By Katrina Bush - Fayette Co. Farmers Market Vendor

Every year of gardening brings surprises, both pleasant and disappointing. I was thrilled to see the first (albeit only a few) pears on my two 6-year-old trees about a month ago. Today, there are no pears on one tree and two pears on the second.

Deer? Coons? Wind? Just not strong enough to make it to maturity? It’s kind of hard to imagine critters, because the pears were just small and hard and nowhere near ripe, and I’m prone to thinking that most birds and mammals would be fairly good at determining ripeness. On the other hand, two apple trees had enough apples to need bird netting and three more trees had enough apples to warrant protection for the few apples there. To be able to sample apples for the first time from five different trees (Jonamac, Spitzenberg, Cox Orange Pippin, Grimes Golden and Crimson Crisp) will be a joy. I am hopeful on this front, and also thrilled that no birds have managed to get under the netting and get stuck.

Meanwhile, this may very well be the “year of the squash.” The squash plants are huge, as are the flowers, pleasing the many pollinators who love the squash blossoms. The squash, however, are traveling through the eggplant and pepper row and into the tomatoes. This would not be a problem except that they appear to be providing excessive shade for the peppers and tomatoes, causing the fruit production to be slowed. I am a great lover of plants “doing their thing” and have volunteer flowers, herbs and tomatoes growing in odd spots. Sometimes I have to pull them up in recognition of their encroachment on some other plant or space. Sadly, I’ve determined that it may be necessary to trim the squash plants this week, and increase the light for the other important plants.

And this is another “week of the market!” Besides our regular and guest vendors, two new downtown businesses, Kitty’s Consignment and Persinger Pilates, located at 120 W. Court St. will be serving free hot coffee and answering questions about what the businesses do. Kitty’s Consignment is a new clothing/home decor consignment store and Persinger Pilates specializes in strengthening and toning the body. Come visit and get all the information!

Children can do a fun “Eat the Rainbow” magnet craft at the Info Booth Kid’s Activity Table. Children will select a small “Eat the Rainbow” picture, then color and assemble with double-stick tape to a magnet for the perfect frig magnet reminder to “Eat the Rainbow.”

David Huffman & Bluegrass Ramblers will be playing from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; this live music is sponsored by the Fayette County Travel & Tourism Bureau.

And the Modern Woodmen members will wrap up their supply drive this Saturday to benefit the Brick House Community Homeless Shelter. Members will be at the market collecting: toilet tissue, paper towels, trash bags, wash clothes, bath towels, laundry detergent, bleach, aluminum foil, Clorox wipes, tissues, baby wipes, diapers sizes 3, 4, 5, 6, canned goods, non-perishable food, deodorant soap, shampoo, conditioner, disposable razors. The local Brick House Shelter helps any family that is facing homelessness in Fayette County. This includes: single women, children, couples with children, and single parent families.

Please note that vendors are asked to NOT make sales until 8:15 a.m.! We know that customers come early for limited produce and favorite baked goods.

Feel free to see what’s available and even start a line, but the Fayette County Farmers Market is open Saturday morning from 8:30 to noon. It is located in the municipal parking lot on the corner of South Main and East East streets in Washington C.H. SNAP EBT food benefit cards and credit/debit cards are accepted. Those using the SNAP EBT card for food purchases receive matching dollar “Produce Perks” tokens ($1 for $1) good only for fruits, vegetables, and food producing plants. So,”buy one, get one” for up to $25 EVERY market day. Five dollar coupons will be available again for FAYETTE COUNTY Farm Bureau members at each Saturday market; these can be spent at both the Wednesday and Saturday markets.

The following list contains the names and products of the vendors that expect to set up this Saturday. Other vendors may participate as well.

Wood Designs by DW (Debbie Welch): One of a handcrafted wood items— birdhouses, signs, tables, gnomes. Crocheted items including kitchen towels, pot scrubs, pot holders, baby booties, and afghans. Will take custom and special orders.

Your Other Mother’s Kitchen (Don & Sara Creamer): Artisan breads, muffins, and sewing crafts.

Barbara’s Embellished Stretchy Bookmarks (Barbara Black): Bookmarks in dozens of different handmade designs dealing with sports, nature, hobbies, OSU, beach, and more.

Bridge View Garden (Hunter & Lorelle Rohrer): Seasonal produce including green beans, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, zucchini. Homemade bread, butter rolls.

Cheryl’s Country Crafts (Cheryl Braun & David Stewart): Wood crafts, signs, wreaths and more.

Cozy Baby Blessings (Nancy Cutter): Wax melts, beaded pens, crocheted dish cloths, pot scrubbers and shower poufs. Baby essentials including, crocheted blankets and hats, flannel receiving blankets, burp cloths, crinkle toys and bunny ear teethers, silicone tableware, teethers and pacifier clips.

D & W Game Birds (Joe Dawson & Chip Wilt): Everything pheasant; eggs, chicks, adults. Join the conversation!

Engeti (Alana Walters): Baked goods including bread, cinnamon rolls, rolls, cakes, pies, cookies.

Greens & Greenery (Katrina Bush): Strawberry (specialty) jams, local honey, baklava, sourdough crackers. Fresh garlic, cucumbers and other seasonal produce.

Handmade Hamilton (Staci & Susan Hamilton): Dog collars, crocheted bowl cozies, wind spinners, kid’s jewelry, and other crafts.

Jim’s Premium Ground Beef (Jim Hobbs): Premium ground beef in assorted packages (patties, bulk tubes).

Julie G’s Cookies (Julie Greenslade): Chocolate chip, sugar, ginger, snickerdoodle, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter jumbos, oatmeal raisin, oatmeal cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip walnut, pineapple cookies, lemon bars, funfetti cookies, salted caramel butter bars, peanut butter fudge and chocolate peanut butter bars. Fresh garden produce.

Lorre Black Umbrellas (Lorre Black): Umbrellas to match your personality, your friends’ and family’s personalities, too. With every umbrella you purchase, you help your community by helping LBU build our very own Umbrella Alley in WCHO.

Ohio Artisan Beef & 1 Body Life Skincare (W.J. & Lanita Fannin): individual cuts, ground beef & beef patty bundles, griller’s boxes and other variety boxes & 1/4, 1/2 and whole beef reservations. Clean, natural, all plant-based, fresh, small batched skincare products.

Persinger Produce and Cottage Foods, The Jam Man (David Persinger): Apple butter, JAMS: boysenberry, black raspberry, strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, rhubarb, grape, pineapple, Brazilian pineapple, pineapple habanero, peach, blueberry, cherry, blackberry, seedless blackberry, red raspberry, red raspberry jalapeno, and strawberry jalapeno. JELLIES: hot pepper jelly. Chocolate Texas sheet cakes with pecans.

PPCF & S. Plymouth Raw Honey) (Julie & Dennis Mosny): Local raw honey and cut comb honey. Pies: strawberry, strawberry rhubarb, peach, blackberry, blackraspberry, cherry and apple. Cinni mini’s, Buns bars and cinnamon rolls.

Fayette Co. Farmers Market Vendor

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