Weekly Update: May 27, 2014

Celebrate with us, rain or shine, we said in our opening announcement last week. And wouldn’t you know, on market day, it rained, it shone, it was hot, then cold — and it was all good. Good to be back. Good to see local Spring greens, rhubarb and flowers blossom on Main Street. Good to see so many of you out there especially one little newbie bundled up in his stroller: “His first farmers’ market,” declared his Mom, beaming. Here’s to many many more!

Field tomatoes are months away, so Cape Abilities’s greenhouse tomatoes were hard to resist. Add bacon from Da Silva Farm’s freezer, fresh-picked lettuce, and stack between market bread: your first local BLT of the year. Don’t be shy to ask vendors what’s inside their freezer or coolers. Da Silva had pork, ham, bacon and chicken last week. Nantucket Mushrooms had three types of oyster mushrooms, including one, with frilly upturned gills, in shocking pink. Cape Cod Fish Share had pollock – this week it might be cod and scallops. Those alliums that look like scallions or maybe little waif-like leeks at Peachtree Circle Farm’s table? That’s early green garlic. Hidden treasures!

Here’s an idea of what to expect this Thursday:

Lettuces, arugula, spinach, salad greens, microgreens, scallions and radishes

Chard, kale, braising greens

Pea tendrils, fresh cut herbs, green garlic, lovely blue edible chive blossoms; rhubarb from Peachtree Circle Farm.

Hydroponic tomatoes, basil and English cukes from Cape Abilities’ greenhouses.

Cape-caught fish: probably cod, plus scallops. Chicken, hams, bacon and fresh eggs from Da Silva Farms.

Massachusetts-made cheeses: Great Hill Blue, Long Lane Farm goat cheese, Shy Brothers’ Hannahbells  and Cloumage.

Vegetable starts for your kitchen garden, including organic tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants from Tina’s Terrific Plants (New this year: “indigo blue” cherry tomatoes, high in anti-oxidant anthocyanin.) Pots of organic herbs and rabbit-proof hanging containers of “cut&grow” lettuces, ever-bearing strawberries etc. Learn about “Compost With Me,” a new Falmouth service that collects your kitchen scraps and turns them into compost for your garden.

Spring flowers, blossom-covered branches, and pretty bouquets.

Breads: Rein’s Real Rye in several varieties including Swedish Limpa, and Rein’s new ciabatta and small Vietnamese-style baguettes, bread, cocktail crackers and sweet pastries from Pain D’Avignon. And we dare say, Great Cape Baking’s apple cider doughnuts.

Jams, jellies, pickles, preserves, dried cobs of popping corn – and jars of locally made salt. Find Cape Cod Saltworks products at Cape Abilities’ new table.

Wines from Coastal Vineyards – Coastal will alternate weeks with Westport Rivers Winery. Fresh coffee and coffee beans ground to order—talk to Wayne Santos and his daughter Jessica. Seasonally-themed hand-made chocolates with a new floral collection for Spring, and more.