, the asparagus plants must manufacture and store adequate levels of food in their roots and crowns. The dead brown, key word is brown, tops can be cut back in late fall.

However, it’s generally recommended that the dead top growth be allowed to stand over winter. This will catch and hold snow, which will insulate the asparagus crowns and also provides moisture. Snow lets not think about that just yet. Hope to see you at market.