BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — The harvest season for produce is coming to a close, but if you know where to look, you’ll find quite a few kinds of fruits and vegetables, fresh and ready to buy.

Summer has come and gone, and now we’re starting to see some freezing temperatures, but the produce at the Capital Farmers Market is still going strong.

“I’m going to go as long as I can, you know, some of this stuff holds well anyway,” said vendor Amy Nicolai. “And then, I’m going to do canning and dehydrating, and that will prolong my season.”

“I still have a ton of cabbage left over, giant heads of cabbage, some 10 pounds and up,” said vendor Lindsey Hershaw.

Overall, producers say this summer has been a good year for their gardens.

“I got good pumpkins and squashes, and it’s been a real good year, I tried different things, planted things later,” said vendor Bonnie Munsch.

“It’s been a cakewalk compared to the drought two years ago, that was rough,” added Hershaw.
“Yeah, I didn’t have to do much watering, good rain, good sun, can’t complain. It’s one of the easiest years I think I’ve ever had as far as keeping on top of everything.”

However, some say the rain was not on their side.

“I had three heavy rains in the beginning that washed away a lot of seeds, that was one of the reasons the carrots and beets were later planted because they kept washing,” said Munsch.

“The season has been an odd one because we had so much wet and cool weather, so I had some problems with diseases,” remarked Nicolai.

Despite the challenges from the heavy rains, vendors all agree that it’s been a good season overall, and there’s still quite a bit of produce ripe for the picking.

Vendors also say, if you’re looking to do some fall decorating or baking, you might want to stop by a local farmers market.

“You’ll get something that you’ll never get in a store, like things that people grow, specialty items that you will never find in a store,” added Hershaw.

The Capital Farmers Market is located by Tatley-Eagles Park on Airport Road on Wednesdays, and they run from 10:30 a.m. until they sell out. They’re also located in the Tractor Supply Co. parking lot on Saturdays, where they sell from 8 a.m. to noon.