Boulder County Farmers Markets will kick off the in-person market season on April 3 with the Boulder and Longmont Saturday markets, opening additional locations and times later this spring and summer.
The Wednesday evening market in Boulder will begin on May 5, the Lafayette market is set to start in July and the Denver Union Station market will open on May 8, according to a news release.
The market set up will be similar to the way things worked in the fall, said Executive Director Brian Coppom, with coronavirus safety measures like one-way traffic, metered attendance and social distancing.
Coppom said he hopes that some of those restrictions will be relaxed as the season goes on, but he has been warned by Boulder County Public Health not to anticipate any changes this year.
Customers can continue to reserve a shopping time or walk up without a reservation. The Saturday markets in Boulder and Longmont will be open from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. to serve groups vulnerable to COVID-19, including those over 65 years old. Curbside and delivery programs will continue throughout the year.
Coppom said the Boulder County Farmers Markets and producers saw a dramatic increase in demand for locally grown products during the pandemic.
“We certainly saw with the pandemic what it looks like when our food system stops working, and that’s what we saw when we saw empty grocery store shelves,” Coppom said. “The opportunity to choose an alternative, which in this case is the local food system, really became important.”
Some producers who also offer community supported agriculture shares saw record participation numbers, Coppom said, with one farm growing from a 220-member program to more than 900 members last year.
“I think it really points to the importance of having balance,” he said. “There’s a lot of advantages to our industrialized food systems, but it’s also important to have alternatives, to have other systems in place so there’s more choice, more opportunity and more balance in the whole system.”
Local food systems also allow consumers to choose values like supporting pollinators, fair labor practices and good water management, Coppom said — things that are not always transparent in industrial food systems.
Boulder County Farmers Markets will feature 32 new vendors this year, including produce, wool, flowers, bread, prepared meals and food. The Longmont market will also have fresh cut flowers for sale this year.
New vendors at the market include The Humble Fungus, Rough and Ready Farm, Whitetail Farm Flowers, Bread and Baklava, The Cocktail Cavern and Venus Spice Co.
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March 19, 2021 at 08:07AM
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Boulder County Farmers Markets open April 3 - Longmont Times-Call
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