Tuesday Market

Argh! I forgot to post last night! Another crazy week with soccer, dance recitals and markets. Oh, and the rain. Did I mention that? Good night nurse--stop with the rain already! We got almost an inch on Sunday/Monday. So far we haven't lost any crops to too much wet, but this is setting up just like last year when we did lose various harvests to rot and disease from too much rain in a short time. That's the life of a farmer: always a gamble with forces that you can't control or change.

By the way......even when it rains on a market day--we are still there to sell produce! Rain or shine! I much prefer the shine part and will even take a cloudy day, but plants still need harvesting even if it's raining. It is a fragile circle with the producer and customer. We both need each other; the farmers need someone to sell their produce to and the customer need to buy their produce from someone. We promise that we will be there, rain or shine with all the summer goodness that you could want. So, find the umbrella or rain jacket, grab your cloth bags and head out. It's just rain! I do understand why the crowds thin out with poor weather, as I HATE to be wet. The only time we would not be at the market is due to severe, dangerous weather when everyone should stay inside!

So, for those of you that weren't at the market Saturday--did you miss out! Not only did you have to go several days without any fresh greens, this heat is not doing many of our leafy crops any favors. Bill reported last night that some of our early lettuce has bolted(gone to seed) as well as the spinach. We may have head lettuce this week and are very unsure about next week, so if you want to enjoy one more really great salad, hop to the Trailside Market tonight. On the flip side of the heat coin is the zucchini and squash are really taking off and we should have some at a market by next week. The corn loves all this heat and rain and is growing well--we are predicting harvesting about mid-July at this point.

What will we have at the Trailside Market? Glad you asked!

• Head lettuces: Buttercrunch (far & away the favorite of everyone!), Red Sails, Xena and Giant Caesar Romaine
• Spinach: This is probably the last of the spinach as it is going to seed very rapidly.
• Leaf Lettuce: still sweet and tender. We will keep harvesting it as long as we can.
• Red & white radishes: still sweet, but getting a little more "pepper" taste
• Green onions: cool & crisp, not hot or bitter
• Turnips: these are just starting to be large enough to harvest; nice and mild taste and you can also eat the greens
• Arugula, Mustard Greens and Collards: All good leafy greens to eat raw or cook down

The Trailside Market is located next to the Amtrak station off Linden, behind Wild Country. There is parking in that lot OR park by the Children's Discovery Museum and walk over to the market. I'm in the far west spot, closest to the station! Today looks like a lovely day, so come on out!

Trailside market this Tuesday

Thank you to everyone that checked with Bill on Saturday to see if Allie and I were safe in Indy! It was an interesting and very long night, but the most severe weather stayed to our north. Our team had a good time at their tournament and we got to see our girls play some great soccer!

This week the Trailside Market in Normal will start! We are just getting to the point where we have to start picking during the week, so this market is starting just in time. If you find that you don't have time on Saturday or just like to sleep in, don't miss this opportunity to get some fresh, local produce. We have a good mix of producers, so there should be lots to choose from.

We will continue to have a variety of head lettuces, spinach, leaf lettuce, radishes and onions. The season for these spring goodies is quickly coming to an end with the consistent warmer weather, so now is the time to enjoy a really good salad.

The Trailside Market is beginning its fourth year in Normal. The first two years we pretty rough, as word didn't spread as quickly as we thought it might. Last year was a very trying year trying to sell produce in between large earth moving equipment! The town quickly found us a nice spot next to the Amtrak station--we're the only market in Illinois that has a rail stop! We really do get some passengers from the train that take advantage of the stop to get some fresh, local produce. Once the Uptown Normal project is complete, we will be moved to yet another location, but I'm sure it will be nice! The Town of Normal is committed to the Market and is working hard to make it a success.

The Trailside Market is located in the Parkinson Street parking lot, next to the Amtrak station. Market hours have changed for this year: the bell will ring to open the market at 3:30 pm and the market will stay open until 6 pm. A new addition to the market is entertainment! There will be musical performances at the east end of the market, right next to our stand. So bring your re-usable bags and stay for a bit to enjoy our musical entertainment.

See you tomorrow at 3:30!