Market Notes for Aug. 1, 2026
This year, Henry is growing Milan, a premium Tuscan-style muskmelon that is incredibly fragrant, juicy, and sweet!
Food and Farm Notes: Peak Week for MELONS!
Rain is in the forecast for Saturday, but Henry says that’s a good thing because the vegetables really need it, and it won’t hurt you!
And if you’re not usually at the market by the opening bell, this will be a great week to get things that would often be sold out by the time you arrive on a busier, sunnier market day . . . like the incredible melons, sweet corn, and elderberries we’ll be harvesting for you tomorrow.
Henry says the melon plants were not as productive as usual this year, possibly because it was too hot during the crucial pollination days. So you want your favorite melons, come and get them this week! Henry has a number of varieties of red and yellow watermelons, as well as the Korean Honeydew melons, and the Milan muskmelons, which Henry says are “really good,” which is an understatement!
Our farm dog Churro loves Henry’s corn, and we have to keep an eye on him or he’ll sneak up and steal ears to munch on all day long!
Henry says this will be a big week for CORN, with your favorite yellow and bi-color varieties, plus a new supersweet red variety he’s growing for the first time this year. So if you like supersweet sweet corn, try that one.
And if you like a less sweet, more flavorful old-fashioned corn, go for the purple-black Montana Morado.
No matter your tastes, it’s a great week to stock up, and maybe freeze some for winter!
First Week for 3 New Varieties of POTATOES
This is the first year that Henry is growing this deep purple, almost black, potato called Purple Pelisse. It grows and looks similar to Magic Molly, another purple-fleshed fingerling. Try it together with Amarosa, a pink-fleshed fingerling, for a gorgeous potato salad.
And if you love German Butterball (who doesn’t!) this is the first week you’ll see those at the market as well.
Walla Walla Sweet Onions!
These super-sweet onions are great raw in potato salads, beet salads, cucumber salads, tomato salads, and more. Whatever salad you’re making, top it with some basil or shiso, since there will be big bunches of those aromatic herbs this week.
You can also use Walla Wallas in just about any dish calling for cooked or carmelized onions.
DON’T MISS OUT ON HALF-PRICE BEET & CARROT SECONDS!
Food Notes: ELDERBERRIES
Birds have been flitting constantly over the ripening clusters on Henry’s row of tall elderberry bushes because they know better than most of us humans do how good they are. We’ll be harvesting the first of the season for you tomorrow, so be sure to come and get some before the birds eat them up in the coming weeks!
Elderberries are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and many other immune-boosting phytochemicals, and elderberry syrup has been used medicinally for centuries.
The berries must be cooked, and once you do that, you can use the syrup in juice, soda, cocktails, smoothies, jams, chutneys, pies, and more — including homemade Sambuca or Elderberry Wine!
For lots of great Elderberry information, including step-by-step instructions for cooking them, check out our friend Bill Davison’s substack post, An Elderberry Elixir.
