Suffolk City Market and Country Store is set to open Saturday

Produce The Suffolk City Market and Country Store, featuring homegrown spring produce, such as baby lettuces and spring onions from B&H Produce, will open at 8 a.m. Saturday at 162 S. Main St. in Suffolk. You also will find home-cooked breads and other foods along with crafts, such as quilts, soaps and candles. Hours thereafter will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

You can pick your own asparagus at Martin Vineyards on Knotts Island. Call (252) 429-3542 for information. If you go, you also will seen signs of good things to come because the peach and apple trees are blooming and the grape vines are coming in, said David Martin.

Eastern Shore asparagus makes its debut this weekend at Welton's Fresh Seafood Market on Pacific Avenue in Virginia Beach. To make a delectable meal even better, take home some flounder, too.

"It's the prettiest flounder of the year when the water's cold and crisp," Richard Welton said.

Strawberries continue to tease passers-by at The Henley Farm Market at Princess Anne and Indian River roads in Pungo. Call the market at 426-6869 to make sure the early Sweet Charlies are available before you drive down.

The Virginia Beach Excellence in Agriculture Award Committee recently named the G. Winston Henley Family as recipients of its 2007 Excellence in Agriculture award.

Fresh eggs and more Shire Farms in Windsor has fresh chicken and duck eggs in abundance, as well as some goose and turkey eggs. It also has frozen chicken, duck, turkey, rabbit and lamb and is taking orders for fresh chicken that will be available in a few weeks. Call ahead, (757) 255-4088 to place an order or schedule a pick-up time. Shire Farms is located at 17379 Woodland Drive between Chuckatuck and Smithfield.

Shopping Read the "Good Things to Eat" ads in this newspaper's Classified Marketplace or go to www.virginiagrown.com. Call ahead to check on product availability and/or picking conditions. Some grocery stores also are selling Virginia Grown products and fresh East Coast seafood.

Farmers Let me know if you hope to harvest any specialty crops or unusual varieties next week. Commercial fishermen, let me know what unusual species you are catching now.

Mary Reid Barrow, barrow1@cox.net