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Farmers' Market: What happened to lemon cukes, corn?

By Glenn Johnson/Contributor

In the past I have written about different crops and the need to buy them when they are in season, thus getting the best in flavor and nutrition for the dollars you spend. But what if you can’t get something at the Farmers’ Market even though it should be in season? Two items come to mind right away: lemon cucumbers and corn. For whatever reason, there were no lemon cucumbers at the market this year and corn was almost nonexistent.

For the cucumbers, I think that they have simply become less popular over the last several years, so growers are planting less of them. These sorts of cycles seem to come and go with regularity, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rebound in production in the next year or two. Time will tell. On the other hand, corn is always popular, and is planted in abundance each year. So where is it this year? I go to four markets a week, and I’ve only seen two growers with corn. There is no talk of disease or pest problems affecting the crop. But people have been pointing out the fact that it has been a rather cool summer. Other crops have been slow in ripening, so it’s possible that is the problem here as well. We will just have to wait and see.

We are right in the middle of the tomato season with plenty of different varieties available from three different growers (including organic ones). This also is the peak of the pepper season, so you can come on down and get what you need for your salsa. The peppers come in all grades from sweet to killer spicy, so you can make any grade of salsa you want. Don’t forget the garlic, onions, cilantro and sweet limes. You will need all of these ingredients if you are going to be a serious salsa maker.

If you’re looking for something to snack on, we have several different kinds of grapes, plums, apples, nectarines and strawberries. All make a good snack (or salad) and are much better than junk food. The figs are on their way out (a couple more weeks) and the pineapple guavas are just arriving, so snacking items will continue to be available.

As always, Vince is bringing eggs from right here in Nipomo. The hens have been running around under his apple trees and are supplying a good number of eggs for the community. For those of you looking for local honey, we have a good supply provided by local bees. It’s at the market every week, but get there early, it sold out last week.

As always, we are in business from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Sunday on Tefft Street, across from the post office.

Grower Glenn Johnson writes a regular column for the Adobe Press.