Dawn Troutner Toledo Farmers Market Master

Market Report for October 21, 2016

It was an ideal fall night for the Toledo Farmers’ Market. The vendors are thinning out, but the tables are still full of items to be purchased. The line up was a little different this Friday evening.

Joe and Barb started the market on the south end with gourds, butternut, buttercup, acorn, spaghetti squash, poblano peppers, kohlrabi, red and green cabbage, lettuce, that delicious home made bread, granola, small pies, and jams. Vernon and Wilma pulled in with eggs. Busy Bee Acres had an assortment of honey, lip balm, solid lotion bars, honey stixs, holiday honey bears, chunk honey, honey comb, and creamed honey. This was their last week. Caryn had her snack mixes, caramel corn, and jams.

Shirley and Michael made kolaches, rolicky, buchty and kuchen. Chuck and Ginger brought pies, kolaches, angel food, cookies, breads, honey, popcorn, tomatoes, Indian corn, hot peppers, onions, garlic, assortment of winter squash, apples, potatoes, and baskets of gourds. It was Gingers birthday. Happy Birthday Ginger!!! Dawn had jams, cookies, breads, corn bread muffins, bittersweet, dried beans, dried herbs, fresh dill, sweet potatoes, winter squash, potatoes, tomatoes, hot peppers, bell peppers, green cabbage, and onions. Sheryl had scrubbies, oven mitts, dish cloth, soap sachets, microwave bowl holders, pot holders, and an assortment of ceramics.

If you were thinking of purchasing one of those cool football lights for Christmas you have one week left. Lois, Marie, Brenda, and Ethan had zucchini, acorn squash, pie pumpkins, green peppers, butternut squash and Ethan had his Cub Scout popcorn. Jim was under the pine tree with his hand made leather items. Karen brought her assortment of soy candles that she makes. June was back with a truck load of pumpkins, gourds, apples, zucchini, and bird house gourds. Vicky brought cookies, brownies, breads, green peppers, rice crispy bars, potholders, and quilts. And holding up the North end of the market was Red Earth Gardens. They had yellow beans, winter squash, pumpkins, hot peppers, onions, potatoes, greens, sweet peppers, kale, and micro greens.

Next week is the last market for the season. Hope to see you there.

There is so much to do, and so little time to get it done. I still have my garlic to plant. I have mowed for the last time this season. I have a row of popcorn left to harvest and a quarter of a row of potatoes to dig. The celery needs cut and dried and the hot peppers need to be stripped and put in the dehydrator. I have been repotting houseplants that need to come in before the cold hits.

Oh yeah, I still have dried beans to harvest. My bean sheller is on the mend, which is great news.

As I am doing all this, I think about what to plant for next season.

What was the hot veggie for the 2016 Toledo Farmers’ Market season? It wasn’t hot peppers; winter squash wasn’t all that popular either. Green beans, onions, radishes, turnips, peas, tomatoes, were in demand this season. Potatoes went fast as did the rhubarb. You could always count on getting rid of those cucumbers you’d bring.

Peaches weren’t that popular, but if you had a watermelon or two they went. When the sweet corn was ready Rod and Cindy were busy. Now that has to be the hottest item at any market. So, with those thoughts it’s time to start thinking about planting for the 2017 market season.

See you at the last market.