Today's official re-opening of the Wednesday farmers market in Portland's Monument Square was met with blue skies and temperatures in the mid-50s. Close to a dozen vendors have set up shop in anticipation of today's lunchtime crowds.

This was the first year (at least in recent memory) when the market never faded to black. All winter at least two farmers showed up every Wednesday to sell their wares. More have arrived each of the last few Wednesdays. In addition, a full-blown winter farmers market took place each Saturday at the Irish Heritage Center.

Vegetable and flower seedlings make up the bulk of what the farmers have for sale today. However, there's also plenty of cheese, milk, eggs, grass-fed beef, maple syrup, jams, pickles and some storage crops.

Early bird shoppers also had a chance to score a few seasonal gems, including:

Asparagus ($3.50 a bunch) at Snell's Family Farm stand (along with scallions and leeks), and

fiddleheads ($6/pound) and radishes ($3 per bunch) at the Alewive's Brook Farm stand.

Today's market runs until 2 p.m. today. Or head to Deering Oaks Park this Saturday for the opening day of that market, which takes place from 7 a.m. to noon.

- Avery Yale Kamila

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About the Author

Meredith Goad has harvested oysters on the Chesapeake Bay, eaten reindeer in Finland and sipped hot chai in the Himalayas. She writes the weekly Soup to Nuts column and enjoys a good cocktail.

Meredith can be contacted at 791-6332 or mgoad@pressherald.com
On Twitter: @meredithgoad

Susan Axelrod's food writing career began in the kitchen; she owned a restaurant and catering business before turning to journalism more than a decade ago. To relax, she bakes, gardens and hikes with her husband and their two dogs. A newcomer to Portland, she is an online content producer for the Press Herald.

Susan can be contacted at 791-6310 or saxelrod [at] pressherald.com.
On Twitter: @susansaxelrod

Wendy Almeida and her family have a smattering of livestock and a summer garden. After 10 years of her kids being involved in 4-H, she's finally accepted the term "hobby farm" to describe her family's work at sustainable living. These days her morning starts with milking a goat before heading into the office for her day job as an assistant editor for features.

Wendy can be contacted at wea [at] mainetoday.com or on Twitter @wea1021.

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