Nice array of produce at new Rohnert Park market

On Sunday morning, Sonoma County’s newest year-round farmers market opened in Rohnert Park and was greeted with great enthusiasm by neighbors eager to shop for local products close to home. It is located where a long-running Friday night market has operated, at 500 City Center Dr., just off Rohnert Park Expressway, adjacent to the library. That market, like the Wednesday Night Market in Santa Rosa, has always functioned more as a party and street fair rather than as a destination for restocking the pantry.

On opening day, there was a wide array of produce. Leisen’s Bridgeway Farm offered baby artichokes, fresh fava beans, carrots, radishes, broccoli, sugar snap peas, eggs and lots of microgreens. Twin Dogs Farms of Petaluma, a new endeavor by Richard Soss, had broccoli, chicories, carrots, turnips, celery, cabbage, fennel, lettuces and several varieties of beets.

Mikel Edwards has fava beans and several beautiful varieties of lettuce. Edwards started out delivering his produce by bicycle; he farms two patches of land in Petaluma, one on Skillman Lane and one near Petaluma Coffee and Tea Company.

Crane Creek Farm of Penngrove attended the market with hothouse tomatoes and fresh bouquets.

Several out-of-the area farms attended this market, as they do most other Sonoma County markets. Neufeld Farms has a large array of nuts and dried fruit, along with some early spring fresh fruit. Schletewitz Farms has some of the season’s last citrus, along with dried fruit and sweet potatoes. Rodriguez Farm, located in Watsonville, attends with strawberries and some of the last artichokes of spring. J & J Ramon’s Farm has nuts, apples, citrus and hothouse tomatoes. Nature’s Candy Co. sells its flavored almonds here.

Achadinha Cheese Company of Petaluma is here, too, with their extraordinary cheese, including goat feta; fresh curd and flavored curd; a Portuguese-style table cheese called Broncha, which is a blend of goat and cow milks and Capricious, an award-winning aged goat cheese.

Happy Hens Farm, on the southern flank of Sonoma Mountain in north Petaluma, is here, too, with pastured eggs and chicken, pastured pork and grass-fed lamb, goat and beef. The farm recently added rabbit to their lineup as well, and you’ll find it at this market.

Red Bird Bakery of Santa Rosa, located where Auntie B’s Bakery was on Dutton Avenue, attends with breads, pastries, desserts and condiments. Lassiter Family Heirloom Farm is here, currently with jams and other value-added farm products and soon with their estate wines. Bloomfield Bees has honey and honey-related products.

This new market is under the umbrella of Agriculture Community Events, which currently operates eight markets. Markets include Petaluma Certified Farmers Market, Petaluma Eastside Certified Farmers Market, Kenwood Certified Farmers Market, Santa Rosa Certified Community Farmers Market, Novato Certified Farmers Market, Fairfax Certified Farmers Market and the new Rohnert Park Certified Farmers Market, along with a Friday night farmers market in Rohnert Park, which will open for its 2015 season in June.

The Rohnert Park Certified Farmers Market, founded in 2015 and located at 500 City Center Dr., takes place year round at 500 City Center Dr. It is managed by Kelly Smith and James Fenton; for more information, visit communityfarmersmarkets.com.

E-mail Michele Anna Jordan at catsmilk@sonic.net. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.