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SMALL FARM NEWS VOLUME III 2002Diverse – FROM PAGE 1mendous support from the surroundingcity organizations, government agencies,and local vendors who credit the marketwith reinvigorating the area.Now 40 to 50 farmers pack the marketduring peak season. Shoppers can pickfrom a dazzling variety of offerings, fromfresh rhubarb to flaming red tomatoes.“We try to break up commodities to createcustomer movement,” says Best.As for findingnew vendors,Dan Bestsays, “We’re intor eplacementmode, not recruitmentmode.”When afarmer leavesthis market,Best turns toother farmers inthe nine marketSacramentoCertified Farmers Market system that hemanages to find the needed commodity.Before managing the market system, Beststarted out as one of its first farmers, sellingcorn, tomatoes, and bell peppers fromhis family’s farm in Lodi.A Farmer’s Perspective“I’ve got a loyal cult following,” saysTony Mora of Mora Family Farms inDenair, California. “It’s the people whoreally want good fruit,” explains Mora,who says his farmers market customerskeep coming back even though “I’vecharged $1.50 a pound for 10 years.”Mora’s family grows 57 acres ofpeaches, plums and nectarines that theysell at 35 or 40 markets a week in the BayArea and Sacramento regions. Gross salesfluctuate, says Mora. As for customersales, at this market Mora says he hasplenty of one-pound customers. “We’rehustling for a buck,” says Mora. “Thelunch crowd …want one peach for dessert.”His goal is to raise customer spendingto $3 each, and to that end, he’splanted 19 different stone fruit varieties.“Variety is the key,” says Mora. “Peoplebuy more then.”One of those people is Susan Rose,who walks to the market every Wednesdayfrom her federal government jobacross the street. “I like to help out thesmall farmer, because I know how hard itis for them to make ends meet,” Rose says.“It’s well publicized how hard it is to keepthe small farm alive these days.”Market vegetables glow with health; Dan Best getsmarket help from his daughter Angela Allen; andRenae Best discusses mustard greens with a vendor.On-site Education ProgramBefore Renae Best started her farmersmarket education program, some ofthe children “didn’t even know what apeach was,” she says. Best and her husbandDan had managed farmers marketsin Sacramento’s low income areas for yearswhen she decided to develop an educationalprogram to teach children aboutfresh fruits and vegetables.Begun in 1996, her program linksfarmers markets with fourth grade studentsin Sacramento and Elk Groveschools. Area farmers markets serve asBest’s lively outdoor classroom. As manyas three classes a day and 34 students at atime pour off the bus to start their lessons.After her introduction, Best sendsthem off with worksheets they must fillout “like a scavenger hunt. It’s all aboutthe nutritional value of the food that’s inthe market.”The children also tally the number offarmers from each California county byreading the farm banners posted in eachstall. When the worksheets are complete,students trade them for a market tokenworth 25 cents. “Sometimes the little girlsput their tokens together to buy flowersfor their mom,” says Best.This fall, Best launches a new programat Sacramento’s Cal Expo. Studentsvisiting its demonstration farm will thentour the new Cal Expo Farmers Market.“They can see it in the field and on thetable,” says BestCameronP a r kFarmer’sMarketT h eCameron ParkFarmers Marketin El DoradoCounty is onlyin its secondyear of existence,but has alreadygained aloyal group ofvendors and customers. Alauna Bray, whosold her famous garlic and heirloomPomodoro tomatoes at other area marketsfor eight years, was determined to makethe market a reality. Last year, she gathereda small group of growers to sell theirproduce at the market just weeks beforeit opened. Due to last year’s success, thisyear’s market boasts a variety of products,from seasonal farm produce and fresh cutflowers to organic olive oil and freshbaked bread.“Selling at the market is the mostwonderful thing I have ever done in myentire life,” says Bray. “It’s fun, and youget to know people.”The Cameron Park location was chosenbecause the area, east of Sacramento,is growing so rapidly. Located on a parkinglot between the grassy picnic area andchildren’s playground at Christa McAuliffePark, the market is held on Wednesdaysand Saturdays and provides an ideal locationfor family outings.Unlike other area markets with longwaiting lists, this market is looking for additionalvendors for next year. While lo-6
