Vine-ripened tomatoes.

Juicy red strawberries.

Fresh eggs and succulent shrimp, scallops and the like.

That’s just a taste of what customers will find at the Suffolk Farmers Market, which opens today for the summer.

The market will be open from 9 a.m. to noon each Saturday in downtown Suffolk, in the Seaboard Station Railroad Museum on North Main Street.

&uot;It’s going to be wonderful,&uot; said Theresa L. Earles, the city’s tourism development coordinator. &uot;We’ve got an ideal location in the heart of downtown.&uot;

The market has nearly doubled the number of vendors slated to participate in this year’s market, she said. Nine vendors – up from five last year – will be on hand Saturday, including Dismal Acres, Full Quiver Farm, Hedgepath Farms, Just for the Health of It, Old Man and the Seafood, Sunbeam Farm, The Real Bread Shop, Three Sisters Berry Farm and Vick Farms.

There will be entertainment on several weekends, including this Saturday, when the funky band, Ancient Men, take the stage. The Coal City Bluegrass Band and the Suffolk Peanut City Cloggers will appear on June 4 and June 11 respectively.

Come mid-summer, the market is expected to expand to two days each week, Earles said.

&uot;It kind of depends on how the farmers are doing with their crops at that time,&uot; she said. &uot;So much depends on the weather for them.&uot;

For more details, contact the Suffolk Visitor Center at 923-3880 or log onto www.Suffolk-Fun.com.

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com