My mouth is watering as I type these lines: The Shasta Growers Association Saturday Farmers’ Market opens for the season this Saturday, April 10, next to Redding City Hall on Cypress Avenue.
I’m an unabashed fan of farmers’ markets, and I think the Saturday market in Redding is the best of half a dozen in Shasta County.
“Everybody wants to come to Saturday market,” said Ron Epperson, president of the growers association. “We started on a Saturday and people keep coming. We have more vendors there and more customers than anywhere else.”
It’s still early April and the weather, you might have noticed, has been cold. So the first Saturday market might be a little light on fruits and veggies. Still, organizers expect growers to offer – among other things – lettuce, radishes, various onions, strawberries, grapefruit, chard, several kinds of eggs, fresh herbs and meat. Other venders will have olive oil, honey, tamales, wine, baked goods, soaps and potted plants.
“One of the things we’re heavy on is seedlings for the garden,” said Diana McConnel, operations coordinator of Shasta Growers Association. “For those who want to plant their own garden, visit us and see what seedlings and plant starts we have available.
Epperson himself plans to bring greens and Jerusalem artichokes, a tuber that tastes something like jicama. He thought he might have rhubarb and asparagus ready on opening day – but that was before 8 inches of snow fell on his Montgomery Creek farm last week. Such is the life of a farmer.
“Within another week or two we’ll have rhubarb and asparagus,” he promised.
Of course, surprises are half the fun of a farmers’ market. You never know for sure who’s going to be offering what. My wife and I have been to farmers’ markets in at least six states, and it’s interesting to compare the regional differences. We’ve been smitten by strawberries in Ventura, tomatoes in Sebastopol, raspberries in Portland and salmon in Bellingham, Washington. Our favorite at the Redding market may be the crunchy greens that are usually available through June.
Other Shasta Growers Association markets are scheduled to open in June, including a new market in Bella Vista at Deschutes and Old Alturas roads. Although the exact dates of the Bella Vista market are still being decided, a full schedule of all other growers markets times and locations is available on the association website.
The “Chef at the Market” demonstration is scheduled to begin on Saturdays in June. McConnel said that popular feature will be bigger and better than ever this year.
Saturday’s market is set for 7:30 a.m. to noon. The earlier you arrive, the better selection.
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• Redding public television station KIXE is hosting a preview of its annual auction from 6 to 9 p.m. this Saturday at the KIXE studio, 603 N. Market Street. Besides getting a chance to view photography, oil paintings, ceramics, sculptures, hand-blown glass and other fine art, KIXE visitors may taste local varietal and dessert wines and enjoy live music by Tony Armsdon jazz trio. The auction itself is set for April 23 and 24. Details at www.kixe.org.
• Amateur and professional photographers are invited to participate in the “Find Your Walden in Redding” exhibition at Turtle Bay. Curators are looking for images that focus on a beautiful place in the North State and fit within Turtle Bay’s “Sense of Place Summer.” The grand prize is $800 worth of merchandise at Crown Camera. Deadline to enter is 5 p.m. on April 15, and the details are on the Turtle Bay website. The organizers probably won’t say it, but I will: How about shooting something other than the Sundial Bridge, Castle Crags, Mt. Shasta or Burney Falls?
• Have you checked the Cascade Theatre calendar for the rest of this month? It’s packed! John Prine on the 12th, Banff Film Festival on the 17th, Punch Brothers with Chris Thile on the 20th, Sinbad on the 25th, the beginning of Shasta High School’s six-night run of “Aida” on the 29th. And there’s more. Seriously, click on the link above, and don’t ever complain there’s nothing to do in this town.
Paul Shigley is senior editor of California Planning & Development Report, a frequent contributor to Planning magazine and has trouble getting past the kettle corn booth at the farmers’ market. He lives in Centerville. Paul Shigley may be reached at pauls.anewscafe@gmail.com.
