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Nevada’s Farmers Markets Put Their Communities First

Photo Courtesy Fresh52

According to the University of Nevada, Reno, as of the summer of 2023, there were 31 farmers markets running in Nevada. The state’s marketplaces cater to the local community and engage with residents via digital efforts and in-person events. 

Las Vegas Farmers Market 

It would be remiss to start this roundup somewhere other than Las Vegas. The city’s farmers market has a mission to “grow, nourish, and inspire community.”

Rod Huebert, its current owner, hopes each small business can have somewhere to sell its products to its neighbors and wants every resident to have access to affordable and healthy food. 

Having grown up in a farming family in the agriculturally rich Central Valley of California, this mission was in his blood. He even launched his own small business, Rod’s Produce Market, which was named the 2024 Agriculture Business winner before taking over the Las Vegas Farmers Market in 2017. He and his wife, Kathleen, continued to expand it over time. 

Now held in Henderson on Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and in Vegas proper on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., the markets feature only products that have been homegrown, homemade, or handcrafted, in line with a philosophy that “you must make it,

bake it, grow it, or sew it.”  

As Rod and Kathleen neared retirement, they scaled back the farmers markets to just include these two in 2022. The operation under the previous management encompassed a larger number, including Bruce Trent Farmers Market, Dignity Health Farmers Market, Sky Canyon Farmers Market, and the Southern Highlands Farmers Market.

Photo Courtesy Las Vegas Farmers Market LLC

The product offerings range from fresh fruits and vegetables to crafts and jewelry; every purchase supports local businesses. The market shares messages and posts from its vendors on social media to spread the word about them. For example, it promoted the work of ADHD Moms Craft Club, which makes polymer clay earrings and curates reading experiences via its “Blind Dates with a Book” initiative and the arrival in town of an Indian restaurant called Curry Leaf.  

The operation also uses social media to engage with its community of local followers. For example, a “This or That” theme prompted followers to write in the comments choosing their favorite of two market staples, like strawberries versus raspberries or cappuccino versus espresso. 

Photo Courtesy Las Vegas Farmers Market LLC 

Environmental efforts are also visible in the market. For example, Calvada Gardens sometimes hands out free totes reading “Artisans, bakers, and farmers, oh my!” for firstcomers to carry their purchases. The farmers — Duke and Amanda Christiansen and their son Alex — supply fresh and locally grown produce and eggs for locals to buy. 

Photo Courtesy Las Vegas Farmers Market LLC

Carson Farmers Market

Although the city’s first farmers market traces its origins back to 1994, the Carson Farmers Market launched in 2008 with a mission to contribute to a healthy community by becoming the source of “a gathering place and sustainable resource that supports farmers, makers, and bakers.” 

It runs on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. from June through September out of Marv Teixeira Pavilion in Mill’s Park, a new location as of last year, just in time for its 15th anniversary. The market brings together a bunch of vendors who grow, bake, or make their products or are directly involved with agriculture, health, or wellness. 

Photo Courtesy Carson Farmers Market

These product offerings therefore span a large number of categories. Shoppers will find fresh produce, flowers, and plants from more than 13 Nevada- and California-based farmers and free-range eggs and meats, including beef, bison, pork, chicken, and sausages, from more than five local ranchers. Fresh, wild-caught fish from family-owned vendors is available, as well as breads, pastries, cookies, and even low-sugar jam.

Ready-to-eat food meals ranging across barbeque, burgers, crepes, Filipino cuisine, pizza, and tacos from more than 15 restaurant vendors are also available.

Customers can also find artisan crafts ranging from baskets to birdhouses. Every week, the market even posts a vendor map so attendees know where to find their favorite stops. 

Notably, the inclusion of California farmers is a decision made to invite in a broader variety of fresh produce, fulfilling the market’s vision to be a “one-stop-shop for all your fresh fruit and veggie needs.” Nevada’s climate in particular poses challenges for growing the likes of artichokes, berries, nectarines, nuts, and peaches, which can be supplemented by the local state. At the end of the season, California farmers could even show up with apples, oranges, pears, and pomegranates! 

