| JULY 4, 2011 -- Connecticut-grown sweet corn is the hot item in farmers' markets this week, according to Rick Mascuga of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. Mascuga said Connecticut farmers began picking sweet corn Sunday, and, he said, the produce will be available all over the state.
"It's always our goal to get corn to by the 4th of July and we've done it," he said.
Mescuga said farmers covered hundreds of acres of farmland with a thin fabric blanket, which heated up the soil by a couple of degrees, just enough to germinate the seeds. He said the giant blanket "gives farmers a two- to three-week jump on corn."
Blueberries and raspberries are also coming in this week. Mascuga said there's a good chance shoppers will see them by the Fourth of July weekend. He said people are picking them now and there will be much more next week.
But strawberries are winding down and he said, "it'll probably hard to find them by the end of the weekend."
Available this week:
Sweet corn
Blueberries
Raspberries
English, snow and snap peas
Summer squash: yellow and green
Lettuces
Salad and pickling cucumbers
Strawberries
Where to find them:
Mystic Farmers’ Market is on Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m., at the Quiambaug Firehouse located at 50 Old Stonington Road. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.
Groton Farmers’ Market is on Wednesdays starting July 13, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Groton Shopping Plaza next to the Post Office on Route 1. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.
Westerly-Pawcatuck Farmers’ Market is on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 85 Main St., just past The Bridge restaurant in Westerly.
Stonington Farmers’ Market is on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon near the town fishing pier in the borough. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted
Mystic-Denison Farmers’ Market is on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m., located at 120 Pequotsepos Road across from the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center. www.denisonhomestead.org/farm‐market, WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted. |
