When asked, Wayne Hall doesn’t mind revealing the secret to his sweet tomatoes.

His advice is hardly proprietary, and he doles it out freely at his booth at the Concord Farmers’ Market: fertilize the plant with spoiled milk. The questions he greets with the most enthusiasm, though, are queries about what to do with his tomatoes once they’ve arrived at a customer’s loving home – how to cook them, what to pair them with, how to know when they’re just ripe enough for consumption.

“Every farmer I know, they’re always willing to tell you their favorite recipes, how they like their zucchini or their tomatoes. I can tell you with my tomatoes and another farm’s oils across the street, you have a great, fresh salad,” Hall said.

Hall owns Rockey Ole’ Farm in Concord and has served as president of the farmers’ market for 12 years. Come Saturday, May 3, the market’s opening day, he’ll be surrounded by leafy greens, lettuces and radishes at his booth on Capitol Street, opposite from the State House lawn.

The market’s offerings are bound to evolve as warmer weather ushers in tomato, cucumber and berry harvests, yet from the first Saturday in May to the last Saturday in October, its mission will remain the same: to provide the freshest seasonal produce and baked goods and to promote local agriculture.

For customers, this availability of farm-fresh foods presents not only an opportunity to support the local food economy but also to eat more conscientiously.

At the Merrimack County Conservation District’s booth, market-goers can exchange Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), credit or debit card dollars for wooden tokens that can be used to make purchases from vendors who only accept cash. Granite State Market Match, an incentive program that doubles Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dollars spent on fresh produce, and the Veterans Value Bucks program will be available at the Concord Farmer’s Market.

Veterans, their spouses or their caregivers can receive $20 in Veterans Value Bucks at the conservation district’s booth by presenting a DD214, a Veteran Health Identification Card, an active duty ID or another related identification card.

The programs reflect Hall’s belief that “everyone deserves access to local, fresh, healthy foods — fresher is always better.”

Hall said farmers welcome questions about cooking with their produce. Some even keep fliers at their booths with recipe suggestions that emphasize healthy eating and spotlight the food they’ve grown. The best way to find inspiration to eat healthy at a farmer’s market, he said, is simply to make conversation.

“It’s okay to hear someone else tell you eating fresh is good for you, but if you’re talking to the person that’s done the growing, they can really tell you what’s good for you,” Hall added.

The Concord Farmers’ Market will take place every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon, beginning on May 3 and ending on October 25. Here’s a list of some of the vendors you may find there: 

Swallow Ridge; New England Fish Mongers; Coffin Cellars Winery; Sun Fox Farm; Bread Peddler; Potter Farm; Fresh Start Farms; Meadow View Farm; Wild Berry Farm; Garrison City Nut Works; Turning Mill Farm; Prodigal Brewing; Birch Rise Farm; KYS Food for Dogs; Meta Micro Greens; Concord Bee Co; Horse Feathers Ostrich; Apple Hill Farm; Blakeneys Bakery; Morrill Farm; Potters Beef Farm; Rockey Ole Farm; Celeste Oliva; Mrs Beasley's Dog Treats; Granite Ledge Coffee; Mt Dearborn Farm; Hickory Nut Farm; Lindon Garlic Farm; Savvy Sweets; Hop N Hen Farm; Grow Love Tulips; East Coast Sales; Grand View Farm; Tilton Hill Goat Farm; Abbott Creamery; Woodsman's Artisan Bakery; N.H. Mushroom Co.; Kearsarge Gore Farm; Claytons Way Farm; Yakum Hill Farm; Twisted Mallow Co.; Tamworth Distillery; Abigail's Bakery; Earth Made Body Care; Sweet Beets Farm; Chichester Country Store.

For more information, visit www.concordfarmersmarket.com.

Rebeca Pereira can be reached at rpereira@cmonitor.com