The produce is typically thin this early in May, yet customers snatched up what they could at Saturday’s Concord Farmers Market, opening day for the 2018 season.
“I didn’t have much (variety), but … I had quite a quantity of what I did have,” said Sam Bower of Warner who sold out of 80 bunches of radishes at his Kearsarge Gore Farm stand in addition to all his spinach and much of his arugula and mustard greens.
He was quick to explain to visitors that more variety was on its way, saying “I should have more every week.”
Late winter storms have created some setbacks.
“To try to get a jump start on things, I planted outdoors in the gardens pretty early, and I planted under row covers. Two days after I planted we had 6 inches of snow, which collapsed all of my row cover hoops and buried my salad turnip seed in snow, buried my cilantro seed in snow,” said Bower.
“Winter was very, very unfriendly to us this year – let’s put it that way,” said Wayne Hall of Rockey Ole’ Farm and who also serves at the Concord Farmers Market board president.
Even with less greens, the market opened with a variety of vendors offering flowers, coffee, local meats, breads, chocolate, dog treats, olive oil and more.
Those are just some of the offerings of more than 45 regular vendors that take part in the market, with other guest vendors that substitute in when space temporarily becomes available, or in the case of Saturday, when farms don’t yet have produce to sell.
The outdoor farmers market takes over Capitol Street in downtown Concord Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon and will run through October.
Abigail’s Bakery
Apple Hill Farm
Bee Fields Farm
Blackwater Mustard
Blasdell Body Care
Bonnie Brae Farms
Cascade Brook Farm
Catamount Farm
Celeste Oliva
Chases’ Country Corner
Dirty Girl
East Coast Sales Co.
Granite Ledge Coffee, LLC
Heritage Farm Rock Salt Creamery
Hickory Nut Farm
Hop N Hen Farm
Huckins Farm
Joan’s Famous Composting Worms
KRM Chocolates
Kearsarge Gore Farm
Lala’s Hungarian Pastry
Liliana Flowers Farm
Lindon Garlic Farm, LLC
Maple Ridge Sugar House
Marsh Meadow Bison
Meadowview Farm
Micro Mama’s
Miles Smith Farm
Molly Lane Kitchen
Mrs. Beasley’s Dog Treats
NH Mushroom
Porkside Farm
Red Fox Farm
Rockey Ole’ Farm
Rollin in the Dough
Sander’s Fish Market
Squam Brewing
Surowiec Farm
Temple-Wilton-Community Farm
The Bread Peddler
Tilton Hill Goat Farm
Two Sisters Garlic
Valicenti Organico
Vegetable Ranch
Will n’ Rose’s
List of guest vendors
Best Brothers Bakery
Bread & Chocolate
Cap City Soap Co
Clayton’s Way
Good Enough Farm
Granite Grown
Granite State Granola, LLC
Mt. Dearborn Farm LLC
Pretty Little Pie Co.
Rub Me Tender
The Garden Bar