Inflation has impacted consumer pockets in many industries including gas prices, however, everyone can agree food prices have continually soared since the beginning of the pandemic. As many cut down those grocery lists, some head to the local Farmers Market.
Farmers markets offer opportunities for small businesses to sell their produce, baked goods, or other homemade items directly to locals without the cost of a middle man. These lower prices are gaining appeal across the country and locally as we have three popular farmers markets here, Old Town Clovis, Riverpark, and Blackstone and Shaw.
The Old Town Clovis market is open on Saturday mornings year-round from 9-11:30 a.m., located on Pollasky from Fifth street to Bullard.
With Spring in the air, another option are Friday night farmers markets in Old Town from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., which can be found on Pollasky, from 3rd to 7th street. Usually, this includes family-friendly entertainment and brings a larger crowd. These evening markets begin April 29, running through Oct. 28th.
Away from the huge crowds and produce of big-name corporations, such as Costco and Winco, these markets transport you to a simpler time.
Senior Bryan Barrios tells why a personal experience at a farmers market can be better than buying produce at the grocery store.
“I would say buying produce at farmers market is sometimes better than buying it at the store because you can really see how the people want to provide,” Barrios shares, “and it usually comes in shipments at, like, Savemart, but these people actually produce it themselves and actually try to sell out to the public.”
Apart from just fruits and vegetables, live music and food joints can be found throughout some farmers markets. Some food places in Old Town Clovis near the market are Scoops, Soups & More, a 50’s themed ice cream shop, or On the Edge Coffee House, a cafe with a country aesthetic.
At farmers market, customers enjoy shopping at the small Ma-and-Pop-shop stands. The stands sell many things, from fresh food for at-home cooking to homemade candles.
Freshman Jeremy Reimer says why he buys produce at farmers market.
“Some of the stuff you find at farmers market you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else,” Reimer says, “and it’s fresh,”
A majority of the products at Farmers Market are either homegrown or handmade by local sellers. The products at Busy Bee Honey Farm, owned by John & Lynette Ballis are all produced by the owners; selling honey and homemade candles made from beeswax.
Lynette Ballis, the wife of John Ballis, describes the harvesting of their honey in order to manufacture their goods.
Ballis said, “We harvest all our own honey, we have around sixty hives that we pull honey off of. We extract the honey, clean the wax, then I make these wax candles.”
Ballis then explains the process of making the candles.
“My husband cuts the wax off the frames of honey, he spins the honey out, then he saves the wax that he cuts off,” Ballis said, “I then strain it through cheesecloth, … and once it’s clean I melt it again, and pour it into silicone molds, let them cool off, then I take them out.”
Busy Bee Honey Farm, a partnership company, also sells products elsewhere in the Valley, such as Intermountain Nursery, or Sierra View Nursery.
Honey is one of the many things you can find when visiting a farmers market. Stalls may sell anything from produce to sweet treats to homemade childrens’ toys. Farmers markets may even sell full meals, such as The Grove in LA. Come out, eat some food, and support the farmer’s market!
