Long Awaited Farmers Market Coming To Spring Valley

Spring Valley's longtime wish for fresh, accessible produce has finally been realized with the opening of the Spring Valley Certified Farmers Market, which officially launches on Tuesday, March 15. It will operate weekly, every Tuesday at the Spring Valley-East Communities Center.

The market will feature close to 35 vendors for its inaugural realization, said Spring Valley Farmers Market manager Andrea Hankins. The majority of the vendors will be selling fresh fruits and vegetables, but there will also be food and retail vendors as well.

Hankins, whose husband owns and operates a Medjool date farm in Bard, California, is also the manager of the , which she has done for about three years. She is excited to see what having a farmers market will do for the Spring Valley community.

"A farmers market can really be a benefit to people," she said. "Eating fresh foods that are chemical-free and organic will make the people healthier. Food from the grocery store has been packaged and shipped thousands of miles, but at the farmers market, you're getting stuff that may have been picked that morning."

The market has been a project that has seen months of planning and organizing. The Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce, San Diego Youth and Family Coalition, and San Diego Youth Services are the main organizations spearheading the project.

"We love farmers markets, and there wasn't one here, so we thought it would be a good idea to bring one in," said Tina Carlson, executive director of the Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce. "We want to be on the map."

Robin Wood, director of Head Start program for the , said that the market will give people an access to more healthy food that they haven't had before.

"In the area, there aren't a lot of options for fresh produce," she said. "Farmers markets are typically the Cadillac of markets. The food will be so fresh, and the quicker you eat something [after picking], the more nutrients it has."

Wood added that the market will also accept WIC (Women, Infants and Children) vouchers, which will be able to be used for produce and other goods.

Hankins is pleased about the number of vendors that will be operating on Tuesday. She said that many of them are vendors with whom she is already familiar, having worked with them at other farmers markets, including Santee.

All of the produce vendors are certified by the Deparment of Agriculture, and are from Southern California. Many operate in San Diego County. Even more locally, Hankins said that one of the vendors is a Lemon Grove resident who sells fresh salmon.

Hankins said that food vendors will sell everything from Kettle corn, olive oil, hummus, and baked goods. Retail vendors include those selling jewelry, herbal soaps, purses, and dog and pet treats.

"Produce wise, there will be strawberries, potatoes, lettuce...we'll have everything you need," Hankins said.

Carlson said that the market will run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. every week, rain or shine.