Countdown to the Market

Every year, sometime in March, an alarm starts going off in my brain. At first, it is just an underlying sense of urgency. By mid to late March, it’s a full blown RED-ALERT complete with sirens and lights!

What causes this alert?

The Farmers’ Market starts the first weekend in April. It is engrained in my very being. I know what kind of preparation the Market demands, and what kind of pace the season requires, and I begin to panic. It never reaches a full-blown panic attack, but I do end up having some sleepless nights and frantic days.


Thankfully, we no longer have to go out and buy a half ton of flour, sugar, butter, honey, yeast, and on and on, to bake bread. No, our plans have been made, the seeds started, the supplies appropriated…we are just doing the final prep work prior to Opening day.

The freezers are all organized and de-frosted: waiting for the vegetables, fruits and meats to fill them. The gardens await tilling. (the weather is again a factor) The broiler chicks and lambs are both growing well. The hoophouses will be completely full of new crops by the end of this week. Tomorrow we head out to purchase the seed potatoes and onion sets. The main crop of onion plants should be delivered next week. (as should the asparagus and strawberry plants) The cooler is cleaned and ready for use. The trailer will be cleaned out this week, the bags re-stocked, and the moneybox replenished. Tom and I will take a little time to check out the signage and our sales sheets and make any last minute adjustments.

Then, we will wait. Because, despite all my panic and all my planning, we are truly dependent upon time to make this venture work. Those plants take a certain number of days to mature….no matter how much I wish for them to HURRY!

So, Tom will continue to wish that I could see that “everything will EVENTUALLY get done”….and I will continue to mildly panic.


ONLY 11 MORE DAYS! Aack!