It's that wonderful time of the year when local fresh fruits and vegetables become available.
I think the Piedmont Farmers Market, which opened its Winecoff School Road location Saturday, will get lots of business this season, as more and more people try to participate in the growing trend to eat more local and fresh food.
The farmers market is a place to chat with local farmers, who always are friendly and helpful. It really makes you feel good to support local farmers, and you're helping your own family's health and well-being, too.
The Piedmont Farmers Market at 518 Winecoff School Road will be open from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday through Oct. 25, and from 8 a.m. to noon every Tuesday from June 3 through Aug. 25.
The Robinson Church Road location in Harrisburg (beside the restored post office) will be open from 4 to 7 p.m. Mondays from May 19 through Sept. 29.
For more information, call the Cabarrus County Center of the N.C. Cooperative Extension, 704-920-3310.
Strawberries
Early May also is strawberry picking time. I bought a gallon of fresh-picked strawberries at one of Patterson Farm's stands, and while I thought they were a bit high-priced at $10 for a gallon, they sure did taste good.There's just no comparison between fresh local strawberries and the usual cardboard-tasting grocery store berries.
If you want to pick your own strawberries, Patterson Farm is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. The strawberry season usually runs through early June. Patterson charges $8.50 per gallon if you pick your own berries.
The farm is at 10390 Caldwell Road in Mount Ulla, in Rowan County between China Grove and Mooresville. The farm's Web site, www.pattersonfarminc.com, has detailed directions. The telephone number is 704-797-0013.
Organic deliveries
If you crave strictly organic fresh fruit and vegetables and the ultimate in convenience, a company called Absolute Organics will deliver them right to your door.
Owners Vonda and Steve Hodun started eating organic food after the birth of their son, William, in 2001. Vonda said the family moved to the Newton area from Charleston, S.C., about five years ago, and they found very little to choose from in organic food there. She spent many hours driving to places like Asheville, Boone and Winston-Salem to get weekly produce.
"So this service just came to mind, as it was something that I would love, and I was sure other people would want, and that is how it started," Vonda said in an e-mail.
Vonda said the company has different suppliers and farms that they regularly work with, including two farms in North Carolina. But since it is impossible to get local produce all year long because of the growing season, they also purchase from other places. They only sell 100 percent organic fruits and vegetables.
"We try to buy local as much as possible, but it is impossible to have all local produce," Vonda said. "We also purchase a lot from Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina and Florida."
The company offers free delivery of organic produce to Charlotte and surrounding areas, including Cabarrus County. Vonda said they currently have about 75 regular customers in Cabarrus.
All deliveries are custom-tailored to individual tastes, but the customer typically gets six or seven different vegetables and four to five different fruits each week. The Hoduns e-mail the customer a list of what is available each week, and the customer selects what he or she wants.
Three different sizes of boxes are available: $30, $40 and $50. They can be delivered either weekly or bi-weekly.
Typical organic produce they have offered includes apples, bananas, grapes, honeydew, kiwi, oranges, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, asparagus, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, carrots, corn, cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, potatoes, spinach, sweet onions, sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, yellow onions, yellow squash and zucchini.
For more information, call Absolute Organics at 704-470-4963 or visit www.theabsoluteorganics.com.
