Walking down Santa Cruz Ave on a Sunday morning, you’ll notice the smell of fresh flowers and baked goods, and the sound of people bustling about. Tents line the nearby streets as vendors arrive and people start to trickle in to buy fruits, vegetables, and other goods. Menlo Park’s local farmers market is open year-round from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings. It contains a variety of fresh and local produce for people to explore, from funky fungi to delicious dates. Buying locally is a great way to get involved in your community by helping out smaller farmers and meeting new people, all the while making your shopping more sustainable.
Each stand at the farmers market is unique, from small to medium sized farms and businesses in and around the Bay Area. Some of my favorites are Far West Fungi, Medina Berry Farm, and Little Sky Bakery.
Far West Fungi is a mushroom farm centered in Moss Landing, near Santa Cruz. They have a wide selection of mushroom products, such as oyster mushrooms and shiitake, and even sell mushroom grow kits on their online store! Their mushrooms are meaty and delicious, and certainly worth a try. [insert photo]
Medina Berry Farm sells a variety of fruit including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, limes, lemons, and even guava. The fruit is juicy, flavorful, and preservative-free!
Little Sky Bakery specializes in baked goods. Some of their unique offerings include jalapeno-cheddar rings, raisin walnut bread, olive rosemary bread, cookies, and mushroom flats. You can find out more about their baked goods at their website.
A seller at Medina Berry Farm commented, “I really enjoy working here, I get to meet different people.”
Owen from Far West Fungi echoed, “Working here has been a really good experience, you get to know your customers.”
Not only does the farmers market offer a great opportunity to get some fresh treats and support small businesses, but it’s also one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Buying locally is much more sustainable than buying from large grocery stores and big brands. The fuels used to transport food over long distances emit an estimated one fifth of the one third of total greenhouse gas emissions generated by food systems. Furthermore, large companies often use copious amounts of fertilizers and pesticides. These can damage the ecosystems of nearby streams and rivers in addition to emitting carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Local farms like Far West Fungi run on a much smaller scale and use more sustainable growing techniques.
According to Owen, “We grow [our mushrooms] all on organic sawdust blocks, so there is a limited effect on the environment.”
Senior Simone McCreary, who works at the Magnolia Produce stand, said, “All of our produce is grown in a greenhouse, all the water is reused, and there are no sprays or pesticides.”
This coming Sunday, I highly recommend visiting the Menlo Park farmers market! Get outside and taste the fresh fruit, vegetables, and unique goodies for a yummy meal or maybe buy some fresh flowers to brighten up your home. Enjoy the community event and make the most of this Menlo Park gem!
