Downtown Cary Farmers Market

Tomatoes are one of the few fruits – or veggies – that reallllly love this hot weather. Or that mostly love this hot weather. If they don’t self-saute in the fields. Which means that this is the time to whip out the pans and the freezer containers and preserve some of that summer freshness and rich flavor for the rest of the year. So don’t be shy – buy a few more than what will take you through a week’s worth of tomato sandwiches and make a little sauce. By the end of the summer, you’ll have enough of the best to last until tomato season 2011.

One hint about skinning tomatoes if boiling up water feels like too much heat, energy and trouble; cut them in half and grate them into a bowl . It takes only a few seconds and reduces the steps of skinning and pureeing into one easy one.

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Piedmont Pottery is back Today

The folks at Piedmont Pottery are back in the market today, with everything from bowls and vases to garden plaques and ceramic jewelry. Check them out, and check our Calendar page to see when they’ll return.

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Westwood Back Porch String Band plays Today

The Westwood Back Porch String Band is back and they really play up a storm. Very fine music and lots of fun to watch. They’ll be here next Saturday as well, and they’re free to watch – although I’m sure they love donations, too!

Blueberry Pie Right Here

Here is Barbara Norris’ special pie recipe, and please notice that you don’t have to fire up the oven to get this, if you buy a pre-cooked pie shell!

Mrs. Norris’ special Blueberry Pie

And for the Kids. . . .And then the bigger Kids

We’ll have face-painting for the kids, as well as free popsicles for as long as they hold out, so get here early. Also, Honey-Baked Hams will have some edibles available – get here early, these folks are popular for a reason.

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Bill Mann Plays Great Jazz to Cool the Heat

Bill Mann, who has played for us a time or two before now, will be here on Saturday to play saxophone and use his cool jazz to check the heat. Yes, it’s cooled down a bit, but not quite enough, so come round and listen.

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Salem Gardens – Think Containers

Salem Gardens still has perennials and annuals for mid to late summer planting – just be sure and plant them at evening to give plenty of time in the cool of the night, to get over transplant shock, and remember to water daily until they’re fully rooted.

OR, get one of her pre-planted container gardens and voila! Instant deck or patio greenery.

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Queen Beads features bracelet making for kids – Free

Come round to Queen Beads booth to design a small bracelet for any child who wants to decorate themselves with something other than lots of melted ice cream – and she’ll do it for free. Her other designs are very pretty, so come and see them too. Maybe treat yourself to some decoration. . . .

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Grilling out for the Fourth – Our Beef, Pork and Chicken folks come Through

Sharon Rogers says . . . Please let me know if you would like to pre-order some of our Rogers Cattle Company Angus Beef for pick-up this Saturday 7/3  at the Cary Downtown Farmers Market.  I will not be at the market but Renee Parker with Parker Farms Pork has graciously offered to deliver any beef orders that I receive.  We have a variety of Angus beef cuts currently available including steaks, roasts, ground beef, hamburger patties, stew beef and soup bones.  Just let me know what you would like by Friday at noon and I can have it ready for you on Saturday.  We also have our specialty packs (click here) if you are needing lots of beef to feed your July 4th crowd!

Just to round things out and remind everybody, don’t forget our other vendors,  the bakery folks will all be out here with good things for eating. The pottery and woodworkers will be at other farmers’ markets or at crafts fairs, but will return soon. Check out Calendar for Piedmont Pottery and T&J woodcrafts for their next visits.

Summer Ingredients for Outdoor Cooking

All the ingredients for Midsummer Outdoor Cooking are here in the farmers’ market – just in time for the outrageous heat waves we’ve been having. Don’t steam up your kitchen – all the meats, corn, cabbage for slaw and berries for fresh desserts are now in the market.

A great tip if you don’t want to spend all that time heating up the kitchen, waiting for the water in the pot to boil for the fresh corn that Scott Spahr and our other produce vendors have on hand. Shuck the corn and wrap each ear individually in clear plastic wrap, then put into the microwave on high for a minute to a minute-and-a-half. Carefully take it out and let it cool for a little, then unwrap and slather on whatever butter, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and other goodies you all prefer to decorate with. Really fast and lots of energy saved as well as getting the freshest corn to the table FAST.

This works for lots of other veggies as well, like green beans. Just put into a container with a little water in the bottom to produce steam, cover with plastic wrap, heat on high until they’re as tender as you like, let cool, and dress with butter, toasted almonds, any other seasonings and toppings that appeal.

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Summer Music – Backporch String Band

Visit our Market today to hear the Backporch String Band play old-time music. They’ll be playing here several times throughout the summer. Visit our Calendar to see the dates.