VOLUME III 2002SMALL FARM NEWScal farmers have a good variety of highquality produce, the shorter growing seasonin El Dorado County prohibits themfrom providing a steady supply throughthe fall season. So the market has openedits space to outside vendors, and has agrower coming from Fresno and two familiesbringing Asian vegetables from SacramentoCounty.“We will continue to expand andbring in vendors from outside of ElDorado County,” says Donna Sauber, markettreasurer. “Consumers want cherriesall summer, when they are only ripe for afew weeks locally.”Customersalso like the varietyof productsbeing broughtin by the out-oftowngrowers.Market managerAlan Clarke sayseducating theconsumer issomething farmersmarkets dowell. In August, one of the vendors friedokra to demonstrate how it can be preparedwithout the so-called “sliminess”many people dislike. Growers also talk totheir customers about how the produceis grown and harvested. Many growersalso provide printed recipes for the lesscommonly known Asian vegetables.Alauna Bray is already working onher list of vendors for next year’s market.Interested farmers can reach her at (530)676-3509.Ferry Plaza Farmers MarketTwice a week along the San FranciscoBay, an unremarkable urban corner blossomsinto a colorful market. Every Tuesdayand Saturday, producers and vendorsarrive, the white tents go up, and 5,000to 8,000 shoppers sample, purchase, andeat their way through the Ferry PlazaFarmers Market.This bustling market in downtownSan Francisco, coordinated by the CenterFarmers market scenes include this green hairedvendor, fresh rhubarb, and Tony Mora at his fruit stand.for Urban Education about SustainableAgriculture (CUESA), opened on a Saturdayin May 1993 and has been held eversince. Many of the farmers who squeakedthrough its first lean year, barely makingenough money for gas, are still there today.Now they consider this their mostsuccessful market.The Saturday Ferry Plaza FarmersMarket brings 80 producers — farmers,fishermen and women, flower and plantgrowers, and cheese makers — and 20vendors — bakers, local restaurants, acoffee cart, and chocolate makers — togetheron a parking lot at Embarcaderoand Green.“It’s a delicate balance in the market.We try to make sure we have enough ofeverything, but not too much,” saidTatiana Graf, CUESA’s communicationsmanager.According to Steve Clemens, marketmanager, “The big things that people likeabout our market are the quality of theproduct, the mix of products, and thegrower participation.”This informal educational exchangebetween growers and customers has beena signature of the Ferry Plaza Market, andpart of what makes shoppers so dedicatedto their favorite sellers.Through the “Meet the Producer andShop with the Chef” event, CUESA connectsfar-flung producers and urban chefsevery Saturday from April to November.Sixty attentive shoppers sit around anoutdoor kitchen to hear a producer describehow they grow or make the featureditem, and then watch a chef prepare it.After the cooking demonstration, thecrowd samples the dish and gets a copyof the recipe.These regular shoppers are the heartof the Ferry Plaza Market. Producers describethem as consistent, loyal, and veryknowledgeable about food. They are thetrue San Francisco “foodies.” Characterizedby an appreciation for fresh, highqualityfoods, gourmet dishes, and newflavors, foodies trek to the market in anyweather — rain, shine, or fog — for theirweekly purchases. And they turn out inlarge numbers,pushingthe marketto nearcapacity.“Rightnow, even ifwe had amarketingbudget, weprobablywouldn’twant to useit becauseit’s so crowded already,” says managerClemons.Despite the crowds, public transportationto the market is very limited. Sinceonly one railcar stops nearby, an estimated60 - 70 percent of shoppers drive there.This makes parking a hassle and severelylimits the customer base.In spring 2003, the Ferry Plaza FarmersMarket will move three blocks downEmbarcadero into the newly remodeled,historic Ferry Building. The Ferry Buildinghas much better access to public transportation,which will make the market accessibleto a much broader audience.Article authors: Jamie Anderson, graduateassistant, and Gillian Brady, programrepresentative, Small Farm Center, andSusan McCue, editor. Photography: JamieAnderson and Susan McCue.7
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