New Delray Beach Summer Greenmarket Opens June 20

Farm-fresh eggs. Fresh-picked strawberries. Buttery-rich breads straight from the oven.

If you love farmers' markets, and all the goodies that come with them, there's good news on the horizon: After 19 years in operation, the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has announced the Delray Beach GreenMarket will now be operating its popular weekly event throughout the summer months.

Located on the eastern half of the Delray Beach Tennis Center (201 W Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach) the new summer GreenMarket will take place every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon beginning June 20, and ending September 26.

For more than 50 years, the purpose of the CRA has been to improve to quality of life in Delray Beach area, says GreenMarket manager Lori Nolan, and in the past two decades, its management of the GreenMarket has been one of the most  positive extensions of that mission.

New this year, the Summer Green Market has been established to fill the previously unmet demand for locally-made and sourced products and goods in the summer months. It will be an ongoing extension of the regular GreenMarket, which runs at Old School Square from October to June from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

"This request has really come from the community," adds Nolan. "It’s been a long time coming, so we are so excited the day has finally arrived."

The Summer GreenMarket will be a slightly scaled back version of the regular GreenMarket, with about 30 to 35 vendors participating each Saturday morning versus the regular season when there are 50 to 60 vendors. The hours will also be scaled back — just three hours from 9 a.m. to noon —- to avoid the summer afternoon heat.

As always, the GreenMarket will be pet friendly, and will feature live music throughout the morning.

Established in 1985, this year the CRA is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Its GreenMarket, which launched in 1996, has since become one of the city's most popular regular events, and the new Summer GreenMarket now marks another milestone the CRA has created toward providing a thriving community within its district, added Nolan.

Each year, the GreenMarket features numerous vendors from Palm Beach County and South Florida. Every week, guests can find a number of stands offering farm-to-fork produce, fresh-picked citrus and juices, farm fresh eggs, raw milk and butter, 100 percent grass-fed and finished (antibiotic and hormone free) Florida beef, poultry, pork and lamb; artisan baked goods; a number of gluten-free, vegan, and sugar-free products; fresh cut flowers, plants, and herbs; and other unique gourmet fare. 

For more information, visit the CRA website at delraycra.org/greenmarket, or call 561-276-7511.

Nicole Danna is a food writer covering Broward and Palm Beach counties. To get the latest in food and drink news in South Florida, follow her @SoFloNicole or find her latest food pics on the BPB New Times Food & Drink Instagram.