PLENTY OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AVAILABLE AT FARMERS MARKET LATELY

How do you tell if a watermelon is ripe?

Jim Lincoln of Cape Girardeau doesn't know, but he's learning.

"Some people thump them," said Lincoln, one of the more than 15 vendors who were present for Thursday's Cape Girardeau Farmers Market.

"They say if you hear a hollow sound, they're ready," said Lincoln, who had a pickup truck load of watermelons and cantaloupe from a relative's farm in Dunklin County, where many of the state's watermelons are raised.

"One fellow placed a short straw on the melon and watched it spin around and off," said Lincoln. "He said it was ripe and bought it."

Watermelons, cantaloupes, purple-hulled peas, elephant garlic, sweet corn, other vegetables, flowers and a variety of fruits were piled on tables at the weekly market Thursday.

As many as 200 shoppers were going from stand to stand before the opening of the market. Mounds of vegetables and fruits, including green beans, cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, peaches, tomatoes, blueberries, onions, squash awaited the rush of buyers at the 3 p.m. starting time.

"I'm out here every week," said Stephanie Curran of Cape Girardeau. "I look for the fresh vegetables, and occasionally pick up some flowers.

Merry Freeman of Heritage Farms near Marquand, had a large supply of cut flowers, and Kristy Friedrich of Whitewater offered herbs and potted plants.

It didn't take Melanie Sherinsky of Jackson long to fill up a box of vegetables. "I usually stop by every other week," she said.

Erwin Dost of Cape Girardeau had two bags, both filled with tomatoes.

"We purchased some tomatoes from one stand," said his wife, Laurine Dost. "Then we found some that look even better, and we bought them."

Dost, who does some gardening of his own, said they just happened to be passing by and stopped at the market.

The market is one means of merchandising for Lingle Orchards at Cobden, Ill.

"We call our operation the `Lingle 5,'" said Loretta Lingle, who featured plenty of Red Haven peaches Thursday. "We've have several varieties of peaches, and have been picking them since the first of June. Hopefully, we'll still be picking some peaches in September.":

The Lingles, who have been in the vegetable and fruit farming industry for more than two decades, also had a variety of other fruits at Thursday's market.

The Lingles, like Jean and Cathy Dillow of Jonesboro, will be at the Carbondale, Ill. market Saturday.

The Dillows featured the elephant garlic, squash and other vegetables.

A few vendors had sweet corn, which didn't last long.

"That's what I was looking for," said Don Sherwood, of Cape Girardeau, who was carrying a bag full of the fresh corn.

The market at Plaza Galleria Parking Lot, in the 2000 block of Independence, is held each Thursday, from 3 to 7 p.m., or until everything is sold.

The market is just one of more than 60 markets officially recognized in Missouri. Unofficially, there are many more when all the roadside stands and truck tailgates are counted.

The market here is designed for vendors who produce fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers. Those who sell jelly, jams and baked goods must have cultivated the principal ingredient included in the product.

Other large farmers markets can be found nearby: Carbondale, Ill., each Saturday; Anna, Ill., each Tuesday; and Paducah, Ky. and Sikeston each Saturday.