The weather may be less than perfect, but Saturday will still be a big day for the market. And we're keeping the sides on for now so it will be warm and dry.
Saturday marks the beginning of the regular
season at the market. Next week we will be open Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday! The hours remain the same this
year – Tuesday from 4 to 7 pm, Thursday from 11 to 2 and Saturday from 9 to
noon.
To celebrate we have again partnered with
Mid-Missouri Bank to hand out young trees from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
This year we have
Persimmon and redbud trees plus blackberry plants
and witchhazel shrubs. Folks are welcome to take one of each if they have a
place to plant them. Details about the plants are at the end of the column.
It was such fun to hear from one of our most loyal
customers last week that all three of her dogwoods that she had gotten from the
market’s opening days over the year had bloomed this year. “The littlest only
had one bloom!” but it’s a good beginning. We have been handing out trees for
over a decade and it is so nice to hear our goal of making the area a more
beautiful place to live is being reached.
Also on Saturday we begin Cooking For a Cause. The
breakfast of biscuits and gravy, sausages, eggs cooked to order and drink is served
from 9 to 11. This week it benefits the Carl Junction schools’ archery teams.
Stewart’s Bakery will have beef stew for eat-in or
take-away.
Red Bridge Trio will be on the market stage with
their high-energy bluegrass and gospel.
The Kids Garden Club meets from 9 to noon. They
are planting zinnias for our pollinators – bees and butterflies. The kids can
also color a butterfly “kite”. It's free!
The pavilion should be loaded with hanging baskets and other flower, herb and vegetable plants. Fredrickson Farms is back, as is Way Back Bakery with their fried pies!
It’s also Earth Day and what better way to
celebrate than support your local small farmer who care for the land?
On Tuesday, the Pommerts play and Stewart’s
Bakery will serve lasagna and salad for supper, along with a lighter choice.
Now about those little trees:
The persimmon tree is a small to medium tree whose fruit is
valuable to people and wildlife. It is among the hardest of North American
woods. The male and female flowers are borne on separate plants so several
trees should be planted near each other if you want the trees to fruit. Height
at maturity is 60-70 ft.
The redbud is a small to medium understory tree with attractive
early spring pink flowers. This legume is an attractive addition to wildlife or
windbreak plantings. Height at maturity is 30 ft.
The blackberry blooms from April to June and has edible fruit
that ripens in July. The stem has thorns. It can grow five feet high with an
eight foot spread.
The witchhazel is a large shrub that can be pruned to a
tree-like shape. The leaves are sometimes collected for medicinal uses. Height
at maturity is 10 ft.
Whether you’re in the market for some little trees, for a
hearty breakfast with some great music, for some delicious produce, baked goods
or other goodies, you are always welcome at the market where we invite you to
“Come for the freshness, stay for the fun!”
