With summer winding down and fall not yet at full throttle, the Pioneer Farmers Market is pumping the brakes for a couple of weeks.

Thursday will be the last weekday market of summer and, perhaps of the season.

“After Labor Day, the Pioneer Farmers Market will only be open on Saturdays, but customers can still place orders for produce from the producers and it will be delivered on Saturday,” said Pam Sanders, market manager. “We still have a good variety of produce such as peas, butterbeans, muscadines, sweet potatoes, turnips, squash and okra.

And we should have them all available on Thursday for Labor Day weekend.”

After this week, the Pioneer Farmers Market will be Saturday only.

“There are a couple of reasons,” Sanders said. “One is that there’s a slight break between the summer harvest season and the fall season moving into full swing. In two to three weeks, we should have a good variety of fall produce, including fall tomatoes, peppers of different kinds, radishes, sweet potatoes, squash, okra and collards. The fall market should be a good one.”

Another reason for the Saturday only market is a decrease in customer support.

“Maybe, that’s because school has started and people are having to get used to a different routine,” Sanders said, adding that the farmers market continues to be the place to get farm fresh produce at a competitive price while supporting local farmers.

Sanders said seniors who have Farmers Market Authority vouchers need to use them by Nov. 15. After that date the vouchers are void.

Plans are to keep the Pioneer Farmers Market open until mid November and, if customer support increases enough to support a weekday market, that will be an option.