Farmers' markets doing well this year

According to local farmers' market merchants, vegetable crops are about two weeks behind normal for this time of year, but still growing strong.
Bethune's Cathy McKechnie told the Times-Herald that 2009 has been a pretty good growing year, except for the fact everything is growing a little slower than last year.
"But they're all coming along," she said at her farmers' market booth in front of Chillers Brew Pub on Saturday morning. According to the local vegetable producer, peas and beans were the big sellers this weekend, along with baby potatoes and basically anything else at her table.
"Actually, everything is selling pretty good."
McKechnie said the summer weather has been too cool and dry, which is why all her vegetables are growing a bit late.
She added her vegetables are selling quite well and will likely continue to do so until she quits for the season around Thanksgiving.
Over at the farmers' market on the Moose Jaw Exhibition grounds, Baildon Colony's Paul Wipf said Moose Javians have been flocking to his group's vegetable table in masses all summer.
"If you're here in the morning, you can have a line up 200 feet back and steady for two hours," he said.
People prefer the colony's produce to stuff bought in a store, "because it's fresh," he added.
Wipf said his crops are also about two weeks slower than normal, with corn and potatoes behind schedule.
The weekly farmers' market at the exhibition grounds will continue until the end of September.
Wipf said colony members start picking vegetables for Saturday's market on Tuesdays, because there's so much that must be done in advance.
"It's a lot of work to prepare all this."
However, for Moose Jaw's Lorraine Shilton, who bought some fresh farmers' market vegetables on Saturday, the hard work of local vegetable producers is much appreciated.
"It's just nice and fresh," she said about the colony's produce. "I don't have my own garden because this is easier."

Carter Haydu can be reached at 691-1265.