Farmers’ Markets and Poetry Flourish this Month in Annapolis

“What could you possibly expect to find this early in the season?” my family asked me, three weeks ago when I rushed over to the Farmers’ Market on Riva Road Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. It was opening day, and like junkie compelled to get my fix, I tore myself away from dog walking and laundry chores, jumped into the car and drove down to see what was for sale at the start of April.
I wasn’t disappointed. There were fresh new lettuces, bags of baby lettuce, kale, turnips, carrots, fresh eggs, and lots and lots of plants. This past weekend was week three and while the selection of lettuces has diminished, I purchased freshly picked asparagus and noted an increasing number of baked good stands.
The egg stand was already sold out by the time I arrived this week, but if you’re looking to start a vegetable or herb garden there’s plenty of selection to inspire and get you started now that the warm weather has finally arrived.
Last week I purchased what is called a “lettuce bowl,” a very large pot planted with a variety of greens that you can pick approximately four times. It has provided lovely fresh greens for my salads all week long, and as long as I continue to remember to water it, should provide us with added ingredients for fine salads for another few weeks.
After having work issues on my brain twenty-four/seven, it’s a treat to focus on the textures and colors of pale purple turnips and bright pink geraniums plus the farmers and vendors are fun to talk to. The Riva Road Farmer’s Market opens at 7:00 a.m. every Saturday. Click here to learn more about a Farmer’s Market near you and which items to expect to find each month as the booths become more crowded with the local harvest.
I stopped by the library to find some books of poetry because this month is national poetry month and learned about the Anne Arundel County Public Library poetry contest. Start with “The lightning flashed, the thunder rolled”… and add no more than 20 lines. You can email your entry into Rhyme.or.reason.08@gmail.com or drop your entry off at the Annapolis Library. Entries will be published in Library Happenings (first names only!) and there will be prizes. Don’t forget to state your age bracket (5-12), (13-19) or (20+). Visit our website story on who knows, you might be inspired.