Hollister
– Tara Alonzo, sitting under the afternoon sun with her two
daughters sharing a steaming baked potato, had no trouble in
explaining why she brought her family to opening day of the
Hollister Downtown Association’s annual Certified Farmers Market
Wednesday.
Hollister – Tara Alonzo, sitting under the afternoon sun with her two daughters sharing a steaming baked potato, had no trouble in explaining why she brought her family to opening day of the Hollister Downtown Association’s annual Certified Farmers Market Wednesday.
“You can’t find a cauliflower like this at the store,” she said, pointing to a clear plastic sack holding a flawless, fresh cauliflower as big as a bowling ball.
Dozens of people wandered through the booths set up on the grassy lot on the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets Wednesday admiring the fresh, organic produce and enjoying the wide variety of snacks available – a good opening day for the event that organizers hope is a sign that the market will have a good season. The market, an HDA tradition for years, will be open every Wednesday between 3 and 7pm through August.
“We wait for it every year. We get so excited,” said Alonzo, who also bought some tomatoes from the Swank Farms booth.
Along with the tomatoes and the cauliflower, asparagus, strawberries, mushrooms, baked goods, cut flowers, fresh seafood and cooked meat are among the offerings at the farmers market. Much of the produce comes from local farms.
Paul Hain of John Hain and Sons in Tres Pinos, who was on hand selling organic walnuts and eggs, anticipates that it will be a good year for the market.
“Every year it seems like more people are interested in getting fresher food,” he said. “They do that by shopping at local farmers markets.”
The eggs, for example, are packed fresh – no more than four days old, according to Hain. Grocery store eggs are often a month old, he said.
“You can’t find fresher eggs in a store,” Hain said.
Terence Welch, sales manager for Phil Foster Ranch, said that the farmers market gives his company a chance to sell their produce locally. Usually they sell at other farmers markets and retailers, such as Whole Foods.
“We like for local people to have access to what we grow,” he said. “In the old days, there was no Phil Foster Ranch product available in the area.”
On Wednesday, Phil Foster Ranch was selling lettuce. As the season progresses, though, they’ll offer beets, broccoli, carrots and more.
Like all HDA events, the farmers market is aimed at getting people into downtown Hollister, according to HDA market manager Charlene Van Rooy. If people come for the farm fresh produce, they might stay and discover the rest of downtown, she said.
Some market patrons do spend money in other downtown establishments. Ignacio Velazquez, who owns the Vault restaurant adjacent to the market, said that his business picks up noticeably during on Wednesday afternoons when the market is on.
“Last year we did start to see an increase,” he said. “(The market) is a great thing.”
Getting people downtown is the big reason Hollister Councilman Brad Pike is a fan of the farmers market. But, he said, the food and a chance to socialize are also high on his list.
“I wish it was longer and bigger,” Pike said, “It’s an opportunity for people to come downtown, an opportunity to meet each other and be able to shop for some produce from our community producers.”
Hollister Mayor Robert Scattini said that he gets to the market as often as he can – as long as he doesn’t have some government meeting to attend. Tomatoes and artichokes are among his favorite things to buy.
“I think it’s good for the city,” he said. “Every year it seems to get better.”
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at lr****@fr***********.com
