First North Beach farmer’s market today

Classic cars cruise in for the evening

Friday, June 13, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by CAROL HARVAT Joe-Sam Swann stands in a ready-to-pick semi-dwarf cornfield on his family’s farm, Swann Farms in Owings. Fresh corn will be available at the North Beach farmer’s market. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

The market will be open every Friday during those hours through the fall season.

The idea of a farmer’s market was started this past winter by the North Beach special events committee. Committee Chair Diane Burr said she was amazed at the positive response of the farmers.

‘‘We are so excited about this, very proud, and know that it’s going to be a boost for our entire community,” she said.

The market will be held on Bay Avenue and 5th Street, and has also drawn classic car enthusiasts who plan to have cruise-ins every Friday during the farmer’s market, she added.

Swann Farms of Owings, the anchor of the market, has fabulous quality produce and fruit and are a ‘‘true asset to our community,” Burr said.

Son of Allen ‘‘Sambo” Swann, Joe-Sam Swann, said he thought getting into retail by selling at North Beach’s farmer’s market was a good idea. Swann Farms, a nearly 300-acre farm, has sold wholesale for more than 150 years.

The younger Swann grew up on the family farm of six generations, and said he came back to farming last year after working in the insurance industry. He said his wife Kelly and he decided the farmer’s market would be a fun thing to try out. ‘‘We go to North Beach for recreation, now we’ll be on the other side working.”

Swann Farms will have sweet corn ready this Friday and strawberries, and they will see what other crops are ready, he said.

‘‘Corn is our biggest crop,” Swann said, with about 100 acres planted.

The farm will also be selling hot and sweet peppers, melons, peaches, tomatoes and okra when they are ready, Swann said.

The Green Violet Herbal Farm in Fair Haven grows herbs organically and will have both culinary and medicinal herbs at the farmer’s market, Sharon Brewer said.

She said she will also be selling skin creams and first-aid salves made from calendula and comfrey. An organic insect repellent will also be available.

‘‘You could basically eat it,” she said.

Brewer, who received her masters of herbal medicine from Tai Sophia Institute of Healing Arts in Laurel, uses medicinal herbs she harvests by hand and dries to make teas, she said.

Brewer will also be selling cut flowers and plants at the market.

Wise Acres of Huntingtown specializes in heirloom tomatoes, the old-fashioned varieties like Brandywine, John Prouty said. Prouty and Roxana Whitt operate the farm that also grows varying hot peppers along with their unique variety of tomatoes.

‘‘All the varieties we grow are tomatoes known for freshness and flavor,” Prouty said. They have a very thin skin, so they are not good for shipping, he said.

‘‘We pick them and sell them the same day,” he said, and ‘‘they are flavorful.”

Most of Wise Acres’ tomatoes are reddish in color, but Prouty said he also grows a tomato, Green Zebra, that is green with yellow stripes. The farm hopes to start harvesting their tomatoes by the end of the month, and will also have some herbs and flowers at this Friday’s market, he said.

Another farmer’s market vendor, White Oak Point Farm of Prince Frederick, practices sustainable agriculture using compost as a fertilizer on their produce. They also sell home-ground whole wheat baked goods.

Jack Creek Plants of Shady Side will sell small vegetable and herb plants for replanting as well as annuals and perennials, Elizabeth Ogden said.

Even though it’s not grown locally, Calvert Kettle Korn of Prince Frederick will be selling different flavors of popcorn, including butter, kettle, crabby and cinnamon. Owner Paulette Peterson said they will be popping fresh popcorn during the farmer’s market all summer, but this Friday the popper will be at the Relay for Life, so the popcorn will be pre-popped.

There has been a great deal of positive buzz, andÊseveral local restaurants, including Herrington Harbour, BilVil and Sweet Sue’sÊsaid that they plan to shop at the market for their patrons, Burr said.

Hard workÊand lots of time and effort spent planning by so many peopleÊover the past couple of months haveÊmade this wonderful market a reality for North Beach, she said. ‘‘We’ve had lots of interest so I expect more participants once we are up and running.”

The Beach trolley will be running and stopping at the farmer’s market, so there’s a new fun way for people to get there too, Burr added.