The Turlock Certified Farmers Market has started earlier than ever.
On Saturday, the market rang in their first ever spring season, which featured 30 vendors and welcomed hundreds of visitors.
“There were so many people. I wasn’t really expecting it, so it was kind of stressful, but it was very fun and so exciting for us to see,” said market director Nick Schuller.
The spring market will serve as a precursor for the regular market season, which runs every Saturday from May 4 through October. In March and April from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the spring market will take over East Main Street between South Palm Street and North Thor Street. Once May rolls around, it will expand to its regular space from Palm to Center Street.
Schuller explained that the decision to create a two-month spring market came from popular demand from vendors and customers.
“There are several vendors that are only seasonal. They can’t sell their produce because it doesn’t grow in the winter or spring time. But for the vendors who are year-round, they went up to me as market manager and said, ‘Hey, we want to go year-round.’ Well, telling them that the farmers market isn't open was not an acceptable answer,” Schuller joked. “So we decided we'll extend the season. We didn’t know if it was going to be popular with everybody, but it was, which was great to see.”
Of the 30 vendors participating in the inaugural spring season, six are entirely new to the market.
Returning for the new spring season is Precious Pooch Dog Bakery, Fun Pair, Maria's Mariscos and Mexican Food, Rosa's Portuguese Bakery, Green Vine Canning, Jazzie's Sweets, Inland Roasters, Hummus Heaven, Caffeinated Cow, Soaps by Hailey, Golden Comb, Johnson Brothers Woodshop, It's Just Jerky, Alexandre Dairy, Flourish Bread Co., Hella Fly Tie-Dye, Drakes Specialty Foods, Way of Life Farms, Loved Creations, Jars of Delicious, Churro Guys, Wolfsens Meat and Sausages, Ledesma Family Farms and Gustine Gourmet Mushrooms.
New vendors are Jewelry by Mamta, One Love Kettle Corn, Aldrin Bros Almonds, Enzo's Seasonings, Royalty Rolls ice cream and a Bolani stand. Bolani is Afghani stuffed flat-bread, a food that Schuller described as an Afghani quesadilla.
This weekend, Perfect Pet Presents and Iced Out shaved ice will join the batch of vendors. May Day Nursery will make their first appearance on March 16. More vendors are expected in April when the weather warms.
“The 30 vendors I have signed up is about as many as I can fit on just this block,” Schuller said. “Now that we have this first spring season out of the way, I’m more familiar with how much work it takes, so we may see it every year now if it remains popular. So if we want to expand, we’ll have to work with the city to shut down the other block we usually use. But as of now, this is all we have to work with.”
When the regular season gets started in May, Schuller expects there to be around 60 vendors.
The spring market is the second time the Turlock Certified Farmers Market has expanded. In 2022, TCFM introduced their winter farmers market inside the Tower Health and Wellness Center at 1801 Colorado Ave. Last year, the market held their winter season between Palm and Center in November and December.
Also new this year are a trio of board members — President Pamela Werther, Vice President Allison Jeffery and board member Marissa Miranda.
“With some new members, we’re excited to see what new ideas they can bring to the table to make our market even better,” Schuller said.
The early start to the market this past weekend also coincided with the opening of the the market’s two scholarship applications, the TCFM Jeani Ferrari and Elizabeth Claes Scholarships, each established to support two graduating high school seniors in the Turlock area who exemplify the values of the TCFM and who plan post-high school studies in this general area.
Applications, which will be accepted through March 31, should clearly connect to the TCFM mission, which is to provide community members with a deeper connection with where food comes from, provide access to locally-grown, fresh and healthy produce, and educate about the agricultural products that are local to our area. Students interested can apply at www.turlockmarket.org/scholarships.
Applications also are open to be a vendor at the Turlock Certified Farmers Market, and can be filled out and submitted at www.turlockmarket.org/vendors.
