American humorist S.J. Perelman was famous for his wit, sophistication, and his genius for the clever turn of phrase. Gardening was not one of his skills, but that didn’t stop him from giving advice to gardeners: “Tomatoes and squash never fail to reach maturity,” he observed. “You can spray them with acid, beat them with sticks and burn them; they love it.”

Anyone trying to keep a garden this year knows that isn’t true. This spring’s icy fingers didn’t loosen their grip on Connecticut’s soil until well into June, and anyone trying to coax tomatoes, squash, or anything else for their summer pantries out of the ground probably is a little frustrated at this point. Fortunately, we have experts working for us, and starting this week they have opened a Tuesday morning dispensary in Sandy Hook, offering vegetables and other summer remedies for those of us starved for the tastes of summer. And, mind you, this is not food that has been sprayed with acid and beaten with sticks. It is organic food, cultivated and coddled all the way to the market.

The new Organic Farmers Market behind St John’s Church in Sandy Hook center faced real challenges in meeting the pent-up demand for summer produce, baked goods, and general good cheer that arises when people mix with food. One vendor never made it because an electrical storm came crashing down on his Washington farm, and others quickly sold out their stores of raspberries, lettuce, squash, potatoes, fresh garlic, and other early summer crops. But some, including Jim and Sue Shortt of Sandy Hook, hung in there to the 1 pm closing time, declaring that the Tuesday morning crowd that showed up to shop at the market had given the inaugural market a great send off and incentive for an even better showing in the weeks to come.

We lament the disappearance in recent decades the last vestiges of Newtown’s long agrarian tradition, but this new arrival in the middle of the week in the middle of Sandy Hook gives us hope that all is not lost — especially this year when our own gardens seem to be in such disarray.