We recently removed the frost-protecting covering from the peppers. Most of the plants look healthy and a few are blooming. But I expect we will have to wait until July before they are ready.

This Saturday in Princeton will be our last market for the year, although a few venders plan on coming next week. We have a few red raspberries left, plus chestnuts, lots of green peppers, potatoes, salad greens, squash and pumpkins. And of course, our Plow Creek Bakery goodies. Remember, you can order Bakery goods when we are not at market by emailing bakery@plowcreek.org.

Know your tomatoes Thursday at Valley Flowers!  The tomatoes will put on a show from 8:30AM - 1PM.  Stop by to view our seven different home-grown varieties: Sunshine and Daybreak red slicers, Orange Blossom yellow slicers, Plum Crimson romas, Washington and Be My Baby cherries, and Brandywine, a large heirloom variety.

We also plan to bring a good supply of sweet corn (Lancelot, one of our favorite varieties), along with cantaloupe, sweet onions, garlic, new potatoes, green and yellow beans, and an increasingly colorful selection of peppers: green, red, yellow, jalapeno, banana and “chocolate.”  Berries are in short supply, but early arrivals may find some blueberries and blackberries.

Bread and cookies from Plow Creek Bakery will also join the party.

This Saturday will be our final showing at the Princeton Farmer’s Market at Darius Miller Park from 8:30 to 1:00. Stock up on butternut squash, which typically store in a cool basement for several months. We also have a moderate selection of peppers, root crops, cooking greens, lettuce, herbs and pumpkins.

Last night’s freeze finished the raspberries for the season. We are now also closing the Market Barn. We will still have greens, peppers, squash, and root vegetables at Saturday’s Farmers’ Market.

Our peppers were harvested in advance of the recent freeze, and we now have a good supply of green bell peppers available for volume sales. Consider freezing a bunch for your winter supply. The cost is $19/bushel (roughly 70cents/pound). To place an order, call 815-646-4862 or click here.

Our market produce in Princeton and Peoria this warm Saturday morning will include a mixture of seasonal standards and summer holdouts: red raspberries, watermelon, green and red bell peppers, green beans, lettuce, salad mix, herbs, concord grapes, butternut squash, pie pumpkins, and even some tomatoes for the earlybirds. Find us at the Princeton Farmers’ Market from 8AM-2PM and at the festive grand finale of the Peoria Riverfront Market from 8AM-Noon.

Today’s raspberry harvest has been better than initially thought and we will attend the Peoria Riverfront Market this Saturday from 8AM to Noon. The performance will include red raspberries, seedless watermelon, red slicing tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, herbs, kale and swiss chard.

We will have lots of watermelon and tomatoes at Princeton Farmers’ Market (8:30 - 2:00) and Peoria Riverfront (8:00 - noon) market. We also have sweet corn, Plow Creek Bakery goods, blackberries, red raspberries, muskmelon, red and green peppers, red and green cabbage, carrots, red and sweet onions, green onions, new potatoes, basil, beets, kale, leeks, cucumbers, eggplant, and swiss chard.

On Saturday, come behold and partake of our sweet and tasty muskmelon (a.k.a cantaloupe). Sizes range from 3 to 7 pounds, with fair prices accordingly. Find them along with tomatoes, blackberries, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots and lots of vegetables at the Princeton Farmer’s Market from 8:30 to 2:00, at the Peoria Riverfront Market from 8:00 to Noon, and on Route 29 in Chillocothe Saturday afternoon. Also available at our Market Barn in Tiskilwa.

Look for a mid-summer selection Thursday morning (8:30-2) at Valley Flowers in Spring Valley and Thursday evening (4-7PM) in Wyoming. Blueberries, blackberries, sweet corn, muskmelon/cantaloupe, cherry and plum tomatoes, green and yellow beans, green pepper, cucumber, zucchini, onions and more. Spring Valley will also include bread and cookies from Plow Creek Bakery

The wait is finally over for fresh local sweet corn. Find it alongside blueberries, blackberries, cherry and plum tomatoes, cantaloupe/muskmelon, green peppers, green beans and a multitude of other vegetables Saturday at the Princeton Farmers’ Market, Peoria Riverfront Market and the Twin City Market in Sterling. The Princeton and Sterling markets will also feature bread and cookies from Plow Creek Bakery. Blackberry supply is limited this week and red raspberry supply very limited. Markets open at 8:00, Princeton at 8:30. We will also have sweet corn for sale in our Market Barn at the farm.