Farmers market returns to the Springs

In an ongoing push to encourage healthier eating, with a particular eye toward the Hispanic community, the organizers of the Springs Community Farmers Market will set up shop every Sunday through December in the “plaza” north of the Boyes Boulevard post office.

The market, one of 12 organized and run by Agricultural Community Events Farmers Markets, made its debut during the summer of 2017. The original location in Larson Park proved a poor fit for a farmers market, according to market officials, prompting selection of the more visible location along Highway 12 for the market’s second season. Also, the original market was an afternoon affair, with picnicking and socializing encouraged.

The new iteration of the Springs Farmers Market is hoping for a decidedly more utilitarian bent, open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Springs Community Farmers Market will continue to offer $10 in matching funds for shoppers using Calfresh cards, the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system used in California for redemption of issued public assistance. Partnering with Calfresh is an acknowledgment of the demographics of the Springs, as well as an effort to “decolonize the diet,” in the parlance of 2017 market vendor Sister Womyn Fire Farm.

The Springs Community Farmers Market runs Sundays from Oct. 7 to Dec. 15.