This season’s Bountiful Farmers Market promises to be a winning combination of the old and the new.

New this year is the addition of the state supplemental nutritional program (SNAP) that will enable low-income families to use their benefits to purchase fresh produce and any other foods sold at the market, according to Bountiful Parks Director Brock Hill. “I think we will also have more sampling since COVID is so far in our past and things are getting back to normal.

“We’re also going to try to ramp up advertising,” he said. “That will probably include a combination of signage, social media messages, and newsletters.”

Tree fruits shown here at last year’s market, will be largely absent this season after a late freeze damaged local crops. Cassidy Hadlock

 Sadly, farmers will be selling less fruit this year due to the late freeze. “There won’t be any peaches, apples or cherries because they all froze,” said Hill. “It will be interesting to see what the farmers will bring. We are assuming it will be ground fruit like berries, or vegetables or anything grown in a greenhouse.”

Back this season are the many ingredients that have made Bountiful’s farmers market so popular, including the farmers, artisan and food vendors, food trucks, and a picturesque setting with plenty of lawn space and shade trees.

According to Hill, some of the market’s most popular booths include Wild Rose Bread, often with long lines of customers. The cotton candy booth draws folks from all over. There’s a booth that offers pet care supplies that’s very popular. And of course, the local fresh honey and farmers are all favorites.

“I buy the bread at Wild Rose by the handful,” said Hill with a smile. “I buy a lot. I especially love the margarita baguette with fresh basil, parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s life changing. The owner bakes it out of her home and in the off-season sells it from Touché on Bountiful’s Main Street.”

The market was originally created by a volunteer named Mary Carpenter and was taken over by Bountiful City four years ago. Over the years, it has expanded from three farmers to eight, with roughly five food trucks that rotate throughout the season. The number of vendors has stayed at about 55, not including the farmers, because the area is restricted on space. Approximately one-third of the vendors sell food and the other two-thirds sell nonfood items.

Is it difficult for vendors to get booth space? Hill says there is a registration process, quality controls, and preference given to Bountiful vendors first, then south Davis County vendors. Farmers come from as far as Brigham City. “We’ve tried to allow only local produce to be sold,” said Hill, “but I know some has snuck in in the past.”

The cost to vendors per market day is lower than a lot of other farmers markets at $15 for farmers, $20 for food vendors and $25 for nonfood vendors. “We’ve always wanted to be fair to the vendors,” said Hill. “And for the most part they love it – the setting, live music onstage, the hometown feel and affordability. It’s a way to supplement their incomes. We worked hard to get the SNAP program this year.”

Opening day for the season is June 25, and the last day of the market is Oct. 15. It runs from 4 to 8 p.m. at Bountiful Town Square, 75 E. 200 South.