Saturdays at Watauga County Farmers' Market have been extremely pleasant overall, and everyone was pleased that this past Saturday's drizzle did not give way to heavy morning until almost afternoon. As always we appreciate everyone who came out to help us make it a good day.

On this next market Saturday Watauga River Farms will have hot and mild pork sausage, side meat and fatback, backbones for super crockpot meals or to grill, porkchops, broccoli, red and Yukon Gold potatoes onions, boxed or bunched, herbs, chard, collards, yellow squash, garlic for eating or planting, chestnuts, carrots, beets, peppers, stringless green beans and yellow wax beans. Shady Grove Gardens and Nursery will be bringing white and orange decorative mini pumpkins, mini turban decorative squash, sweet red Italian roasting peppers and large yellow storage onions, all grown without inorganic sprays. Zydeco Moon Organic Farm have sweet snow peas, beautiful beets, spinach and luscious lettuce.

Mountain Memories Farm will be offering lots of lamb and farm fresh eggs. The lamb is fresh each week and this week's special will be $1 off per pound of every cut. All cuts will be available. As for the eggs -- same as always from free range happy chickens!

There is a great variety of prepared food at every market ranging from freshly cooked items for the evening meal to treats suitable for storing and enjoying over winter. Bella Rooster recently added muscadine jelly to the lineup of jams and jellies and fresh baked biscotti. The Pasta Wench will have her scrumptious Great Pumpkin Ravioli again this week, they were sold out quickly last week and are a lovely savory/sweet treat for fall.

Watauga County Farmers' Market would like to encourage everyone to bring their own bags to hold their purchases. Plastic bags not only pollute the very ground that our food comes from when they are made and when they are discarded, but they are an extra expense to the farmers. We do appreciate that many of you are already doing this.

Find us every Saturday morning and on Wednesday afternoons from 4-7 at the Horn in the West in Boone. Turn next to First Citizens Bank on Highway 105 Extension and go to the top of the hill. Call WCFM manager Karen Bauman at 1-828-355-4918 for more information. We will be there rain or shine!