'Tis the Season

The garden is growing wonderfully well, although when I dig beneath the surface, I may find another story! The top photo shows some zinnias, potato plants, and lettuce that I've let flower. Another week or so, and the potatoes are supposed to be ready to harvest. I can't wait! The bottom photo is a picture of the first butternut squash blossom, one of the seedlings from the compost pile I wrote about last month, I think.

This post will be short and very local. If you haven't yet taken the leap to growing some of your own veggies, and you're not fortunate enough to belong to Randle Farms' CSA, you might be interested in two local farmers' markets that are opening in the next two weeks.

On Thursday, May 26, The Market at Ag Heritage Park on Auburn University's campus is opening from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. every Thursday through August. Word is they are going to have an expanded offering with baked goods from local bakeries. I'm interested to see that because I really don't know of any local bakeries. There will also be an array of local fresh vegetables, local goat cheese (which I can say from experience is wonderful!), local honey, stone-ground grains, and homemade soaps. For the last couple of years there have also been plants for sale, and last year you could purchase fresh-cut flower bouquets. There are usually products from the university as well, such as farmed shrimp and fish.

On May 31, also from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Opelika Main Street Farmers' Market will open at a new location. Formerly, farmers set their tents up on Railroad Avenue, but the market will now be located in the Courthouse Square. For now, they're projecting they'll be open every Tuesday through September. Many of the goods you find at Ag Heritage Park will also be available at the Opelika Farmers' Market.

Not all of the items at the markets are organic, but they are local. Some say that if you can't buy organic, at least buy local. I would tend to agree because I like my food dollars to support local farmers whenever possible. I hope to run into a few of you there!