Fresh from our markets: Saturday markets open at usual times on holiday

With a big holiday coming up on Saturday, you may be worried about getting out to a farmers market earlier in the week. I have good news for you. All Saturday markets will take place at their usual times and places.

The Oakmont Certified Farmers Market, held from 9 a.m. to noon at 6585 Oakmont Drive, expects all of its regular vendors to be on hand, except for Ortiz Brothers Farm; the family will be in the parade in Sonoma. Vendors will have broccoli, turnips, beets, carrots, zucchini and other summer squashes, and lots of fresh flowers. Physis Foods will be on hand with soups and such and there will be live music.

All Saturday markets operated by Agricultural Community Events will take place as scheduled on Saturday.

The Santa Rosa Community Farmers Market, in the east side parking lot of the Veterans Building (1351 Maple Ave.), takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kelly Smith, who manages the market with her partner James Fenton, expects all regular vendors to be on hand on Saturday, with the likely exception of Ortiz Brothers Farm, though as of press time it was uncertain. You’ll find some of the seasons first Shishito chilies, here, along with lettuce, greens, leeks, onions, the first tomatoes, summer squashes and stone fruit, along with foods to enjoy on the spot.

In Petaluma, the market takes place at Walnut Park from 2 to 5:30 p.m., at the corner of Petaluma Blvd. South and D St. The holiday market will be mostly farmers, as the majority of prepared food vendors and artisans will be taking the day off. Noeloer, a farm near Modesto, will attend with red walnuts. The Patch will be here, too, and word has it there are already ripe figs from one of their two trees in Sonoma.

The Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market, which takes place in the west parking lot of Wells Fargo Center for the Arts (50 Mark West Springs Road) from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., has organized some special holiday activities. Vendors are decorating their booths, hoping to wine the “Most Patriotic” challenge. Dennis Dunn of Franco’s One World Sausages will be grilling fruits, vegetables, and, of course, sausages. Lazaro Calderon of The Patch has returned, with his gorgeous onions and some of the county’s very first beefsteak tomatoes, perfect for salsa. This market, the largest in Sonoma County, has a huge array of seasonal produce, including stone fruit from Dry Creek Peach and Produce, all manner of lettuces and other seasonal greens, fragrant mounds of basil, summer squashes, both fresh and cured garlic, several varieties of onions, tomatoes, green beans, cabbage and carrots, along with freshly harvest goat and other grass-fed and pastured raised meats and poultry, rabbit, pastured chicken and duck eggs, fresh seafood and a huge array of locally made condiments. There are two bread vendors, great prepared foods to eat on the spot and good things to drink, too, included ice coffee and cooling fruit shrubs. This market also has several dairy vendors, including Bellwether Farms and Straus Family Creamery.

The weekend will see market changes. The new year-round Sunday market in Rohnert Park will not take place on July 5 so that everyone can have a day off. The town’s seasonal Friday night market, which takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. at 500 City Center Dr., will be on schedule, as will the Kenwood market, which is held on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at 200 Warm Springs Road.

Other weekend markets will be held as always, without any holiday changes.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 21 books to date, including the new “Good Cook’s” series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.