Coachella Valley foodies, rejoice! Palm Desert’s Certified Farmers’ Market has reopened for the 2021 – 2022 season. The market has become a must-do for visitors and mid-valley residents alike who eagerly anticipate its return each fall.
This season, the Certified Famers’ Market has returned to its former Entrada del Paseo location at the west end of Highway 111 and El Paseo adjacent to the Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce (72559 Highway 111). The market will operate every Wednesday through April on the new schedule of 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Now that outdoor dining restrictions have relaxed, all of the market locations operated by the Certified Farmers’ Market of the Coachella Valley are opening a half-hour later and closing an hour later to accommodate a group of brand-new culinary entrepreneurs who started their businesses during the “pandemic pivot.” Two pop-up restaurants on the schedule for Palm Desert in the upcoming months are Straight and Marrow Street Food, serving authentic Vietnamese quick dishes, and Croux and Co., offering eclectic American food described as “happiness on your plate.”
A perennial favorite, Palm Desert’s Certified Farmers’ Market gives residents and visitors an opportunity to shop for farm-fresh produce and other artisanal products. In addition to a wide assortment of fruits and vegetables, the market offers a mouthwatering array of other products such as farm-raised meats, eggs, cheeses, honey, organic coffee, flowers, prepared foods, chocolates, soaps, and more.
When a market is designated as “certified,” it means all the produce from participating farms at the market has been grown at California farms that have been registered and inspected by their county Agriculture Departments. The market’s nearly two-dozen farms are regionally-based, most within 100 miles of Palm Desert, thus reducing the carbon footprint of bringing products to market.
The Certified Farmers’ Market offers a $15/$15 match to customers participating in CalFresh EBT and a $10/$10 match for WIC, SSDI, and federal unemployment. The markets offer Market Buck tokens as an in-house currency or ATM alternative to all customers with a charge or debit card, which can be used for purchases at any vendor.
For more information, please visit www.certifiedfarmersmarkets.org or call 844-7FARMCV (844-732-7628).
