Grown In Connecticut

All the fixings for a fruit salad should be available at markets this week, according to Rick Macsuga of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.

"I did see my first cantaloupe, or what we call musk melon," he said. "Just think of regular cantaloupe from the grocery store on steroids." 

Macsuga said the Connecticut melon is bigger with a ridged outside instead of a textured webbed rind and that it is "fragrant with a really strong, sweet smell…and it's a very flavorful splash of flavor."

Blueberries, peaches, nectarines are widely available and a special variety of strawberry is available in some markets. Macsuga said the strawberry season ends in June but a couple farmers in the state have grown a summer strawberry that will be around for a couple weeks. Macsuga said pears will make an appearance in some markets this week as well.

Macsuga said the "peppers are coming into their own," and that all shapes, sizes, colors, and heat indexes will be available through August. He said peppers ranging from very mild to very, very hot are abundant and "to know your peppers before you pick them."

Also fresh this week:

Green beans

Beets

Blueberries

Cabbages: savoy, green, red

Eggplant: tons of different varieties

Carrots

Kale

Collard greens

Swiss chard

Nectarines

Peaches

Pears

Squash: all types in great numbers.

Sweet corn

Tomatoes: heirlooms, cherry, grape, plum, pear

Potatoes

Peppers: all varieties and heat indexes

Where to find them:

The Ledyard Farmers’ Market is on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ledyard Town Center at the Fair Grounds. www.ledyardfresh.com, WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.

The Norwich Uncas Farmers’ Market is on Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Uncas on the Thames, 401 West Thames Street, 100 Campbell Building. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted, SNAP/EBT.

The Norwich Downtown Farmers’ Market is on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the boat marina in Howard Brown Park on Route 2. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.

The Preston Farmers’ Market is on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Preston Plains School on Route 164. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.