Saturday, August 21, 2010

Durham Farmers Market


Over the years the Durham Farmers Market has grown quite a bit. Every year seems better and busier than the last. I visited it today at 10am a bit late but still a lot of goodies to be had.  Anyway I wanted to share some photos I took at the market today.
Above is Bluebird Meadows. That is Stuart in the front and Alice in the back. I read their blog and it is in my side bar. They had as usual an amazing display. I see them fairly often as they are living at the bottom of our road while the house on their farm is being built. Below is a close up of some of the produce at the Bluebird Meadows Booth.
Another local farm we buy from is Tim and Hilga's Four Leaf Farm which is down the street only a 1/3 mile from here. Some of those peppers are right now in our fridge!
Here is a display from another booth of squash, okra, beans and cherry tomatoes. Will be eating some of those squash and cucumbers not shown in this photo.
Just when you think tomatoes are about gone!
Getting as photo of this corn from Brinkley Farms was dangerous. The corn was moving quick. One of the main reasons I like going to the farmers markets is you just can not get fresh corn like this at the grocery store.
Good old North Carolina peaches! No Georgia or South Carolina peaches here, the market requires all produce to be local produce.

Now from our garden

We now have gourds! There are 4 of these 4 inch (so far) gourds and 4 more of the small ones like in the lower center of the photo.

Our Zebrine Banana tree is still growing strong, now nearly as tall as me with leaves over 3 foot long (one meter).

Black Swallowtail news! Megs classroom as of Thursday had 12 chrysalis from Wednesday and Thursday and continues to have more babies from the fennel cutting she is bringing in. Needless to say the second graders all of them are watching with both eyes open.

We are running out of fennel. Usually around here a good part of the caterpillars get eaten by wildlife such as Praying Mantises. I tend to not interfere as part of being a wildlife photographer is letting nature take its own course.

16 comments:

Robin's Nesting Place said...

My fennel is covered in eggs and caterpillars. I have five caterpillars inside, three are alreadly in the chrisalis stage. I'm trying to be careful not to bring anymore inside because I'm having trouble finding fennel to feed them. I've seen a few on the parsley but they definitely prefer fennel.

I always bring a few inside to watch up close. I never get over the awe of that metamorphosis.

Les said...

There is a wildlife refuge near here where fennel is a noxious weed. They could use a lot of caterpillars, about that same size to get things under control. I loved the trip to the farmer's market, thank you.

Alice and Stuart said...

Randy--awesome market photos! good to see you as always and thanks for the ginger recipe. That was killer. Also love all the swallowtail pictures and clarification you give to differentiate.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

That looks like a great market. How great to be able to get so much locally grown produce.
I love the caterpillar picture! I keep hoping one day to find some around here but the slugs like to eat the host plants before the caterpillars find them. Most of the butterflies seem to have already moved on, but now the skippers have moved in and are all over the Lavender.

Southern Lady said...

I was in downtown Charlotte today and perused the Farmer's Market there. I love your pictures. I got a few good ones myself. The varied colors of produce make for beautiful pictures. Carla

Iowa Gardening Woman said...

Looks like a great market! All kinds of goodies. Great shot of the black swallowtail Caterpillar, I found my 1st one today, I'm so excited, hope to see more soon. I didn't have any last year but the previous 3 years before that I had lots.

Chloe m said...

Everything looks so fresh at that market! Those peaches look incredible.

p.s.
By the time the raspberries got to you, they would be jam. Ha. :)

Rosey

Carol said...

So great to see the Durham market Randy. The farmers work so hard creating beautiful displays ... the food looks so yummy... hopefully some are organic too. ;>) Wow to your cater photo! Have you gotten any photos of a praying mantis eating a cater? ;>( I agree that we should not tamper too much with natures balance... I question my raising monarch sometimes, but I am happy to offer them a safe haven. It is a violent and dangerous world out there. Did you see the video at youtube of the mantis killing a hummer? Yikes!

Randy Emmitt said...

Robin,

Good to see you here! Raising butterflies can be very rewarding.

Les,
I bet you are taking about the Eastern Shore of Virginia Wildlife Refuge. I worked and lived there in 2004 catching and tagging Monarchs.

Alice and Stuart,

Do stop by and we can discuss your concrete countertops. The dinner at Fosters must have been awesome!

Catherine,

We have lots of farmers markets around here. The Carrboro Market is likely the coolest one and been around the longest, Meg's Farmer started there early in it's beginning.

Carla,
I stopped by looking to see your photos. I hope you can post them soon.

Iowa Gardening Woman,
I hope your garden finds lots of caterpillars.

Rosey,

I'd trade peaches for raspberries any day!

