Farmers & Purveyors

Belcampo Meat Co. raises a diversity of animals on their farm at the base of Mt. Shasta. There they manage pastures and cultivate fields the old fashioned way, with rotational grazing and an integrated and holistic approach to pasture management. Belcampo’s farm is certified organic by CCOF and certified humane by the Animal Welfare Association. Belcampo butchery harvests all of their meats humanely in a temple grandin-designed facility just a few miles from their farm. Check out their diverse selection of sausages, chicken, bacon, soup stocks, and the list goes on… at their farmers’ market booth, or head inside to their full service butcher counter, which is also located at the Marin Country Mart.

Bloomfield Farms is operated by Michael Collins and his wife Karen, and their two children Maja and Oran, raising vegetables and greens on their land 15 miles west of Petaluma. Their farm is located near and named after the town of Bloomfield, one of the oldest settlements in Sonoma County. Bloomfield grows a wide variety of vegetables and herbs including; strawberries, lettuces, radishes, artichokes, kale, purple mizuna, chard, genovese basil, Italian parsley, chives and fava beans.

Blue Chair Fruit Company is the premier artisanal jam and marmalade company in the United States. Located in Oakland, CA. The highest priority at Blue Chair Jam is using organic and sustainably grown fruit from local growers, and preserving that vibrant fruit flavor by utilizing traditional methods and modern taste sensibilities. The complete mastery of preserving enables Blue Chair Jam to constantly offer new flavors, working with the widest possible array of fruits and producing between 50 and 100 flavors per year. In the world of artisanal jam and marmalade, Blue Chair Fruit represents the pinnacle of quality and creativity.

Proprietors Laurent and his wife Carole, both from Brittany, bring their heritage in crepe making to the market each Saturday. Traditional sweet crepes and savory organic buckwheat crepes are available in such classics as ham and cheese, smoked salmon and sour cream, brie cheese and pesto, butter, sugar and lemon, and Nutella and banana. Bon Appétit!

Artists pursue all avenues, and for Cassandra Chen, the road of choice is caramel. Cassandra Chen's San Anselmo-based CC Made Artisanal Caramel produces caramel sauce, individual caramels, and caramel corn, all in small batches, and all by hand. Cassandra arrived at artisanal caramel because she loved caramel over chocolate, but she couldn’t find one that she felt was really good quality. CC Made uses the highest quality ingredients that are locally sourced when possible. For instance they use organic yellow popcorn from the Sacramento area, and the almonds come from a California almond grower.

David Retsky started County Line Harvest on a six-acre plot on the Sonoma-Marin County line before moving over the hill in 2007 to Red Hill Ranch in Marin County. Shortly after settling in on the new property, Marin Agriculture Land Trust acquired the easement on Red Hill Ranch, preserving it forever as farmland. Not only did this new property provide more acreage for cultivation, but the abundance of renewable on-site water and the MALT easement helped ensure the continuation of County Line's goal to provide fresh produce to its surrounding communities. Over the past few years, there has been an ever-increasing demand for organically grown produce, and alongside a growing customer base, it seemed the perfect time to expand. Following the models of other successful farms, County Line Harvest found a property in the Coachella Valley, about 2 ½ hours east of Los Angeles. With the first harvest in October 2010, County Line South now provides year-round availability of the sweet lettuces and tender salad greens that have become their trademark, as well as many other crops that have only lengthened the varied list of what they grow.

Featuring cheeses made of goat, sheep and cow milk, Cowgirl Creamery is a renowned maker of artisan cheeses. Four of the cheeses are soft aged, three are fresh -- but all are spectacular: Mt. Tam, Red Hawk, St Pat, Pierce Point, Devils Gulch, Inverness and Wagon Wheel.
Cowgirl Creamery started in an old barn in Pt. Reyes Station using organic milk from neighbor, Strauss Creamery. Today, it makes 3,000 pounds a week and sticks to its 7 famous cheeses. Since its launch, all of its fresh cheeses have garnered first prizes from the annual American Cheese Society competition.

