Summer + Fresh Vegetables = Farmer's Markets

Corn Photo by justinhenry
Just by chance my mom calls me yesterday and mentions her local farmer’s market. She has been visiting to pester the Master Gardener volunteers in hopes of being accepted into their training program. Then we start talking about her youth and farmer’s markets. I love being older and capable of having conversations with my parents.

My mom is the daughter of a farmer from South Carolina. As a little girl in the early 1950’she picked corn, tomatoes, butterbeans and other vegetables in the early morning and loaded up the truck to head for the open-air farmer’s market on the weekend. Her older brother drove her, dropped her off, and picked her up at the end of the day. She then picked vegetables until sundown in preparation for the market again. She was paid good money - $20 a day! She put this in perspective by adding that she made 90¢ an hour when she was working in college.

I have fond and vivid memories of shelling many butter beans with my mother. Fresh beans are so good. I miss them. I should take the time to shell some.

Fresh vegetables are one of the reasons that summer is so great. If you’re eating fresh, locally grown vegetables, don’t add too many seasonings to them. They don’t need it. Salt and pepper should be fine.

Butter Beans
Boil fresh butter beans 10 to 20 minutes in water seasoned with salt and pepper.
(Mom added a little hunk of fatback, but who does that anymore?)

Farmer's Market Guide