WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — Coming to the Fayette County Farmers Market for fresh market vegetables and fruits? Interested in purchasing fruit jams or grain-based breads or desserts? Perhaps you’re interested in a craft that is plant-based (made with wood, woody vines, or cotton).
Doug Tallamy (Nature’s Best Hope) notes that “animals (bees, bats, hummingbirds, and others, but mostly bees) are responsible for pollinating 87 percent of all plants and 90 percent of all (flowering plants)” (pg. 157). Tallamy bemoans our fear of and need to eliminate so many insects…our indiscriminate spraying of anything we refer to as a bee. But bees rarely sting, and typically only in self-defense (as I can attest from accidentally stepping on more than one in the clover of my yard).
Unless you are a beekeeper, you’re not likely to be messing with a bee hive, so you’re pretty safe. According to Tallamy, “people frequently mistake yellow jackets for bees” and continues, yellow jackets are “not bees and they are not pollinators” (pg. 159). We’ve had a dearth of yellow jackets at the market, buzzing around our sweet foods and us, and occasionally stinging.
We are not encouraged to do anything particular to support housing for yellow jackets, but there is much we can do for the many native bees (4,000 species nationally!). And one of the principle things we can do is provide overwintering habitat; there are a number of ways to do this, but simply leaving some plants with pithy stems in the fall and winter is super helpful to the bees. Goldenrod, elderberry, sunflower, coneflowers, rudebeckia and others are nesting places for overwintering bees. Tallamy suggests that you bundle and set these sticks aside in a sheltered area rather than mulching them if you really must cut them back.
We are still a month away from the official beginning of fall, so keep growing and join us for the bounty brought to us by our fabulous pollinators.
Tom McMurray (Tom’s Tool Shed) will be our market community guest this week. Tom will sharpen hand tools, mower blades, axes, and garden tools for a small fee.
The 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. 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.
Fiddle Dee Pet Sets (Ellie Wait): Over the collar dog bandanas and headbands/scrunchies for humans to match their pets.
Gerhardt/King Farms (Kevin Gerhardt & Jeff King): Super sweet corn, new red and yukon gold potatoes, green beans, slicing tomatoes. cherry tomatoes, zucchini and squash.
Greens & Greenery (Katrina Bush): Produce grown using organic practices (pesticide and herbicide free) including cucumbers, green beans, yellow onions and cherry tomatoes. Lots of fresh garlic.. Raw unpasteurized local honey, strawberry jam. Sourdough crackers, baklava and buckeyes.
Jim’s Premium Ground Beef (Jim Hobbs): Premium ground beef in assorted packages (patties, bulk tubes).
Julie G’s Cookies (Julie Greenslade): Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, ginger, snickerdoodle, sugar, pineapple, macadamia nut, peanut butter, peanut butter jumbos, peanut butter fudge, lemon bars and Texas sheet cake cookies.
Karyn’s Kreations (Karyn Brunton): Crocheted items and handmade beaded jewelry.
Slate Hill Farm & Orchard (Greg Hood and family): Buckeye Gala Simmons apples —Beautiful deep red apple with strong aromas and crisp flesh and sweet taste. Idea apple for cooking, baking and eating.
The Jam Man (David Persinger): Many assorted jams/jellies (ELDERBERRY JELLY & APPLE BUTTER are back in stock). Samples available. Chocolate TEXAS sheet cakes with or without pecans. Cherry tomatoes.
Wood Designs by DW (Debbie Welch): One of a kind 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): Bread, other baked goods, sewing crafts.
Bridge View Gardens (Hunter & Lorelle Rohrer): Melons, sweet corn, zucchini, home grown tomatoes (cherry, slicing, heirloom), potatoes, peppers, and more. Potted mums.
Cozy Baby Blessings (Nancy Cutter): Crocheted baby blankets and hats, flannel burp cloths, teethers and pacifier clips. Crocheted dishcloths, pot scrubbers and quilted pot holders. Wax melts in over 40 scents now including the fall and holiday favorites: pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin pecan waffles, maple walnut fudge, vanilla pumpkin marshmallow, clove, Christmas cabernet and gingerbread.
DSC Produce Farm (Darren Cox): 10 flavors of salsa and 5 flavors of salad dressings. Apple butter.
Edlynns Attic (Robin Dement): New yarn, peanut butter and pumpkin dog biscuits, popsicle holders, loveys, scarves, baking mixes and more.
Engeti (Alana Walters): pies, cakes, cinnamon rolls, yeast rolls, bread, cookies, sugar scrub.
Katrina Bush is a vendor with the Fayette County Farmers Market.
