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HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > WINTERS WELCOMES BACK FARMERS MARKET
Article published - May 4, 2009
Credit: SACRAMENTO BEE
Winters welcomes back farmers market
By Hudson Sangree
Winters sits at the heart of the slow-food movement, its organic fruits and vegetables prized by residents of the Bay Area and Sacramento.
Many area farmers are committed to locally grown food that is good for the community and good for the environment.
But when Ana Kormos, a nutrition educator at Winters Healthcare Foundation, began teaching low-income residents to cook fresh local vegetables, she found her students had little opportunity to buy the food grown in rich abundance on surrounding farms.
Local groceries were more likely to sell peppers from Mexico, for instance, than those grown on the town's doorstep.
"People were loving it. They loved bok choy. They loved eggplant. They loved chard," said Kormos.
"They loved it, but they had a hard time getting it."
Kormos set out to change that, and on Sunday the Winters Farmers Market – the first the town has seen in many years – got off to a rollicking start.
Hundreds of locals turned out despite the threat of rain.
As bands played and children gorged on juicy strawberries, vendors sold just-picked carrots, local almonds, and wine and olive oil produced within a few miles of the community of 7,000 in western Yolo County.
Fresh-cut flowers, baked goods, coffee and eats from local restaurants rounded out the offerings at Rotary Park, a green space with a white gazebo at the center of town.
Brody Johnson and his wife, Tiffany, both 25, arrived with a group of neighbors – some of whom would drive 20 minutes to buy Winters produce at the Davis Farmers Market.
"We're super excited," Johnson said. "We were able to walk from our house. Our whole street came together."
They had gathered up a case of strawberries, bottles of olive oil, and tomato, basil, cilantro and pepper seedlings for their gardens.
Kormos, a former worker and manager on an organic farm, has lived in Winters more than a decade. She's been planning the market for 18 months, helping to secure thousands of dollars in grants to make the local produce more accessible.
The city, the chamber of commerce and others joined in the effort.
Kormos said the challenge now is to make the market fare affordable to those who live on laborers' wages. Many have been hit hard by the recession and are out of work.
A fundraiser Saturday will help provide monthly vouchers of $25 to low-wage workers who couldn't otherwise buy at the market.
Organizers also are trying to make fresh fruits and vegetables available at prices that families can afford, Kormos said.
They are working to bring in farmers who can sell to locals at lower prices.
Another challenge is keeping the market going in a town as small as Winters. Sunday's turnout raised hopes of success.
Rafael Chavez Jr., whose family grows organic vegetables on 18 acres near Esparto, had nearly sold out of carrots, snap peas and chiles by 11 a.m.
He had picked it all just hours before.
Chavez's parents worked beside him at the market as his daughter Marissa, 3, ate strawberries.
Chavez said he enjoyed selling directly to his Yolo County neighbors.
"It just feels good giving back," he said. "All the hard work you put into it."
City manager John Donlevy said other markets had started in Winters over the years but couldn't maintain momentum. He thinks this one is different because of the organizers' commitment.
"Everyone is certain this thing is going to sustain itself," Donlevy said.
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