Grown In Connecticut

Connecticut-grown sweet corn is the hot item in farmers' markets this week, according to Rick Mascuga of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. Mascuga said Connecticut farmers began picking sweet corn Sunday, and, he said, the produce will be available all over the state. 

"It's always our goal to get corn to by the 4th of July and we've done it," he said. 

Mescuga said farmers covered hundreds of acres of farmland with a thin fabric blanket, which heated up the soil by a couple of degrees, just enough to germinate the seeds. He said the giant blanket "gives farmers a two- to three-week jump on corn."

Blueberries and raspberries are also coming in this week. Mascuga said there's a good chance shoppers will see them by the Fourth of July weekend. He said people are picking them now and there will be much more next week.  

But strawberries are winding down and he said, "it'll probably hard to find them by the end of the weekend." 

Available this week:

Sweet corn

Blueberries

Raspberries

English, snow and snap peas

Summer squash: yellow and green

Lettuces

Salad and pickling cucumbers

Strawberries

Where to find them:

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. 

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 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.