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Piedmont Pottery Ceramics and Jewelry

Eclektikos will soon be known as Piedmont Pottery, and their new website is piedmontpottery.com They have vessels, wall plaques and jewelry, both beaded and ceramic, like this little fish pendant. Visit them at their website and at the market the weekend following July 4th. Please visit our Calendar to see the other dates you’ll find them here.

Our own Miwako of the Little Tea Cake Shop will be celebrating her first anniversary with the Cary Downtown Farmers’ Market! In honor of this, she will be selling her famous An Pan yeast buns filled with sweet red bean paste for only $1 each. Get them while they last – they’re my personal favorite and they’re very, very good. Those toasted sesame seeds on the top are the final touch.

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Rogers Cattle Company

And just in time for Fathers’ Day, check out our meat vendors, for something to put onto the grill. Johnny and Sharon Rogers of Rogers Cattle Company’s grass-fed Angus beef, grown locally, is an excellent way to do that. We will be at the Cary Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday (6/19) with a variety of Angus beef cuts including steaks, roasts, ground beef, hamburger patties, stew beef and soup bones.  For Fathers’ Day, our specialty packs make a great gift for that hard to shop for dad!  (see below for details).  Please let us know if you would like to order any of our beef and we will have it ready for you on Saturday morning. Call us at 336-598-5835, or email us at rccbeef@gmail.com

Specialty Packs
Mini Pack = $60
2 steaks, 1 roast, 5 pounds ground beef, and 1 pound stew beef
Family Pack = $150
6 steaks, 3 roasts, 9 pounds ground beef, 1 pound stew beef  and 1 pound cube steak
Grilling Pack = $35
2 sirloin or sirloin tip steaks and 3 pounds ground beef

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Parker Family Farms Pork and Chicken

From Renee at Parker Farms. . . We have NEW pork products!!  We now have maple link sausages, Hot Italian sausage (bulk), Kielbasa, and picnic roast.

I have BRATWURST again. Great for grilling in the hot summer time. I only have a couple of pork chops, 2 tenderloins and about 4 pkg ribs. Other items listed below.

As usual, I will bring a variety of products on Saturday. If you would like to pre-order please feel free to do so and I ‘ll have it ready for pick up (email if you need prices, at rparkerfarms@yahoo.com). Call us at (919)636-2182 or (919)732-6366.

NOTE: Someone asked about whole fresh jowls – I have some. Let me know if it was you.

Here is the complete list of our products:

Fat back – fresh and salted
Neck Bones – fresh and smoked
Pork Liver
Ham hocks – fresh and smoked
Smoked ham pieces (great for seasoning vegetables)
Smoked Polish Sausage
Bratwurst
Italian – Sweet, or Zesty
KIELBASA
Country breakfast sausage
Country breakfast links
Maple breakfast links
Ground Pork – (great in spaghetti, chili, meat loaf, tacos,etc)
Smoked Ham Slices (great for biscuits)
Ham Steaks
Smoked, sliced Bacon and Jowls
Roast
Eggs

And, of course, don’t forget our produce people, the Norrises and Scott Spahr, as well as our plant and craftspeople.

We have a new vendor! Gary and Barbara Hughes, who grow fresh fruit & vegetables on their farm in Harnett County.  Look for fresh blackberries & raspberries in June, along with other various fresh veggies. In the Fall they will have bronze & black muscadines. If you like to cook on a smoker, Gary has cut wild cherrywood chips right off the farm. They also have free range fresh brown eggs.

If you haven’t tried the fresh shrimp and scallops right out of the Sound, this is the time. They are wonderful, very fresh, very well-priced & no preservatives used. The shrimp are heads off and ready for peel and eat. Shore to Door will have occasional fish as well, depending on the season.

New from Salem Gardens, who usually have beautiful plants for landscaping, are a selection of vegetables at their shop on Salem Church Road, just south of the junction of Old Apex and Cary Parkway. They have squash, cucumbers and potatoes and expect to have tomatoes in the next week. Look for peppers, butterbeans, okra & zucchini soon. Like last year you can shop any time, because the vegetable stand operates on the honor system. Michele Blackley, our Market manager, is the owner.  www.salemgardensapex.com

And in the news from Sharon at Rodgers Cattle Company, she will not be at the Cary Downtown Farmers Market on Saturday 6/5 because they will be exhibiting some of their cattle in a cattle show at the NC State Fairgrounds this weekend.  But Renee Parker with Parker Farms has offered to take some beef products to the market for them.  So if you are in need of any ground beef, hamburger patties or stew beef let them know.  Please send any order requests to rccbeef@gmail.com by 3:00 pm on Thursday 6/3, so I will have time to get your orders to Renee.

The Norrises bean crop is coming in, and they will have fresh-picked stringless, half-runners and heirloom pole beans, as well as squash, cucumbers and carrots. Grab all your recipes for Salade Nicoise, green bean casserole, etc and head on down to the market!