Crane Creek Growers is a converted chicken farm turned flower farm located in Penngrove, nestled at the base of Sonoma Mountain on 10 acres. Diana and Tom founded their flower farm in 2008. Tom has been farming flowers for 40 years and Diana has been managing farmers’ markets for the past 15 years. It is a dream realized for them to now be living and farming in beautiful Sonoma County. Crane Creek Growers is known for their Gerbera daisies, Asiatic lilies, irises, peonies, and mixed bouquets.

Specializing in heirloom citrus, persimmons, pomegranates, grapes, quince, nuts, and dried fruits, De Santis Farms boasts an inspiring and unique range of seasonal specialties, including many citrus varieties, such as Seville oranges, sweet limes, cara cara navel oranges, pomelos, Satsuma mandarins, Buddha’s hand, and bergamot lemons. Nuts such as almonds and walnuts also round out their product offerings.

De Santis Farms is owned and run by husband and wife team, Matteo and Rose, who have been bringing their farmed goods direct to consumers for years.

Delta Blue Blueberries is located in the San Joaquin Delta region in Northern California. This region has cool maritime breezes that originate off the Pacific coast of California which act regulate the daytime temperatures. Cooler nighttime temperatures play a key role in berry color development. These intense blue and purple colors contain much of the antioxidant powers in a blueberry. Delta Blue Blueberries is a progressive green farming team and family operated by two generations. Delta Blue Blueberries are hand harvested, hand pruned, and hand packaged. It is their labor-intensive commitment that delivers the highest quality fruit. Delta Blue Blueberries has been certified organic by CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) since 2008.

You’ll find grass fed beef and lamb from cows and sheep pastured in Fallon Hills’s 310-acre ranch in Tomales, just four miles inland from the Pacific Coast. Grass-fed beef and lamb typically have twice the levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids than conventionally farmed products, and their pastures are full of high nutritional mix for the animals: ryegrass, subterranean clover, orchard grass and wild fescue are the diet of these healthier animals, which in turn means more healthful meats.

Owners Shannon, Kevin and Brian, maintain a herd of about 100 ewes and 50 cows. The flocks are rotated between four main pastures, allowing both space to roam for the animals, as well as time between grazings for the foliage to regenerate. Fallon Hills not only produces local, superior, higher nutritional meets, but does so sustainably.

Farmer Joy raises her flock of ducks and hens on her family’s multi generational farm, located just outside of Petaluma. Her 200 hens and 20 ducks graze pasture during the day, and enjoy as a supplement to their diet organic produce from a local vegetable farm. Farmer Joy prides herself on having a genetically diverse flock or hens, with over 13 breeds. This variety of breeds allows for a wide range of shell colors. When you buy a dozen eggs, expect shell colors ranging from light brown to very dark brown, green, blue and many have speckles.

If you think about it fiber systems–like food systems are dependent upon agricultural processes. From this realization, Fibershed was hatched. Fibershed is a local non-profit organization that supports the collaboration of small-scale farmers with local artisans to generate a bioregional textile culture. The project began with a commitment by its founder, Rebecca Burgess to develop and wear a prototype wardrobe whose dyes, fibers, and labor were sourced from a region no larger than 150 miles from the project’s headquarters. Fibershed is committed to educating the community about locally farmed fibers. Stop by their booth to learn more about what they do, and what they make.

*Fibershed is only at the farmers' market on the first Saturday of the month.

Frog Hollow Farm is a thriving 133-acre organic farm located a hop, skip and a jump east of San Francisco in the fertile Sacramento River Delta. Frog Hollow Farm is home to hundreds of trees, which produce peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, apriums, plums, pluots, Asian and European pears, olives, persimmons, quince, apples and more. Frog Hollow is also known for their legendary spreadable fruit, with conserves of cherry, apricot, peach, and nectarine. Heirloom tomatoes are their newest crop and they are always planting new things to find out what their legendary soil will support.

