Modesto Certified Farmers' Market

Modesto Certified Farmers' Market carries a direct tie to the Modesto Junior College Agriculture Department, with founders Ron Alves and Ray Rodgers described as instructors who helped bring fresh produce straight to the community. That origin still fits the market’s current shape: a downtown mix of produce growers, food makers, prepared food vendors, and local craft businesses gathered at 16th and "I" in Modesto. The market also sits alongside the Stanislaus County Library, which gives this stop a distinctly civic setting rather than a parking-lot feel.

Why it matters locally

Ron Alves, Ray Rodgers, and Mayor Peggy Mensinger are credited with bringing fresh produce direct to the community long before “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” became a familiar phrase. That history matters because the market still frames itself around direct access to local goods and a wide vendor mix, with room for farmers, food makers, artisans, and agricultural businesses.

The local footprint is visible in the roster itself. Christine’s Garden is a 1-acre family-owned farm in Modesto growing produce with no pesticides. Green Vine Canning works out of Turlock with hand-packed spicy pickled vegetables. Shares of Harvest is a family-owned certified organic farm in Atwater growing vegetables year round. MJC Eggs links the market back to future farmers through fresh eggs sold by the college program.

What you'll find there

The strongest impression here is range. Modesto Certified Farmers' Market leans well beyond produce alone, with fruit growers, vegetable farms, mushrooms, grains, bakery stalls, hot food, and a long craft bench all present in one downtown market.

• -Pick up apples, cherries, and plums from Chinchiolo Farms.
• -Find naturally grown produce with no pesticides from Christine’s Garden, a 1-acre family-owned Modesto farm.
• -Shop organic gourmet mushrooms from the Sierra foothills at Country Nerd Farm.
• -Look for microgreens tailored to taste from Green Digits Farm.
• -Browse over 150 varieties of Asian and American vegetables, herbs, and 15 heirloom tomato varieties at Vue Farms.
• -Bring home freshly picked strawberries from Rocha Bros. Berry Farm.
• -Add organic berries and vegetables from Sunshine Organic.
• -Choose fresh-picked organic fruits and vegetables from Ledesma Farms.
• -Stock up on grains and stone-milled flour from Melgard Farms LLC – Melgard Flour.
• -Grab fresh eggs from future farmers at MJC Eggs.
• -Take home local raw honey from Burch Bees.
• -Find grass-fed beef, naturally raised pork and lamb, free-range poultry, and fresh seafood at Dave’s Meat Service.
• -Order handmade stone fire pizza from Fireball Pizza.
• -Try hot market cooking from Cocina de Alina, which serves handmade tacos and cold drinks.
• -Pick up whole-ingredient tamales from Oaxacan Tamales.
• -Go for flavored hummus, garlic spreads, olives, salads, pita bread, and chips at Hummus Heaven.
• -Finish with sweet bread, corn bread, pastries, pies, and biscotti from Rosa’s Portuguese Bakery.

The calendar adds more than shopping. The market hosts cooking demos and recipe samples built primarily around market ingredients, monthly kids’ crafts or special events, and local musicians at every market. Seasonal programming also includes events such as National Farmer’s Market Day, Pumpkin Patch at the Market, Trick or Treat at the Market, and the Annual Chili Cook-off. What stands out most here is how often the market turns shopping into a family program built around the downtown library setting. The market runs coupons and scavenger hunts for local public school students through its School Field Trip Program. It also schedules monthly crafts or special kids’ events with a new theme each month. Specific examples give that effort a concrete shape: pet rocks, paper spinners, a Father’s Day keychain craft, and finger puppet monsters all appear on the calendar. Add the Modesto Library On-the-Go Summer Reading Challenge Kick Off Party on the Modesto Library Lawn, and the market reads less like a quick produce errand and more like a recurring public-space program anchored to the library block.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, which is the clearest policy detail to plan around before you head downtown. The market is at 16th and "I" and is described as being on 16th Street between H and I streets in downtown Modesto, alongside the Stanislaus County Library. Restrooms are not available on site.

If you time a visit for more than shopping, the calendar regularly layers in live music, cooking demos, and kid-focused activities. The market also runs seasonal formats beyond the summer stretch, including a Winter Market on Saturdays and a Spring Market that expanded to Saturdays and Thursdays.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted here. The market also notes Market Match, available once per market, with coins that do not expire. Additional nutrition benefit programs mentioned include FMNP, SFMNP, and WIC, giving shoppers several ways to use food assistance benefits on market purchases.