The Historic Lewes Farmers Market presents a doubleheader demonstration July 19

At the Historic Lewes Farmers Market Saturday, July 19, customers will find the freshest produce Delmarva has to offer as well as meat, fish, chicken, freshly laid eggs, breads, milk, yogurt, ice cream, plants, herbs, and more as well as fresh flowers for the table.

The market is open from 8 a.m. to noon on the grounds of the Lewes Historical Society at 110 Shipcarpenter St. The HLFM is the largest producer-only market in Delaware, again named Best Farmers Market by Delaware Today.

At 9 a.m., Cape Flavors columnist Denise Clemons will demonstrate how to make the traditional Italian bread salad known as panzanella, incorporating a wide range of market products from bread to basil to fresh tomatoes. Patrons will enjoy sampling this deconstructed sandwich in a bowl. Clemons holds a BA in biopsychology from Vassar College and an MA in writing from Johns Hopkins University. She spent the first 20 years of her career as an executive in the technology industry before leaving the corporate world to devote her energies to the nonprofit arena. When Clemons moved to Lewes in 2005, she began writing a weekly food column for the Cape Gazette newspaper. She is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and conducts cooking demonstrations and nutrition workshops throughout the Cape region.

At 10:30, Keith Irwin of the market's Old World Breads, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, will delight his audience while preparing flatbreads and the many options for ingredients, and tartines, the fancy French open-faced sandwich topped with assorted fresh ingredients from the market. Irwin prides himself on using the freshest ingredients in his breads and toppings.

To help celebrate National Farmers Market Week, on Saturday, Aug. 9, the Historic Lewes Farmers Market will host its Eighth Annual Tomato Festival on the grounds of the Lewes Historical Society. HLFM vendors will have an extraordinary array of delicious local tomatoes just picked and ready for the table. Patrons will have the opportunity to taste over 60 different varieties of ripe, juicy Delmarva tomatoes at vendors' tents. There will also be face painting and the market's version of corn hole - tomato hole - for children, guess the number of cherry tomatoes, and the very popular Great Tomato Recipe Contest. Prizes will be awarded to recipe contest winners. Forms to enter the contest will be available at the market July 19 and as a link in the market's weekly newsletter. To receive the HLFM newsletter, email historiclewesfarmersmarket@comcast.net to be added to the subscription list. Interested contestants can also email the market and ask for a form.

The market continues its tradition of beginning the free Annual Bike Raffle on Bike to Market Day. The bike this year is a 2014 Phat Sea Breeze Deluxe, Black Cherry Red Single Speed Cruiser. The bell sounds like a doorbell, and of course, the bike comes with an easy-release basket that can be taken to market. The winning ticket will be drawn Saturday, Aug. 30 (Labor Day weekend).

The Children's Reading Program at the market takes place 9 to 10 a.m. every Saturday at the School House. The Lewes Public Library is cosponsoring this event, and Maureen Miller, children's librarian, reads the stories and does projects with the kids. The event is for ages 3 to 8, but all children are welcome to attend with their parents. Each week, a special book is chosen to reflect the themes of growth, change and healthy eating. This week, in keeping with the market theme, the featured book is "Oliver’s Vegetables" by Vivian French.

The market continues to process SNAP (EBT Food Stamps). To help lower economic barriers to local, healthy food, the HLFM will match up to $10 with HLFM Bonus Bucks. SNAP participants are encouraged to go to the SNAP Information Tent at the market to redeem the Bonus Bucks incentive.

Specific types and varieties of fresh meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, flowers, and plants are listed by vendor in theHLFM newsletter sent to patrons on the first Thursday of the month during the market season. Newsletters the remainder of the month will highlight featured vendors and selected produce.

The Historic Lewes Farmers Market has adopted a policy that pets (with the exception of service animals) are not permitted at the market.

Consistent with its mission, the Board of Directors of the HLFM is committed to supporting farmers and emerging farmers who grow local fruits, vegetables and produce - a real farmers market.

More information about the market is available at www.historiclewesfarmersmarket.org. Find them on Facebook. Visit historiclewesfarmersmarket@comcast.net.