Top 10 Things to Like About the Baltimore Farmers' Market

(summer edition, in no particular order)

1. The coolers filled with freshly shelled peas from Jim Crebs's Tomatoes Etc. Produce Farm in Westminster, Md. (They are long gone. They were divine and cost $2.50 per pound.)

2. Seven or eight squash blossoms per pint at the Browns Cove Farm tables: $3. Bunches of cilantro and sage from Martin Farms in Perry Hall, Md.: $1.

3. The smell corridor created by neighboring Migae's Magnificent Mini Donuts and Mark Pena's kettle corn stand. Inhale deeply, then buy small bags of each. (And if Pena can find a local source for his popcorn kernels, we'll start buying the large bags.)

4. The logistics: enough free parking nearby, the tall shade of the expressway overhead, the street musicians and hawkers of various social causes.

5. The spicy-hot ginger sorbet at the Gracie Gotcha Ginger stand. Ask for a taste.

6. The beer-batter mushroom fritters cooked to order at the Mother Earth mushroom concession. Ferial Welsh, won't you come and make them at Washington markets someday?

7. Cage-free eggs from the Hen's Nest folks of New Windsor, Md., and, when you've placed an order in advance, their free-range organic young chickens.

8. A fresh cup of orange juice, squeezed by Keiffer Mitchell (Nutin But the Juice). He's one of the friendliest guys at the market.

9. The grilled turkey burgers at Chesapeake Bay Old Style Sauces/Gary's Terrific Turkey Burgers. Come back in 10 minutes, and yours will be ready.

10. The selection of organic herbs from Cats Paw Organic Farm in Union Bridge, Md.

-- Bonnie S. Benwick