While strolling through a farmers market might not look the same as previous years, Boulder Country announces many options and opportunities for buying local produce and supporting small businesses.
Starting Saturday, May 23, Boulder’s Saturday market will open with new regulations for its customers. There will be limited opportunities for walk-up purchases, as Boulder County Farmer’s Market (BCFM) has asked its customers to reserve 20-minute shopping timeslots to ensure social distancing guidelines and keep crowd sizes small. You can take a look at the available shopping windows at the Boulder location here. At the moment, the Wednesday Boulder market does not have an opening date for the 2020 summer season.
The Longmont Saturday market plans to open to the public beginning Saturday, May 30. The Longmont location also asks consumers to reserve a 20-minute shopping time which can be found here. The Saturday Union Station market is planned to open on Saturday, June 13 and the Lafayette location will become entirely a BCFM2Go location throughout the summer.
Recently, Governor Polis issued a proclamation claiming 2020 as the Year of Local Food. He encouraged citizens to look locally for their food needs, including farmers markets. BCFM2Go, an online service for ordering farmers market products, will continue to operate throughout the summer. This online service helps farmers by growing, marketing, selling, packaging and delivering their goods to the public in a safe, yet efficient way and promotes the agriculture industry in Colorado.
Currently, curbside service for picking up orders is only at the Longmont fairgrounds. Customers can place their orders online on Wednesdays and pick up their order via the curbside service on Saturdays. After Saturday, May 23, times and pick up locations for BCFM2Go may change, but there are plans to add more pick up locations in Boulder, Denver and Lafayette. Stay updated on the curbside services and BCFM2Go’s products on their website.
This year, things may look a little different. Without live music, seating, artisan shows and non-profit booths, customers are encouraged to still shop locally and reduce their carbon footprint, but not linger for the safety of other consumers and vendors. Here are some dos and don’ts provided from the BCFM:
- Do: Pre-order your items
- Do: Make a shopping list and plan your route
- Do: Use restrooms before you leave home
- Do: Limit your party to one or two people
- Do: Wear a mask
- Do: Using the provided hand-washing and sanitizing stations
- Do: Practice social distancing and stand on the six-feet distancing marks
- Do: Keep your visit short
- Do: Use credit cards
- Do: Wash your food with a food-safe product before consuming
- Don’t: Come to the market if you’re sick
- Don’t: Come to the market without a reservation
- Don’t: Bring pets to the market
- Don’t: Use cash (if you must, bring small bills)
- Don’t: Touch any produce or goods
- Don’t: Consume any food onsite
The Boulder County Farmers Market asks all visitors to follow the new guidelines and regulations to protect other customers and vendors. In addition to preordering as many items as possible and reserving a shopping timeslot, BCFM asks customers to allow more vulnerable populations — 65 years of age or older and those susceptible to COVID-19 — to enter the market first at 8 a.m. Wearing masks or protective gear is required and using credit cards is strongly encouraged.
For more information on how to support local vendors and how you can plan your visit, take a look at their website.