Photo Courtesy Carson Farmers Market

The market contributes to the lifestyles of the people in its local community with an online blog cataloging seven years of recipes. The options are practically endless, spanning meals suited to four seasons, with some as simple as blender marinara sauce and others more complicated like Hungarian coffee cake

Plus, the area around the operation is particularly suited to active and outdoor activities.

In addition to market-sponsored events like “Yoga at the Market,” a skate park nearby is perfect for bikers and skateboarders, and the grassy sprawls are ideal for games like football, frisbee, soccer, or volleyball. 

Competitive people can take advantage of the pickleball and tennis courts. However, those looking for a more leisurely time can take a walk on the path around the park while listening to the week’s musical guest or relax at the Carson City Pool next door. Sometimes, a train runs around the park for the kids to enjoy. 

Photo Courtesy Carson Farmers Market

The operation also seeks to improve yearly to serve the local community better. Near the end of every season, it asks customers to fill out a survey to provide feedback. A select number of random participants receive $50 in Market Bucks in return for providing input that will help the market grow continually and meet the needs of its attendees. 

It also makes sure to give back to the people living in the region. For example, between 2016 and 2018,  the market collected more than three tons of produce for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Feds Feed Families program for underserved individuals. 

Photo Courtesy Carson Farmers Market

Fresh52 Farmers & Artisan Markets

Meanwhile, Fresh52 Farmers’ & Artisan Market operates multiple open-air markets across southern Nevada. Across Las Vegas and Henderson:

  • The Sun City Summerlin market is held every first and third Monday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
  • The Sun City Anthem market is held every second Monday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
  • The Bruce Trent Park market is every Wednesday from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m.
  • The Skye Canyon market is every Thursday from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m.
  • The Inspirada market at Solista Park is held every first and third Saturday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
  • The Southern Highlands market is every second and fourth Saturday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
  • The Sansone Corporate Headquarters market is held every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. 
  • The Floyd Lamb Park market is every second and fourth Sunday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. 

Several new markets also arrived this year. The Mountain’s Edge Exploration Peak Park, which opened in February, is held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m., while the Cadence Central Park market, which opened in March, is held on the second and fourth Tuesdays from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. 

Photo Courtesy Fresh52

Fresh52 claims to be the longest-standing farmers market in Vegas. Since 2010, it has been pursuing a mission to provide a location “where neighbors and friends come together to celebrate and empower their community.” 

Local entrepreneurs and small businesses also have the opportunity to expand their operations and connect with their community — all while having fun.

These vendors range from producers of fresh fruits and vegetables to makers of ready-made meals and crafters of artisan products, each of whom hand-grows, -makes, or -crafts the products they sell. 

“It is strictly because of YOU, the consumer, that we are able to do what we do,” the market explained in a Facebook post. “It is our love of food and the community that keeps this boat sailing.” 

Photo Courtesy Fresh52

Its efforts to enhance the community experience have also gone a long way. In 2022, Fresh25 launched its annual Strawberry Festival, jumping between the different locations for the entire week. It features free samples of different strawberry varieties picked either that morning or the day before. 

On Black Friday, it partnered with Tivoli Village to host the  Small Business Fall Festival, featuring 100 local businesses.

Bus N’ Axe has also brought its axe-throwing gear to the Skye Canyon Park market, available for only $1 per throw. 

Plus, because each of its markets is open all year long, they help ensure local, affordable, and healthy venues to obtain last-minute ingredients for final meal preparation for the holiday season. 

In fact, the markets often host big community parties for the holidays. Last year’s December holiday party at the Skye Canyon market featured photos with Santa, Rudolph, and even the Grinch, as well as a jacket and coat drive. This autumn’s Halloween family event included a costume contest, trick or treating, and pumpkin painting. 

Photo Courtesy fresh52

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