The Lakefield Farmers’ Market launched Thursday with an almost picture-perfect day.
“We’re really lucky because we don’t have any rain,” said Ben Corder, owner of Ben’s Kettle Corn. “It’s May, right, and we see a lot of rainy days this time of year. This is the third start of Markets for me – so far I’ve done Lindsay, Ajax and now Lakefield, and all of them, no rain.”
Corder’s stall was well-stocked with bags of salty/sweet and caramel corn.
But there wasn’t too much produce on other tables.
It is early in the growing season, and several growers pointed out that it’s a season that got off to a slow start.
Scott King, owner of Cedar Grove Organic Farm, said a late winter and a dry early spring season made things a little difficult at first.
“Our brassicas had a lot of flea beetle issues, so we’re sorting putting in diatomaceous earth and treating for flea beetles.”
But King was optimistic, and temperatures climbed into the high 20s on Thursday. King said it was a welcome heat wave.
“Great weather for rhubarb, weird weather for fiddleheads,” he said. “Because the fiddleheads were nothing for the longest time, and I went yesterday, and they had shot up and I missed them.”
Tamara Conlin was embracing the hot weather. Any warmth is good news for her home-based ice cream business, Conlin’s Creamery.
“Somewhere in the 20, 27-degree range is probably the best,” she said, adding that the parking lot where the farmer’s market is held can get a little uncomfortable when things get too hot.
The ice cream maker says she creates flavours geared to what’s in season and complements the weather.
“Today I’m doing a chocolate mint, which is really good for this type of weather because it’s really light and refreshing. So that’s really popular,” she said.
“Once the rhubarb starts coming out, which it’s just starting to pop up right now, I’ll start doing a rhubarb, a strawberry rhubarb.”