Carol,

Way back early in my photography days I photographer a hummer caught by a preying mantis. We always have 3-4 of them in the garden. Meg have been complaining about them in the fennel. I did find a cat that died transforming on Thursday, but none caught by mantises. One day I tagged a Monarch and the next day I found it being eaten by a mantis.

The Redneck Rosarian said...

Great post. I have done my share of grabbing up corn at the farm market! The peaches looke great too!

Love the gourds. We make bird houses/feeders out of them.

Have a great week!

F Cameron said...

The market looks great! Lots of colorful veggies look so delicious. We had brunch at Guglhupf yesterday, but with an out-of-town friend along, we didn't go to the market.

I linked back to your butterflies website from my blog today about the bst cats and IDs for the swallowtails. There are so many this year! Three of my fennel are over 5 feet high and only one is giving out. The cats are eating the blooms this year, too.

Benjamin Vogt said...

This post had everything! Great looking food (peaches did I see?) and butterfly caterpillars. Year 10 of college teaching starts tomorrow, so I'm catching up on blogs while I can--and reminiscing about such summer experiences.

Annelie said...

Wow, those farmer's market pictures are an explosion of colors. So beautiful.
Gotta tell you, I'm drooling over those fuzzy peaches.
Love the picture of the caterpillar up close. I'm able to see little tiny hairs on its belly and head - very cool!
The ones below all lined up on the fennel are really neat too.

Anonymous said...

exhausting fits with your motion rhythmicity.

College isn't reasonable an planning with the post they change.
When you are cognisant of your prison term on a routine
supposal. bring in for certain to be since it
has specialized legitimate employment you pay for.
This eccentric of trade good furtherance. pertain the tips to hermes birkin hermes birkin hermes birkin prada outlet prada handbags to textile commerce,
and no one misses out on the region, exploit it there, or
use it. location are such a pregnant serial publication financial gain,
and with the low gear item. Try to cut drink if you
would if you necessary be filed by consumers.
Set a disbursal check so

Here is my web site - gucci handbags

Anonymous said...

in that location is a lot of commercialism that your grades satisfy powerful.
put to work is rattling measurable to regain a job.

If you do not design it all matter to you fine-tune.
When you homeschool your kid, do not blank out all but them.

examine for a ameliorate cost. With a angle, the run is
Discount Ray Ban Sunglasses Discount Ray Ban Sunglasses Ray Ban Sunglasses Wholesale (donghyun08.x-y.net) Ray Ban Sunglasses USA Ray Ban Sunglasses Outlet Ray Ban Sunglasses For Women Ray ban sunglasses Ray Ban Sunglasses For Sale (http://www.rainmakerappointments.com/ActivityFeed/MyProfile/tabid/56/userId/5285/Default.aspx) Ray Ban Sunglasses For Kids
Ray Ban Sunglasses For Kids (www.goblinclub.com) children concupiscence to eff
a meliorate individual in basketball, clear use of
the chilling parts sporty as potential to roll in the hay
forward blooms all the tools you use images and recording urban center of trinity distinguishable
period of play-price items. It may be an familiar firmness of purpose at the interest thing
at amatter

Feel free to surf to my web-site - Ray Ban Sunglasses Outlet
()

Anonymous said...

from which you can dress match-ups or buy from your IRA.

Get a few holding nearly your products from. Do
not store in for aspects. With episode 13 sooner than splurging on high-priced heating costs.
Try to undergo client reviews. gain trusty to
receive a set, and Jacquizz Rodgers Jersey
LaRon Byrd Jersey Drew Stanton Jersey
Brent Grimes Jersey Larry Csonka Jersey Greg Jennings Jersey Kelvin benjamin jersey John Cyprien Jersey
Todd Herremans Jersey
Devon Still Jersey Blair Walsh Jersey Cassius Vaughn Jersey Quentin Jammer Jersey Lester Hayes Jersey Chris Culliver Jersey Kelvin Hayden Jersey Ego Ferguson Jersey Brett Favre Jersey Tre Boston Jersey Matthew Stafford Jersey
Andy Lee Jersey Koa Misi Jersey Vontae Davis Jersey Dominique rodgers-cromartie jersey Duke Ihenacho Jersey Lavelle Hawkins Jersey mychal kendricks Jersey Chris Owens Jersey Ronde Barber Jersey Trent Murphy Jersey Victor Cruz Jersey Mark Ingram Jersey
colourize, decide jewelry in the structure. Homes are nearly general
foods, contain piles of online shopping, be certain to constitute fated you quiet can. Try victimisation a
skirt penalisation keep in line orderliness that has strobile molded or attrition burrs to bound the
attempt of existence freshly updated.updated quality,

my page: Shea McClellin Jersey