Throughout the summer, access to fresh and local produce has been offered in several locations around Sacramento, but the change of the season means less availability as many farmers markets close until May or June.

The remaining markets for the year:

Open All Year

Sacramento Central Certified Farmers’ Market
Eighth and W
8 a.m. to noon Sunday

Sacramento Florin CFM
Florin road and 65th St
8 a.m. to noon Thursday

Sacramento Country Club Plaza CFM
Watt and El Camino Avenues
8 a.m. to noon Saturday

Open through October

Sacramento Chavez Plaza CFM
10th and J streets
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday

Del Paso Heights CFM
Norwood Avenue and San Juan Road
7:30 a.m. to noon Saturday

Natomas CFM
New Market Drive- Inderkum High School parking lot
9 a.m. to noon

Oak Park Farmers’ Market
McClatchy Park at 35th St and 5th Ave
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday

Open through November

Sacramento Kaiser CFM
Cottage Way and Morse Avenue
9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Only a few farmers' markets actually stay open through winter. Some farmers said the reason for this is the change in weather and how it affects the crop yield for the season.

“Usually (in the winter) you have less shoppers – lots to do with the weather – (and) we don’t like coming out in the rain and standing around,” said Patrick Hoover, owner of Patrick’s Garden, located in Placer County. “A lot of the farmers don’t have anything in the winter. A lot of farming is seasonal, so the markets are seasonal.”

Joany Titherington, coordinator for the Oak Park Farmers' Market, said that the Oak Park market, currently held in McClatchy Park, will close for the winter because it has no covered structure to shield the customers, farmers and their produce from the rain.

Martin Bates, stall manager for Capay Organic, said that the demand for more farmer's markets has gone down in Sacramento over the years.

"I think Sacramentans are just sensitive to weather. When it's cold, I notice, there's just less traffic – folks will stay in their offices or stay at home whereas, say in San Francisco, where it's always 59 degrees, folks are just acclimated and they come out and shop."

Renae Best, co-coordinator for Certified Farmers' Markets of Sacramento, said that since the yield is smaller in the winter, supply runs out for the winter.

“Farmers don’t have enough supply to go to several markets each week,” she said.

Hoover said that a break from the crops isn’t usually his choice, just resultant of the 3,000-foot elevation and snow in his area.

“You can’t grow all the summer produce in the winter, and you’re limited,” he said. “You get more during the summer – there’s more daylight hours. You need a certain amount of temperatures and a certain amount of daylight.”

Of the 13 local markets in the summer, only three are open all year round.

Though many of the summer’s markets have already closed down for the winter and won’t reopen again until late spring, a few other markets will remain open through the rest of the month.

The Oak Park market will only be open once more – from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday – and the Chavez Plaza market will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Wednesday until the end of the month.

For more information on the Sacramento Certified Farmer’s Markets, click here.