People are starting to get antsy.  The hours of daylight are getting noticeably shorter. The fireweed has gone to seed. I can hear the nervousness in people’s voices when they ask, “How much longer is the Homer Farmers’ Market going to be open?”

Locals pay attention to these things. Six weeks after the last fireweed blossom it will snow, they say. When the Farmers’ Market closes, summer is really over.

I have good news. You can relax. There is still a whole month left of Market Saturdays and Wednesdays.

Some vendors may stop coming as the month goes on, but the Market parking lot also will be less crowded as the tourists thin out. This may be the last weekend for the great fish and chips from Fresh Catch or the wood-fired pizza from Uncle Neil. 

But that doesn’t mean the end of summer.

The fact is that this is the best time of year for vegetables at the Market. This is when you can get real mouth-watering tomatoes, thick squash and pumpkins, and buckets of vitamin-packed kale. Tender potatoes with their skins so thin they brush off.  Herbs in such quantities you could get bunches for intensely flavorful recipes and have enough left over for drying.

Quest benefits have just been added to everyone’s cards, so now is the time to take advantage of the double cash program at the Market that will double the first 20 dollars you spend each day. With the diversity of veggies now at the Market, your choice of healthy food for your family is better than ever.

The Chef at the Market series also continues throughout the month.  This Saturday from 1-3 p.m. Jenifer Dickson will be presenting on “Probiotic Foods: How to Ferment.”   Considering all the cabbage and other veggies in right now, her presentation couldn’t come at a better time. You will see there is more to make than just sauerkraut.

So keep coming to the Market on Saturdays  between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m. and stock up on our producers’ bounty.

It’s peak time of the year for locals.

Kyra Wagner is the director of Sustainable Homer and the Homer Farmers’ Market’s biggest fan.