Sweet Corn, Juicy Peaches & All the Best of Early July

July Is Here — and the Stand Is Overflowing

There's a certain magic that arrives with the first full week of July. The air smells like sunscreen and charcoal, front porches fill up in the evenings, and the produce stand practically bursts at the seams with the finest fruits and vegetables of the entire year. Here at Open Air Market Produce Stand on Barbourville Road, we've been living for this moment since 1984 — and we can honestly say this early July is looking spectacular.

Whether you're planning a big Fourth of July cookout, putting up preserves for winter, or simply trying to get the freshest ingredients on your dinner table tonight, this is the week to make the trip. Laurel County's longest-running produce market is fully stocked, our team is ready to help you find exactly what you need, and the parking lot has plenty of room for everyone. Come hungry for good food and good conversation.

What's Looking Great This Week

Sweet corn is absolutely stealing the show right now. There are few things in life more satisfying than fresh summer corn — still in the husk, silk still clinging, kernels so full of sugar they practically pop. We have it in abundance this week, so grab a dozen (or two) while it's at its peak. July corn doesn't last long before the season moves on, so don't wait.

Peaches are coming in beautifully ripe, fragrant, and just soft enough to eat over the sink without shame. If you haven't had a real summer peach yet this year, this is your week. Alongside the peaches, look for an excellent selection of tomatoes — from big beefy slicers to smaller varieties perfect for salads and snacking. We also have zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, green beans, cabbage, bell peppers, and sweet onions ready to go. For fruit lovers, watermelons and cantaloupes are in and looking gorgeous — perfect for holiday weekend entertaining.

Fresh herbs, hot peppers, and a rotating selection of specialty items round out what's on the tables this week. As always at a fresh produce stand like ours, availability can shift daily, so your best bet is always to come in and see what catches your eye.

Cookout-Ready: Simple Ways to Use What's in Season

July 4th weekend practically demands good food, and fresh produce from a stand like ours makes everything taste better. Here are a few ideas to spark your imagination this week:

**Grilled Sweet Corn with Herb Butter:** Soak unhusked ears in cold water for 20 minutes, then grill over medium-high heat for about 15–18 minutes, turning occasionally. Pull back the husks, slather with softened butter mixed with fresh herbs, a pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lime. Simple, crowd-pleasing perfection.

**Fresh Tomato & Cucumber Salad:** Slice ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, toss with thinly sliced sweet onion, a drizzle of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and fresh basil. Let it sit for 20 minutes before serving so the flavors meld. It's one of those dishes that tastes like pure summer.

**Peach Cobbler for the Whole Crowd:** Peel and slice about 6–8 ripe peaches, toss with a little sugar and cinnamon, pour into a buttered baking dish, and top with a simple batter of flour, sugar, butter, milk, and baking powder. Bake at 375°F until golden and bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. It's the dessert that makes July feel complete. With a big watermelon chilled in the cooler and a fruit tray loaded with cantaloupe and peaches, your holiday spread is essentially done.

Why Fresh & Seasonal Makes All the Difference

If you've ever bitten into a grocery store tomato in the middle of February and felt vaguely disappointed, you already know the answer. Produce that's in season and sold fresh has a flavor profile that's simply in a different category from what gets shipped long distances and sits in cold storage. July tomatoes taste like July. Peaches picked at the right moment have a perfume and sweetness that can't be replicated a month later.

When you stop at a produce stand instead of defaulting to the grocery store, you're not just getting fresher food — you're getting food at the exact moment it's meant to be eaten. That's the whole philosophy behind what we've been doing in Laurel County since 1984. Our customers come back year after year because they remember what things are supposed to taste like, and they know where to find it. If you've been searching for 'fruits and vegetables near me' and you live in or around London, Kentucky, your search is over — we're right here on Barbourville Road, seven days a week.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Visit

A few quick tips to help you get the most out of your trip to the stand this week:

**Come early on Saturdays.** Our Saturday crowd is our biggest of the week, and for good reason — it's the best day to browse at a relaxed pace. We open at 9 a.m. on Saturdays, so morning shoppers get first pick of everything on the tables. Bring a tote bag or a laundry basket in your trunk — you'll want the room.

**Ask us what's ripest right now.** Our team knows what came in fresh that morning and what needs to be used first. Don't be shy about asking for a recommendation. We love helping people find the best item on the table that day, whether it's pointing you toward the sweetest cantaloupe or helping you pick tomatoes that are just a day away from perfect.

**Buy in bulk when something's at its peak.** July is a great time to put up preserves, pickle cucumbers, or freeze extra sweet corn. When the price is right and the quality is high — and right now both are true — buying a bushel instead of a peck pays off all winter long. We're happy to help with quantities for canning or preserving.

A Laurel County Tradition Worth Keeping

Open Air Market Produce Stand has been part of the London, Kentucky community since 1984 — more than four decades of summer corn, holiday watermelons, canning season, and the familiar faces that come back week after week. For many families in Laurel County, stopping by the stand is simply part of how summer works. It's where you run into neighbors, where kids learn what a real peach smells like, and where the rhythm of the season still means something.

We're proud to be the longest-running produce market in Laurel County, and we don't take that lightly. Every week we show up to make sure our neighbors have access to the freshest, highest-quality fruits and vegetables around. Whether you're a longtime regular or you've just moved to the area and you're looking for the best fresh produce in London, Kentucky — we're glad you found us, and we hope to see you this week.

Come See Us This Week — You Know Where to Find Us

July only comes once a year, and the sweet corn, peaches, and tomatoes at their absolute peak won't wait forever. Make this the week you stop in, load up a basket, and taste what the season is really all about.

📍 **Open Air Market Produce Stand**

1594 Barbourville Rd, London, Kentucky 40744

🕐 **Hours:**

Monday – Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

We're open **7 days a week** with plenty of parking. Bring the family, bring a friend, or just make a quick stop on your way home from work. However you find us, we're here — and we can't wait to see you. Share your haul with us on social media and tag us so we can see what you're making with your summer produce this week!