This 80-acre certified organic farm located in the Sierra Nevada foothills has three generations working the farm, with the grandchildren helping to sort apples in the summer. The farm is cultivated with a variety of fruits, which include apples, cherries, blueberries, pomegranates, and grapes. As an integral part of the apple growing business, Hidden Star Orchards has developed a specialty niche in freshly pressed cider. Each week a team of four workers gather up a blend of apples and other fruits, (apple cherry, apple lemon, and apple pomegranate) and prepare them for juicing. They also make a 100% pure pomegranate juice and cherry juice. After being pressed the juices are flash frozen to preserve the integrity of their flavor and to extend their shelf life once it is in your refrigerator. Juices are sold in 8 ounce, 16 ounce, 24 ounce, and 32 ounce servings.

La Chiquita Farm is a small 4-acre berry farm that is certified organic by CCOF. Located in Watsonville, with its warm days and its nights cooled by the fog that rolls in from the Pacific, it is the ideal climate to grow the perfect berry. Farmed by husband and wife team, Karla and Gonzalo Rodriguez, together they grow some of the best organic strawberries, raspberries, golden raspberries, and blackberries.

Leap Frog Farm is in its first year of production, congratulations to Annie for striking out on her own and launching her dream of owning her very own farm! Annie begins this farm with a wealth of experience in farming, and makes her farmers' market booth known by having some of the most unusual and exceptional heirloom varieties of Certified Organic beans, squash, melons, potatoes, garlic, onions, eggplant, and greens. The mild growing season of the Capay Valley allows Leap Frog Farm to be in production year round, so you can visit Annie each and every Saturday!

Debbie from Mama Baretta brings to the market an array of baked goods, and her famous bread, all of which is gluten-free, soy-free, and peanut free and egg-free and dairy-free. As the daughter of an immigrant Italian baker, Debbie spent a lot of time in her father’s bakery learning how to make Bread, Biscotti, Amaretti, and other Italian pastries from family recipes. So why is Mama Baretta gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and peanut-free? Debbie decided to augment her family recipes once her son was diagnosed with food allergies, and the rest is history. You can be assured that Mama Baretta uses the highest quality organic ingredients and low glycemic sweeteners in all of their breads, cookies, muffins, scones, and cakes.

Marin Roots Farm is a certified organic, family-run vegetable farm located near the boundary of Marin and Sonoma Counties, just outside of Petaluma. Jesse Kuhn founded Marin Roots Farm in 2003 after posting a “land wanted” add in a local newspaper and finding fifteen acres on a goat-dairy ranch just outside of Petaluma. The Marin Roots Farm booth is a thing of beauty. The farm specializes in lettuces, leafy greens and root vegetables. It’s typical to find many varieties of unique and unusual produce, some of which you will have to ask “what is this, and how do you cook with it?”. Which is a good thing — it’s fun to take home a bag of new greens you have never tried before.

Mark, the proprietor of MGM Orchids has been growing orchids for over 30 years, and he brings to the market the most diverse and interesting species. He has hearty outdoor varieties in addition to indoor orchids. The range of colors include white, green, yellowish-green, cream, yellow, brown, pink, red and orange, and they have very diverse color patterns.

Namu Street Food is New Korean American (NKA) cuisine. The menu is inspired by the weekly harvests from their farm and the some of the finest local bounty. Brothers Dennis, Dan and Dave Lee have brought their popular Korean-American street-stall food to Marin for the first time by being at The Marin Country Mart Farmers' Market. Try their ever popular Korean tacos—meat or tofu over seasoned rice with salsa and kimchee rémoulade that is folded into a toasted nori wrapper— or their signature dish, Gamja Fries—made of hand-cut french fries topped with kimchee relish, a Korean chili paste called gochujang, Kewpie mayonnaise (the Miracle Whip of Japan), house-made teriyaki sauce, marinated short ribs and green onions.

