Farmers markets are brimming with the season's first blush of strawberries, baby lettuce and spring onions.

Those you know what to do with. But what about bitter melon, green garlic or sorrel?

The best markets and vendors don't just sell it to you, they show you how to use it. With a lot of markets now in full swing, many are ramping up their cooking demonstrations, showing customers how to use both the familiar and the unfamiliar.

Linton Hopkins, chef of Restaurant Eugene, is founder of the Peachtree Road Farmers Market in Buckhead at the Cathedral of St. Philip, now in its second year. Hopkins has introduced cooking demos for the first time this spring. He plans to bring in other high-profile chefs along the way to teach people how to get the most out of what they load into their canvas bags. With strawberries in season, a jam-making session is on the horizon.

"We're going to show people how to jar, so they can take home [not] just a pound of strawberries but take a flat and really get back to 'putting up,' " or canning, Hopkins said.

At the Morningside Farmers Market recently, a crowd braved gathering storm clouds to watch preparation of a goat cheese dish made with cheese from the Fromagerie Belle Chevre in Alabama. Belle Chevre president Tasia Malakasis was on hand to help roll slices of ham around the downy, white cheese and crisp stalks of asparagus. Ann Brewer, who coordinates demonstrations for the market, passed out samples and also pressed a handout with a green garlic soup recipe into the hands of an attendee.

"It's delicious," Brewer confided, as though sharing a long-held secret with a friend.

Even if a market doesn't have a hands-on demonstration or recipes to share, most farmers are able to offer simple preparation techniques for even their most uncommon produce.

"Ask the farmer," said Holly Hollingsworth, director of the Green Market at Piedmont Park. "It builds a relationship between you and the farmer."

Ray Johnson says he's gotten used to people pointing and asking, "What the heck is that?"

He is one of the mainstays at the Marietta Square Farmers Market. Having spent 28 years stationed in Asia with the Marine Corps, Johnson likes to say he specializes in vegetables that others find odd.

Take bitter melon, a standard in Asian and Caribbean cooking. To the average shopper it looks a bit like a cucumber with warts. But sauteed and combined with egg and meat, or used in a stir-fry, it sings. Johnson does his best to tell the curious how to do it.

"I don't have recipes," Johnson said, "but I tell them the way my wife fixes it."

IN THE BAG

Here's a listing of some of the area's many farmers markets. Visit their Web sites for information on available cooking demonstrations.

Acworth Farmers Market. 7-11 a.m. Fridays. May 23-Oct. 24. Acworth Farmers Market Site, Main Street and Lemon Street, Acworth. 770-974-3112.

Alpharetta Farmers Market. In the city parking lot behind Smokejack Grill. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, through July 26. Also, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 9-Oct. 25. Historic Downtown Alpharetta, Old Roswell Street off Milton Avenue, Alpharetta. 678-297-0102, www.alpharettafarmersmarket.com.

Alto Farmers Market. 1-6 p.m. Sundays. June 1-Sept. 28; 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. June 2-Sept. 27. Jaemor Farm Market, 5340 Cornelia Highway, Alto. 770-869-3999, www.jamsjellies.com.

Atlanta State Farmers Market. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Atlanta State Farmers Market, 16 Forest Parkway, Forest Park. 404-675-1782.

Cherokee Fresh Market. 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays. May 31-Aug. 30. Cagle's Dairy, 362 Stringer Road, Canton. 770-345-5591, www.farmandgardenmarket.com.

Cotton Mill Farmers Market. 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Through Sept. 27. Market Site, East Center Street and Bradley Street, Carrollton. 770-537-3720, cottonmillfarmersmarket.org.

Cumming Farmers Market. 7 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. June 11-Sept. 13. Cumming Fairgrounds, 235 Castleberry Road, Cumming. 770-887-3348, www.cityofcumming.net.

Decatur Organic Farmers Market. 4-7 p.m. Wednesdays. Bank of America parking lot, 163 Clairmont Ave., Decatur. 404-377-0894, www.decaturfarmersmarket.com.

East Atlanta Village Farmers Market. 4 p.m.-dusk Thursdays. May 1-Nov. 27. Village Hardware, 1231 Glenwood Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-275-4064, www.farmeav.com.

Fairburn Farmers Market. 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays. May 10-Oct. 25. Historic Freight Depot, 30 W. Broad St., Fairburn. 770-964-9074 , www.downtownfairburn.com/businesslinkstours/farmersmarket.html.

Green Market at Piedmont Park. Farmers market. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Through Dec. 13. Piedmont Park entrance, 12th Street and Piedmont Avenue, Atlanta. 404-675-1782, www.piedmontpark.org.

Lawrenceville Farmers Market. 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays. July-September. on the Historic Square across from Lil' River Grill, 179 W. Crogan St., Lawrenceville. 678-226-2639, www.visitlawrenceville.com.

Local Farmstand. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Star Provisions, 1198 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-365-0410, Ext. 130, www.starprovisions.com.

Marietta Square Farmers Market. 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Through Aug. 30. Marietta Square, 4 N. Park Square, Marietta. 770-499-9393, www.mariettasquarefarmersmarket.net.

Market Day. Vendors showcase homemade, homegrown and handmade items. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. First Saturday of each month. Through Dec. 6. Free admission. Newnan Courthouse Square, Between West Court Square and East Court Square, Newnan. 770-253-8283, mainstreetnewnan.com.

Morningside Farmers Market. Organic produce. 8-11:30 a.m. Saturdays. Morningside Farmers Market site, 1393 N. Highland Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-313-5784, www.morningsidemarket.com.

Peachtree Road Farmers Market. 8:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Through Oct. 25. Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-365-1078, www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com.

Powder Springs Farmers Market. 4-8 p.m. Thursdays. May 15-Oct. 30. Downtown Powder Springs, Marietta Street, Powder Springs. 770-943-1666, www.cityofpowdersprings.org.

Serenbe Farmers Market. 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Through Nov. 22. Selborne Green near the Hil Restaurant, 9110 Selborne Lane, Palmetto. 770-463-9319, www.serenbe.com.

Spruill Green Market. 8 a.m.-noon Wednesdays. May 7-Nov. 26. Spruill Gallery, 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. 770-214-8531.

Suwanee Farmers Market. 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Through Sept. 13; 8 a.m.-noon. Saturdays. Sept. 27-Oct. 11. Suwanee Town Center Park, 370 Buford Highway, Suwanee. 770-945-8996, www.suwanee.com.

Village Market. Farmers market. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays. May 15-Sept. 25. Life University, 1269 Barclay Circle, Marietta. 770-426-2605, www.life.edu.

RARITIES, RECIPES

> Bitter melon (above) and sorrel are among the unusual produce that can sometimes be found in farmers markets.

> Check out recipes that use some of the veggies now at markets. K3

 ELIZABETH LANDT / Staff
HERE'S WHEN YOU'LL FIND YOUR FAVORITES
Illustration of two lists featuring vegetables, when they are available and when their peak harvests are.