At farmers market, early bird gets the produce

Fruits and vegetables have certainly changed in a variety of ways. When we were all little, we learned colors by association with vegetables and fruits. Carrots were orange, bananas were yellow, eggplant was purple.

Fruits and vegetables have been changed through selective cultivation. It was decided by some experts these edible delights needed a more pleasing texture, color and, of course, there was a need to produce a higher yield per acre.

Now our fruits and vegetables are much bigger and, some think, taste better than their ancestors. The eggplant when first encountered looked like a small white egg. There is now an eggplant called the “Easter Egg Plant” because it produces eggplants that are beautiful colors of cream, pink, peach and yellow. Maybe Robbie Cahill can plant some on his farm.

Carrots that were first grown in Holland were many different colors. In the 17th century in the Netherlands, carrots were bred to be organge to honor the king, Willam of Orange.

The beautiful yellow banana we buy at the grocery store is named after the Duke of Cavendish who first grew them in his greenhouses in England in the 1830s. They were developed through a process that results in the same fruit being produced each generation.

At the Bluffton Farmers Market, one is able to buy and enjoy heirloom produce that is organic and is being grown the way it was many years ago. At the grocery store, most “organic” produce is sold encased in some sort of plastic. That is because if something is to be sold as organic it should not touch produce that was not. Rather off-putting if you are trying not to use plastic unnecessarily.

So on Thursdays, don’t forget - the early bird gets the worm at our Farmers Market on Calhoun Street in Old Town. Many visitors who have visited the market for the first time tell me it is better than any they have ever been to.

So thank our farmers - and thank Kim Viljac - for all of their hard work especially on a hot summer day. It does not go unnoticed.

Art goes to the (police) dogs

I popped into the opening reception the other day at The Society of Bluffton Artists exhibit titled “A Touch of Blue.”

This wonderful exhibit is a fundraiser for the Bluffton Police Department's K9 Unit. The K9 Unit is getting several German Shepherds to aid these wonderful men . The puppies are now being trained and will join the department soon to begin their jobs.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the artwork will be donated to the police department.

The paintings will hang through July 3.

The SOBA Gallery is at the corner of Calhoun and Church Streets right next to Jacob Preston and Company's Pottery Studio.

Old friend, new job

My friend Anne Feldman has joined the Berkeley Hall Club as director of communications. You might remember Anne and Linley Taylor had an adorable farmers market beside my store for several years.

I was sad when both Anne and Linley shuttered the market but the “stork” had other plans for both of them. Anne was more recently with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce as senior communications manager.

Music at the bluff

Don't miss the Tuesday night concerts held this summer at Palmetto Bluff.

My family has such fun at them and so does everyone else. The music can’t be beat nor can the setting.

The proceeds from the entry fee goes to local charities so everybody wins. So bring a chair or a blanket and kick off your shoes. You 'll feel right at home.

This story was originally published June 15, 2016 at 11:27 AM with the headline "At farmers market, early bird gets the produce."