Chico Certified Farmers' Market in Butte County

If you find yourself on a Saturday-morning drive through Butte County in northern California, one destination you can always count on is the Chico Certified Farmers' Market. Rain or shine these folks show up with their poles, tents and tables to display their wares for the seven or so hours of good honest shopping.

The market begins at 7:30 a.m. and wraps up around 1 p.m. Farmers, artists and merchants gather to sell their locally grown (or made) products at the parking lot at 2nd and Wall streets. They back up their cars and mostly, trucks, to form two main walkways for the market. The shopping crowd morphs into different personalities as the morning goes on. The early-risers come prepared with large empty baskets, while the late morning dilly-dalliers sip hot coffee and saunter about the market.

No matter what kind of shopper you are, you're guaranteed to find delicious seasonal produce (much of it, organic), including apples, dates, broccoli, squash, mandarins, tomatoes and fresh eggs. Fresh flowers in $3.00 bouquets are sprinkled about the wide walkways. Homemade items such as almond butter, kiwi jams, driftwood chairs, silver jewelry and fuzzy wool hats also lure shoppers.

Most of the farms represented are from nearby towns such as Orland, Durham and Cohasset. A few more distant farmers travel from other counties to participate in the market. Many of the merchants are based in Chico such as the creators of the homegrown Feather Falls Soaps or Chico Chai. If it's bread you want, there are a handful of bakers who bring their dense loaves to sell, including black olive, sourdough and rye.

Produce prices are usually by the pound - $1.00 for a pound of organic Fuji apples, $1.00 per pound for green tomatoes. Some items are sold by the quantity, such as a large head of organic broccoli for $1.50. A shopper who brings a $20 bill can walk away with a healthy supply of produce for the week. The market also accepts Food Stamp Cards and Farmers' Market WIC Coupons.

Finding the market is easy. From Highway 99, going north or south, take the Chester Orland exit west, heading down a one-way street, E. 8th Street, through a residential area. At Flume Street, take a right. This will lead you right to the parking lot on 2nd Street. Parking gets more challenging the later it is in the morning, so anywhere after E. 5th Street is a good place to start looking for parking. Dogs are not allowed into the market, so be sure to leave Fido at home or waiting in the car (with plenty of air, of course!). Some people tie their dogs to a sign pole just outside the market if they aren't going to be shopping for too long.

For more information, check out the website: www.northvalley.net/farmersmarket/ or call (530) 893-FARM.