Sara Sandstrom-Kobi, Nederland. As I approached the Nederland Farmers Market just before 1 p.m. on July 26, 2020, I could hear some beautiful music and a quiet buzz of happy people at the open-air market. I can see a number of tents set up and people chatting with friends. 

The Nederland Farmers Market is in its fifth year and it is thriving. The market is being held in a different location this year, a parking lot on First Street. Covid restrictions are in place with distancing, hand sanitizer and masks required. 

As I walk down the “street” with tents on either side I see Kogler’s Bakery selling sweet treats, EP Greens from Estes Park, Colorado, selling a customer some greens and Salto Coffee with their tasty grounds. Laraina James of Mountain Girl Pickles has her pickled veggies canned in glass jars ready to be devoured. Her motto is: Everything is better pickled!!

I stop and chat with Karl Burgart who owns Healthy Harvest. He is passionate about his olive oil and other products from Italy, Greece and Spain. His products are the real deal. 

AA Honey from Berthoud, Colorado, loves coming to Nederland and sells different kinds of honey, as well as beeswax. Their products are made from bees that are all along the Front Range. 

I also see locally made pottery, Water Tiger Bakery that sells human and dog treats and Esmeralda’s Tamale House. You can purchase beautiful flower arrangements of different sizes from Soly Sombra Farm. They come from Hygiene, Colorado, where they grow all their own flowers and then bring arrangements to sell. They look like they were just picked from the most beautiful of gardens.

I stop and talk with Woody, owner of Magnolia Grassfed hoping to take some steaks home to cook for dinner. I am too late. He sold out of the steaks and only has ground beef left. You can bet that I will be back at the next market on August 9, early so I do not miss out again. The beef is gently raised locally and is hormone free. 

Then, I see my neighbor Greg Marquez standing by his table full of colorful wooden toys. He has been making handcrafted wooden toys for several years and selling them for about five years. There are moose, trains, swords and so many more eye-catching treasures. He laughs when I tell him that my daughter’s fox is used as Barbie doll transportation in our house. 

The Nederland Community Library even has a tent where they sell some books and share what programs they are offering to the community. Elektra Greer, library director, enthusiastically talks about the summer journaling program and how the library is committed to preserving the oral histories of the area. 

I hear that the singing and guitar playing musician has wrapped up for the day and I walk over to chat a bit. He is local musician Sean Bobby Bryant. His sound is smooth and so enjoyable to listen to. Another awesomely talented local musician. 

Before I head back to my car, I ask Nederland Farmers Market Board President Kipp Nash how the season is going. He says, “It is hugely successful!” This year because of the pandemic people can pre-order produce boxes. They prepare 50 boxes for each market held every two weeks and they sell out every time. Kipp says that people are really supporting the farmers market and he thinks it brings some sense of normalcy to their lives. 

Kipp Nash is also in charge of purchasing produce to sell at the market. He works with sustainable organic farms on the Front Range and sells it in Nederland at the best price possible. I was very excited to hear that more peaches will be coming from the Western Slope soon. For me, summer is not summer without peaches. 

Nederland’s gem of a farmers market is held every other Sunday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The next market is on August 9, and the last market will be their HarvestFest on October 4, 2020. Come on down and enjoy the positive community energy and go home with some fantastic products and produce!

(Originally published in the July 30, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)