Rainbows of flavor

Just like the rest of us, newspaper folks deserve a vacation. So they could spend the 4th with their families, the deadline for this article came on Friday before our Saturday, July 2, Farmers Market. If what's described here did not happen, it should have...

Research proves that, unlike artificial colors, naturally colored foods are very good for people. They help us to slow aging and resist cancer.

The Farmers Market is a rainbow of delicious colors. Purple basil leaves for salads and sandwiches, bright green pea pods, ruby-red swiss chard and gold-and-green ﾑspaceship' squash. The blueberries and black raspberries are, as you might expect, blue and black. The colors of good health.

Next weekend is Pioneer Days. We expect to have new onions, baby beets, lots of different squash, cucumbers and, with luck, broccoli and cauliflower. Marlinton will be very busy, so the Market may move from its usual parking lot to a nearby site along First Avenue.

Molly Must's new mural on the wall of Loretta Malcomb's building on Main Street is an impressive welcome as visitors cross the Greenbrier bridge. It has left us looking for a new home for our Farmers Market banner. Any suggestions?

Helpful hint: Mulch. A thick layer of shredded wood or leaves (or a layer of cardboard) between vegetable plants will control weeds, hold water and protect plants from rot caused by direct contact with the soil.