Visitors flocked to the changed Thursday Night Market in Folsom last night, with entertainment, craft booths and something everyone has been asking for – a larger Farmers Market.
Farmers had a wide variety of locally grown produce and locally grown or processed food products. On the Brenner Ranch stone fruits booth, I found peaches, nectarines, apricots, grapes, cherries, nuts and blueberries. Snow’s Citrus Court had a great range of bottled gourmet products including a marinade, infused oil, stir fry, zesty orange vinaigrette, orange balsamic vinaigrette and Mandarin Orange Ice Cream Topping. – see the video below.
Nod Neleh had beautiful organic swiss chard, herbs, including purple basil, lavender, rosemary, pineapple sage and lemon balm, plus raspberries, summer squash, yellow squash and straight neck squash, acorn squash, zuccini, live growing red romaine lettuce, endives, cilantro, sweet basil and indian corn, sweetcorn, lemon cucumbers, scallop squash and red raspberry plants. WOW, what a selection!
Renee Charleston, from the Charleston Lavender Farm at Colfax brought several varieties of lavender, including lavender bouquets and neck wraps. That was followed by a great kitchen selection of beatiful large, sweet strawberries, raspberries, carrots, beets and broccoli.
Next, was Monica with Calolea extra virgin olive oil from Loma Rica, between Marysville and Grass Valley, off Highway 20. She had award-winning extra virgin olive oil, three infused oils, garlic, maya lemon and orange, plus white balsamic vinegar and dark balsamic vinegar.
Then, there were many beautiful flowers, from a garden in Sacramento, plus mexican zuccini, bok choi and baby bok choi, cilantro and garlic – I bought some last week, and it was great!
Carol Orlando from the House of Bread again had a wide range of beautiful breads, made in her “make from scratch bakery,” using only unbleached and unbromated white flour – no chemicals. Breads included blueberry crumble, sourdough, apple cinnamon squirrel – the very popular top seller, cheese breads including jalopeno jack, garlic cheddar and basil parmagian. There was the traditional jewish Chahalah and sliced breads including bavarian rye and grandma’s white, plus pumpkin, banana, lemon and carrot bread.
Coffee Pot Ranch from Sheridan, CA, brought their premium cuts USDA Inspected Meat. They raise everything they sell, which includes center cut loin chops, boneless loin roast, spare ribs, breakfast sausage and pork cube stew meat for kabobs.
Mary Bruno from Granite Bay brought her Santa Ana Coffee, produced on her sister-in-law’s farm in Santa Ana. There was dark roast, that comes as whole bean or ground, breakfast blend, which is a lighter roast and for real coffee enthusiasts, green beans.
Camelia from Twin Peaks Orchards, near Newcastle, brought beautiful fruit from her family’s orchards, which they have farmed since 1912, when her grandparents came to California from Japan. She brought a nice selection of stone fruits – nectarines, peaches and apricots, plus squash. Camelia said “A new addition to our farm is a certified food processing facility, where we’re able to use all of our fruits in preserves, salsa and baked goods, including pies, mini-pies and tarts.”
Some of the farmers told FolsomLocalNews that the local restaurants are ordering from them because of the top quality.
So we invite you to come down to the Folsom Thursday Night Market next week – and every week – to get your local fresh produce.
