Lucious heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, squash, baby tomatoes galore and leafy vegetables fill long tables. Artful flower arrangements and countless succulent plants attract buyers. And for those inclined toward trying their luck, raffle tickets for garden-related items sell for five bucks for six.
The Laguna Woods Garden Centers Club held its annual farmers market on Saturday, July 19, at Clubhouse 2 instead of the usual garden center location. With sufficient parking and out of the summer sun, an orderly line of eager buyers wound its way toward an array of fresh produce, along with an assortment of canned veggies and sauces, all donated by resident owners of garden plots in the Village.
“Whole Foods would die for all this,” said volunteer Daria Waetjen.
More than 40 volunteers picked and transported the harvests and, clad in neat black aprons, kept the tempting wares well stocked and displayed.
Melinda Ratkowsky created most of the enticing flower arrangements at the entrance.
“I arrange flowers in Western structures and also inspired by ikebana,” she said, referring to the classic Japanese method of flower arranging.
Prices at the market were kept reasonable.
“I had visited open air markets in Baltic countries during a recent trip, and the organization of this market reminds me of them,” said Karen Hawthorne, toting a full shopping bag.
Shoppers were not only carting off produce grown by their neighbors; they were contributing to a worthy cause as well: All proceeds were earmarked for the Florence Sylvester Senior Center’s Meals on Wheels program to benefit Village residents.
Garden Centers Club President Pam Murray, clad in a blouse patterned with colorful veggies, had anticipated around 250 shoppers, but ultimately the count was up to 385, she said. What’s more, she said, the market fetched $5,000 in sales and cash donations this year, compared with last year’s market, in its old location, which brought in $3,000.
The raffle tickets netted $158, with the first prize a large planter filled to the brim with succulents.
Gardeners eager to increase their haul for next year could buy small bags of fertilizing materials, such as worm casings and biochar, a form of charcoal-based fertilizer, all put together by Tami Halle, a soil and composting expert and the Garden Centers Club’s new volunteer coordinator.
“My grandparents had a farm. I’ve been playing in dirt since I was 3,” Halle said. “My very first apple had a worm in it.”
Moving the market to Clubhouse 2 was a sensible move, Murray said
“Next year, we will expand the offerings perhaps to baked goods and more canned goods, and I am thinking of adding a lounge area for customers to buy coffee and just relax and socialize,” she said. “There is more room here that we did not use this year.”
By noon, the volunteers began cleaning up. All leftover produce also went to the senior center for the daily lunches.
Elaine Orman, toting two full bags of squash, zucchini and basil, said she would be back next year.
“I don’t have a garden plot, so I just can’t pass those wonderful plants and vegetables up,” she said.
