Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
1995-03-22
Section: METRO
Edition: ONE - FOUR
Page: 1C

FRESH FROM THE FARM

   DEBORAH PARKHILL MULLIS, Staff Writer

It may be too early for juicy homegrown tomatoes, but the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market opened Tuesday with everything from calla lilies to collards to handcrafted birdhouses.

The market, at 1801 Yorkmont Rd. near the Coliseum, is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, but the most popular day is Saturday, market manager Frank Suddreth said. Annual attendance tops 350,000 and draws people from 15 counties. 

People can find a full line of fruits and vegetables any day, he said, but it's too early to pick up a lot of local produce.

Most crops aren't planted ``until after April 15th because you always have an Easter freeze,'' Suddreth said.

George White of Charlotte knew it was too early to find basil plants for his herb garden, but he went to the market anyway.

``I've got spring fever. I'm checking everything,'' said White, who was on the hunt for other herb plants for his garden - including catnip. ``I always plant catnip. Cats come and eat it and keep away the rabbits.''

A few minutes later White found herb grower Roy Freeman of Bessemer City. He had perennial herbs, tomato plants, and ornamental plants for sale Tuesday.

``I'll have basil in about two weeks,'' Freeman told White. In fact, Freeman will have ``50 to 60 different herbs'' at the height of the season.

Although the market won't have much homegrown produce until the end of May, shoppers Tuesday said the produce looked better and seemed cheaper than some of the produce they buy at local grocery stores.

And the service is good, too.

``We've been doing this all our lives. We know what people want. We all grew up on farms,'' said Randy Johnson of R&M Hendrix Fresh Farm Produce of Pageland, S.C.

Pat Mooney of Locust agrees. ``I'd rather buy from a farmer. . . . I feel like I'm getting fresher produce that way even if it's not locally grown,'' said Mooney, who was shopping for a ``better-looking'' tomato than the grocery store had last weekend. She found some.

Shoppers also could find homegrown greens, sweet potatoes, S.C. sweet onions and Georgia Vidalia onions.

Then there are the extras, including homemade jams, jellies, honey, molasses, pickles and baked goods.

``Saturday is the best day to get any type of cake or pie that you might want to buy,'' Suddreth said. ``And if the Amish come in they have a big selection of breads and sweet pastries.''

Plants and fresh cut flowers are available now and in a few weeks wildflowers will be too. And, a few people even hawked handcrafted items.

This is the first year Kelly Clyburn has offered handcrafted birdhouses for sale. The birdhouses, selling for $30, have front yards covered with green moss. Miniature picket fences, picnic tables, and piles of firewood are in the yard.

``If you do this for a living you have to know what's selling and what's not,'' said Clyburn, who has been coming to the farmers market since 1975.

*

Charlotte Regional Farmers Market

When: Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays March through September, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through December.

Where: 1801 Yorkmont Rd.

Best buys in March: Fresh-cut flowers, sweet potatoes and greens, homemade jams, jellies, molasses, baked goods.

Peak season: June and July, for locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Annual attendance: 350,000.

Staff Photos by BOB LEVERONE: 1. Tools of the trade: James Humphries of Charlotte uses a jar of pickles to tack up signs Tuesday at Charlotte Regional Farmers Market. Humphries was helping Virginia Hoyle of Vail, who canned the pickles. 2. Tomato time: Brian Johnson of R & M Hendrix Fresh Produce of Pageland, S.C., arranges tomatoes at a stand at the Charlotte farmers market. Although the market won't have much homegrown produce until the end of May, shoppers Tuesday said the produce looked better than some they had bought at stores. 3. Staff map by GEORGE BREISACHER: Farmers market