By Nicole Zahm
SANTA CRUZ — The Felton Farmers’ Market kicked off on May 3 for another round of afternoon sun in the downtown corridor off Highway 9. Every Tuesday through October, from 2:30-6:30 p.m., the heart of Felton lights up as farmers and food artisans throw up their tents to sell a colorful array of delicious edibles to grocery shoppers and diners alike.
Connecting residents directly with local farms, the Felton Market is a resource for agricultural education and acts as a community-gathering place for families, friends and neighbors. Increasingly focused on mountain town farms, many growers are within ten miles of the market — Shumei selling brassicas and fruit, Stone Meal with micro greens and tomatoes, Santa Cruz Farms known for unique peppers fresh, dried and smoked, Boulder Creek RK Honey and Zayante Vineyards.
This season you’ll find a robust selection of organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, plant starts, pasture-raised chicken, pork, beef and eggs from Lemonade Springs, flowers, fresh breads, seafood, pastries and ready-to-eat cuisine. The Penny Ice Creamery returns with artisanal ice cream, Roli Roti offers rotisserie chicken and new vendors bring new life – Inzane Pops sells farm-to-fruit popsicles like kiwi-kale and straight up strawberry, Back Porch offers street tacos and BBQ, and the neighboring Cremer House is setting up a stand with some of their most loved items – keep your eyes peeled about this partnership.
As tradition goes, the Felton Market will kick off opening day with the Strawberry Shortcake Give Away! Live Earth and Vasquez Farm strawberries topped with whipped cream stacked on Beckmann’s Bakery famous shortbread – trust us, you want a piece of this.
Every week that follows will offer a good-time, family friendly atmosphere. Live bluegrass, jazz and country music keep the feet stomping, a central Kids Zone area reels in the little ones to play and draw and the Market Match program helps EBT (CalFresh) users stretch their dollars for that special basket of berries or bag of sugar snap peas. This season the Felton Market offers more celebratory events than ever before, teaming up with special guests Mountain Feed and Farm Supply for a bigger and better Children’s Day on June 14 and a mystery event on August 16. The Pumpkin Decorating Bonanza pulls the season together in the fall. There is plenty to come out for! Make the Felton Farmers’ Market a weekly outing for the whole family every Tuesday in 2016.
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For more information, contact Nicole Zahm, Education and Events Coordinator at [email protected], or Executive Director Nesh Dhillon at [email protected].