The farmers know they're coming.
Before the sun is high in the sky, they arrive, swarming over everything in their path - lettuce, strawberries, pies, potholders.
"They know the early bird gets the cream of the crop," said Anita Bullock, a -manager of the Carroll County Farmers' Market in Westminster, held Saturdays throughout the summer at the Agricultural Center.
It's not the casual shopper who arrives as early as 7 a.m. It's the hard-core, die-hard farm market fans who meet and greet the many vendors - and the vegetables - well before the standard opening at 8 a.m.
Take Anne and Ron Kyker of Westminster, who also satisfy their farm market habit by attending the farmers' market in downtown Westminster. "[Ron] was still drinking his coffee when I said, `Let's go!'" Anne Kyker said, referring to a recent morning trip to the Agricultural Center.
Or Faye Hackey, who drives about 20 miles from her Gaithersburg home to the Carroll County Farmers' Market two or three times every summer to stock her freezer with fresh vegetables.
Going to farmers' markets "is a tradition in Carroll County," said Jean Christensen of Westminster, a frequent customer at local markets. People meet their neighbors and talk to vendors they've patronized for years, creating an atmosphere not unlike that of a town square.
"It's what keeps the community growing," said Kathy Bollinger, a customer from Manchester.
Demand exceeds supply
Carroll County has five farmers' markets - in Mount Airy, Westminster, Sykesville and South Carroll. The number of farmers' markets in Maryland has tripled to 67 since 1990, said Tony Evans, coordinator of farmers' market programs for the Maryland Department of Agriculture. "Now we have more demand for farmers' markets than we have farmers to supply them," he said.
Carroll's markets range in size from five to 45 vendors. Some markets might boast fewer than usual this year, because last summer's drought shook farmers' confidence in their crop yields. "They're just leery," said Ron Jackson, manager of the Sykesville market. "It's been difficult for them to commit."
That might be bad news for the people lured from supermarkets by hopes of fresh-picked produce.
"I'm sure that's fresh, but I know this is fresher," said Judi Brown of Marriottsville, who frequents the Sykesville market.
During corn season, "we pick it that morning at 5:30 a.m.," said Wendy Plank, a co-manager of the Carroll County Farmers' Market and a vendor. "You're talking about corn that's two hours old."
