The L-T ran an article last week about the banner year we’re having in summer produce, focusing on vendors from the downtown Eau Claire Farmers Market. It includes this lead:

• Shelley Ralston said she trembles a bit when entering the downtown farmers' market in Eau Claire.
• "I'm a vegetarian, and when I see all this produce so nicely displayed and knowing how good it is, I just start to shake," the 28-year-old rural Eau Claire woman said this week.

People, that’s about as provocative an article on Farmers Markets is going to get. Read more (subscription required). Read more (subscription unrequired).

Basically, lots of rain equals good growing equals “Holy crap look at all the lettuce I can buy!” Now, I heard from a local farmer than things like local tomatoes, while huge and suddenly in season, don’t actually taste good because they grew too fast and are basically pumped full of water. Something about starches getting screwed up. But that may not be the case for things like sweet corn. One thing’s for certain – you should watch out emotional vegetarians shaking around the farmers market. You could lose an eye.