the friday feed: the farmer's market

At Treadway Gardens,

abundant fresh vegetables

 and feel-good music.

Treadway Gardens, a family-owned farmer's market opened on for its 56th year of business this past Memorial Day weekend. I have worked there for 12 years. 

A few years after retiring from teaching, I had taken a trip out there to buy some veggies. I know Stephanie, the owner - our kids went to school together. She was out in the field not too far from the farm stand. I waved at her, she cupped her hands over her mouth and said, "Hey, Diane...want a job?" Took about two seconds to say, "Sure!"

Right now the produce is coming from the Amish Market in Hillsboro, Ohio, about an hour's drive away. Soon the Treadway crops from their field will find their places on the shelves. The big question from the customers is when will the sweet corn be in? Up until now it's been cool and rainy. We need a stretch of dry and hot weather for the corn to ripen. It will happen, it's still early. People are just excited for fresh corn on the cob.

Have you ever hear of a candy onion? It's a hybrid of a sweet onion and a common onion. It's sweet but still has an onion taste and is a nice option between the real sweet onions and the ones where onion breath can knock someone out.

Tomatoes...these fly off the shelves. After a long winter of tasteless grocery store tomatoes, customers are so happy to see these. The Treadways grow heirloom tomatoes in their open field and again, with the cool and rain, they are growing slowly. 

Concord grapes...Stephanie wants to give these a try. A few customers have asked about them so we'll see what these do this year.

The other day a storm blew through and lasted for a good 30 minutes. The hoop house is new this year and right now a crop of tomatoes is growing in there. Did you know there is a difference between a hoop house and a hot house? In a hoop house crops are grown in the ground being protected by the covering. A hot house uses benching set ups, raised bed, soil bags, hydroponic techniques and the vegetables aren't as flavorful. The flavor comes from good ole Mother Earth.

And what's a farm without a dog? This is Josephine, one of the three farm dogs. She had a litter of puppies last year and what fun it was to watch them grow. Stephanie kept one of the pups and found loving homes for the rest of them.