Despite the relentless fight between me and nature as it places me victim to my own allergies, Spring has become a season I have learned to love. It’s the precursor to my absolute favorite season: Summer. With that in my mind, Spring gives me just a sprinkle of what I’ll be enjoying in the Summer: bright blue skies, cold smoothies, hiking, and most importantly, Farmers’ Market runs.
I’m grateful to not only have a Farmers’ Market available within my city, but also only a couple blocks away from my home. As long as I stay vigilant enough to not get hit by the speeding cars at the intersections, I can survive the trip from where I live to my local park, where the Farmers’ Market is located. Due to COVID-19, vendors haven’t been able to sell their products for over a year, however now, ever since April 1st, vendors have been able to sell their vegetables ranging from carrots, cabbage, and bok choy to delicious fruits such as strawberries and oranges. Surprisingly, despite the pandemic, I noticed little change in my experience of going to the Farmers’ Market this year in comparison to pre-pandemic days. As long as you wear your mask, stay socially distanced 6ft apart as best as you can, and comfort yourself after the fact you can no longer try samples, you’ll have the same wonderful experience at the Farmers’ Market as you’ve had before.
For instance, I was able to be won over by the UC Berkeley student selling the Lentil Curry dip (which goes really well with my pretzel chips) and the sweet Watsonville strawberry vendor who has a niece that goes to UCSC too. I learned about how wildflower honey can help reduce allergies (supposedly) and I was able to buy a cute floral cloth mask from a couple who also has a family carpet cleaning service. I felt good after brushing up on my socialization skills, and being able to talk to strangers again. It was also good to support local businesses and even some businesses from my home away from home— Santa Cruz. I also felt like I got better produce in comparison to my options from the grocery store; the strawberries I bought were bigger than my thumb both vertically and horizontally!
Other than my short positive interactions with people, it was endearing to also witness families and their children in strollers, dog owners walking their dogs, and kites being whisked around in the sky. For a short moment as I snacked on my sweet and salty kettle corn, I also relished in the bittersweet feeling I had of being in a situation as close to normalcy as I can in a time like this.