Oasis Date Gardens is a 175-acre certified organic date ranch, home of the superb Medjool Date and many other interesting and delicious date varieties. Located in the Coachella Valley, the prime-growing region for dates, affectionately known as the "Date Capital of the World". It’s a place where date palms flourish in high summer temperatures and low humidity with minimal rainfall during the summer and fall. Dates are the fruit of the date palm, a tree that thrives in these desert conditions. There are more than 1,500 varieties of date grown in the world today. Oasis Date Gardens grows them all, though all aren't always in stock

Old Dog Ranch is a 5th generation walnut farm nestled in the foothills of the central valley on the Calaveras River. It was named for the beloved Mollie-Dog, a German Shepard, and Poppy, a Golden Retriever Mix, who lived on the ranch into their mid-teens. Old Dog Ranch is transitional organic and uses organic and sustainable practices including cover crops and no-till farming. Mollie (the farmers daughter, who was named after Mollie-Dog) is at the farmers’ market weekly selling the ranch’s 2012 crop of Chandler Walnuts and delicious artisan walnut products, including Old Dog Ranch Walnut Milk, shelled raw walnuts, roasted walnuts, candied walnuts, and savory roasted rosemary walnuts.

After studying ceramics in West Virginia, Kelly Farley headed west in search of a place to call home. A fortuitous invitation to a clay firing at Richard Carter’s Studio in Pope Valley changed his life. As he says, “When I stepped foot on the property, I felt like I was at home.“ Carter invited him to join his residential program, and he's been there ever since. A year ago, Farley launched his line of kitchenwares including nesting bowls, a citrus juicer, pitchers, tumblers, and mugs. A mix of French country rustic and the Industrial age inspire his style.

With bread baked fresh that morning in addition to granola, cookies, muffins, and the best croissants you’ve ever tasted, Rustic Bakery is a happy addition to the Farmers’ Market. Everything is made from scratch and it shows. It’s the perfect place to get a cup of coffee and your baked provisions while you stroll the market.

Rustic Bakery is a Marin success story. Owned by Carol LeValley and husband Josh Harris, Rustic got its start by crafting delicious handmade lavosh flatbreads using organic grains and seeds. With Carol’s passion for baking, the product line quickly expanded, as did the bakery, with locations in Larkspur and Novato.

Saint Benoît Creamery is best known to Bay Area locals for its sustainably packaged artisanal, organic, whole milk, French-style yogurt. But did you know that Saint Benoît Creamery has launching a new, organic, low-pasteurized Jersey cows’ milk? This to is sold in reusable packaging, an old-fashioned style glass bottle. Visit Saint Benoit each Saturday, and take the commitment to buy products with ecological packaging.

Specializing in fresh caught fish and seafood, crab cooked at the market, and BBQ oysters, Santa Rosa Seafood features the largest fresh local and exotic sushi grade seafood & shellfish selection. Depending on season, local fishes include petrale, flounder, lingcod, red rock snapper, sable/black cod, sand dabs, sea bass, swordfish, and Dungeness Crab. Try some of their sumptuous salmon – fresh grilled at the market and oh-so-delicious.

Owner Mike Svedise and his family operate the business using their own fishing boats. The family prepares the fish too: fish are available in whole and fillet form. You can even call in special orders to have special or large requests ready for you.

The Farmers Wife by Kendra Kolling serves up true farm to fresh foods prepared at the market. A delightful daily brunch, enjoy one of her seasonal offerings: soup, salad and grilled cheese sandwiches, with ingredients fresh from local chefs and growers – and with some of Nana Mae’s own famous products, of course.

Organic fresh cut flowers and potatoes are the emphasis at Thomas Farm, where you’ll also find year-round and seasonal veggies and fruit. The farm’s organic flowers offer an alternative to usual store-bought, with seasonal favorites ranging from brilliant tulips to stunning daisies.

Local, organic flowers are an important sustainable choice. In the US, 62.4% of flowers are imported, which not only leads to excessive fuel emissions, but to damaging floriculture practices, which negatively impact both land and farm workers. Owners Josh and wife Kari are dedicated to providing better, sustainable options – and the results of locally grown means that they’re fresher and last longer, too. Thomas Farm also incorporates biological diversity, which contributes to the farm’s sustainability.

Pony rides and a petting zoo for the kids! Ponies are saddled for rides at the side of the market. The petting zoo gives the kids an opportunity to see and pet their favorite barnyard animals.