Harvest season is in full swing. Nowhere is this more apparent than the local farmers’ markets, brimming with colorful produce of nutritious variety. Better yet, patrons have more than a month to continue enjoying Carbondale’s market.
“It’s my favorite market,“ said Guy Borden, who established Borden Farms in Delta with his wife in 1996. Borden also helped start the Carbondale Farmers’ Market back in 2003, he told The Sopris Sun. Rancho Durazno, another consistent vendor at the market, was a key partner in bringing farm-to-customer abundance to Carbondale.
Every Wednesday during the summer, from 10am to 3pm, a section of 4th Street is closed to traffic and opened for business. Often, Chacos Park will host a musician, kindly sponsored this year by FirstBank. People of all ages converge; visiting booths, purchasing lunch or groceries, playing in the grass or simply soaking it all in.
The most common complaint comes from people unable to attend on a Wednesday. However, “I think we’ve established a great market day,” contested Market Manager Jamie Wall, also a Town of Carbondale employee. “In the end, we can’t please everyone, but it is about our farmers and vendors and their businesses.”
Market Assistant Erica Savard added, “This is working well for them. A lot of vendors have said our market is the best they’ve done in the Valley.”
So, why Wednesdays? Hump Day was initially chosen to avoid competing with other established markets, like Aspen’s Saturday market (which began in 1998) and others outside the Roaring Fork Valley. In addition to the Carbondale market, Borden Farms commits to four others: Aspen, Edwards, Crested Butte and Telluride. They grow on 15 acres and once attended nine markets a week. Nowadays, it’s a challenge to hire that much help.
Initially, the Carbondale market would start at 2pm and end at 7pm. Later, the hours were shifted to incorporate lunch, which has become a big draw for nearby workers. Borden has discovered in conversation that many of his Wednesday customers don’t live in Carbondale, but work in the area. It was also determined that the heat of the street at 2pm would cause produce to wilt too quickly.
Borden continues to serve on the Carbondale Farmers’ Market five-member board, meeting once a year to select a variety of vendors. Originally, there were nine produce vendors, he told The Sopris Sun. Lately, around 50 vendors apply each season. From the beginning, it was established that a produce vendor must grow what they sell, which is “untrue of a lot of farmers’ markets,” Borden said. All vendors, including artisans, are required to make or grow the products they sell.
The Carbondale Farmers’ Market is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. This year, there are more than 60 vendors participating, with some dropping in for one or more days, and others committed to the entire season. Among these, FirstBank sponsors a booth for local nonprofits each week, as well as live music on the second and last Wednesday of each month.
The market operated as a food distribution center in 2020 and saw a boost in attendance and popularity as socially-deprived locals flocked to a safe, outdoor place to shop and see friends. It continues to partner with programs like Double-Up Food Bucks and Women, Infants and Children to supplement low-income budgets with fresh, healthy food. Folks enrolled in the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Program can bring their Electronic Benefit Transfer card to the information booth and acquire doubled spending power thanks to LiveWell Colorado.
This year’s commemorative tote bag was designed by Lindsay Jones and printed by Inkswell in Glenwood Springs. At $10, all bag sales benefit the Roaring Fork Roots fund, established by Michelle Marlow to empower small agricultural and local food businesses.
For a music schedule, information on how to become a vendor and more, visit carbondalefarmersmarket.com
Unable to attend on a Wednesday? Check out these other nearby opportunities…
Two Roots Farm – Fridays from 9am to 1pm (100 Sopris Creek Road) through October.
Aspen – Saturdays from 8:30am to 2pm (corner of Galena and Hopkins) through Oct. 7
Basalt – Sundays from 10am to 2pm (Basalt River Park and Lions Park) through Sept. 24
Glenwood Springs – Tuesdays from 4 to 8pm (7th Street) through Sept. 19
Silt – Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7:30pm (Veteran’s Park) through Aug. 30
Rifle – Fridays from 4 to 8pm (Heize Park) through Sept. 1