Sharing the bounty: Farmers market at Laurel Mall

DUNBAR - "I just love to work in the soil," says Ed Chlebowski, who operates a farm market at Laurel Mall.

The Mount Pleasant resident and his wife, Virginia, bring the bounty of their garden to the mall's concourse at 9 a.m. every Tuesday from July until the first heavy frost, usually in mid-September.

"We've been doing this for 10 years," says Virginia Chlebowski. "All our produce is organic. We compost and never use insecticides. He just loves to do it, and we can bring people fresh produce."

A retired warehouseman, Ed grows a wide variety of vegetables in his one-acre backyard garden. "Tomatoes and beans are the most popular vegetables," he says. "I have 500 tomato plants."

In addition to tomatoes and green and wax beans, the Chlebowskis sell cucumbers, patty pan squash, rhubarb, peppers, onions, beets, cabbage, kohlrabi, zucchini, garlic, parsley, basil and sweet corn. Everything is fresh and beautiful, they say.

Prices are very reasonable, too. Beans cost $1.50 per basket, and most other vegetables are $1 per bunch or basket.

Some of the zucchini makes its way into zucchini bread, which Virginia bakes from scratch. She also bakes white bread and fruit tarts.

"I enjoy baking and people like homemade bread," she says. Bread costs $1.25 per loaf.

They sell out by 1 p.m. or earlier, the couple reports.

In addition to their location and low prices, the Chlebowskis sell so much because they accept Women, Infant and Children (WIC) checks.

"Not many farmers markets accept WIC checks," Virginia explains. "It's a shame, really. The farmers can sell more produce that way. It helps both the farmers and the families. Many people who get WIC checks don't buy much produce."

To make it easier for WIC recipients to add fresh produce to their diets, the Chlebowskis purchase Pennsylvania-grown fruits like grapes, apples and peaches, which they are permitted to resell under the program. Cash customers may also buy the Pennsylvania fruits.

Laurel Mall manager Shirley Humbertson says that she gets many calls about the farmers market, but the number of farmers has sadly declined over the years. "They're such nice people. It's a shame there's only one family left. There used to be six or seven. It's a lot of work, but homegrown produce is the best. I buy from them."