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At the Farmers' Market: For information, talk to the growers

By Glenn Johnson/Contributor

One benefit of attending the Farmers’ Market is the ability for the grower and final consumer to be able to talk directly with one another. Unless the consumer goes to the farm, there is no other place where this can take place. Elsewhere there is always a middle man who keeps the two parties apart. And yet it is only through this type of direct communication that both parties will truly get what they want.

By talking with the grower it is possible for you to convince him to try growing something new. Or you might find that he is growing what you want, but doesn’t bring it to this particular market because he felt there was no demand for it. On the other hand, you might see something at the market that you have never heard of before. This is when being able to talk to the grower can really come in handy. It’s called educating the public. For the last 20 years, I have been explaining the ins and outs of yellow limes to people of the area. It seems as if they have gotten the point, as they are one of my better sellers at all my markets.

Of course, you will not always get the answer you want to hear. For the last three weeks, I have had to explain over and over that the avocado season is over, and you will have to wait until next spring for the new crop to be ready. There have been some disappointed customers, but it’s the truth. It may not be the news you want to hear, but you got it from the grower’s mouth.

But on to what is at the market this week. No avocados, of course, but as they fade from the scene, the pineapple guavas have started to show up. And in bigger numbers each week. Another new arrival are the winter squashes. There are several different varieties that have started to ripen up, and again more with each passing week. The butternuts are the best (I think) but there are also spaghetti, banana and red kuri squashes. If you don’t know what to do with them, I’ll give you some tips.

Strawberries don’t seem to have a season at the farmers’ market; they continue to show up every week no mater what time of year it is. Likewise, the roses just keep on coming week in and week out.

You will always find citrus of one kind or another at the market. Now there are oranges, lemons and limes to be had. And starting sometime next month we will see the beginning of the Mandarin orange crop. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, the best thing you can do is support your local growers by coming to the Farmers’ Market every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tefft Street across from the post office.

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