Have you been slowly depleting your supply of food at home while stuck in quarantine and are in need of replenishing them? 

Don’t worry, many ingredients will be available to you at the Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Market, where you can find various products ranging from poultry, produce, dairy, grains, baked goods, sauces and jams, and more. Many of these are raised or grown organically and sustainably. 

If you are interested in their online sales, delivery, or pickup options, click here for the list of farmers and vendors as well as their contact information. An online marketplace is planned to open in May with the Local Food Marketplace software program. 

“Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Markets is a farmer-led nonprofit that operates outdoor farmers’ markets in Corvallis and Albany and otherwise promotes and assists farm direct marketers whose farms are located in six counties: Benton, Linn, Lincoln, Lane, Marion and Polk,” states the Vendor Handbook. “CAFM has a longtime commitment to enhancing access to high quality, local food among ALL members of our community.”

Besides connecting producers and consumers, CAFM also has social justice dimensions that Rebecca Landis, the CAFM Market Director, is passionate about, in which CAFM strives to support nutrition programs that advocate for food justice and equity. These include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Double Up Food Bucks, which is involved in the anti-hunger movement and aims to improve the agricultural economy, respectively. 

CAFM will still operate this year despite coronavirus, although procedures have been administered in accordance with social distancing guidelines. These are displayed in the following graphic. 

https://locallygrown.org/home/

Moreover, as a result of the pandemic, people have changed their mindsets about the making of their food.

“Before Covid-19, I would call attention to the high traceability and accountability in our system,” said Landis. “Now lots of people are realizing that short supply chains are a good thing  — that means fewer sets of hands have handled your food.”

The business Oven & Earth is run by Nancy Muir and her husband, and they sell a variety of organically grown vegetables in addition to baked goods. This will mark their 38th year selling at CAFM. However, they will not be present at the first two markets in April, but will attend starting the first Saturday in May when the vegetables are ready. Muir feels unsure about the changes to the market this year. 

“I like the idea of online ordering but sometimes I won’t know what’s available very much ahead of time,” said Muir. “The best part of the Market is the interaction with the customers and that seems like it’s going to change which I’m not looking forward to.”

The Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Market had their Saturday opening on April 18, 2020. This week will be the opening of the Wednesday Corvallis Farmers’ Market on 1st and Jackson Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and this will continue through Nov. 25, 2020.