A number of new wrinkles await the estimated 500 shoppers who are expected to show up to this season’s opening of the Chimacum Farmers Market on Sun., June 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the grass at the Chimacum Corner Farmstand.

Amanda Milholland, executive director of the nonprofit Jefferson County Farmers Markets, noted there are 13 new vendors this season. They are among an anticipated 37 farm, arts, prepared-food and youth vendors offering a variety of seasonal produce and handcrafted arts on Sundays from June through October.

Lily’s Chinese Dumplings and Ying Yang Traditional Chinese Tea is an authentic Chinese food vendor that’s new to both the Port Townsend and Chimacum farmers markets this season.

Milholland reported that Lily’s has become a “highly popular” vendor at the Port Townsend Farmers Market.

Another new vendor is the Chimacum Workhorse Project. Its members are growing food with “a minimum of fossil fuel inputs” by utilizing a pair of Amish-trained draft horses named John and Jim instead of relying on a tractor or truck to support their farming endeavors.

Milholland said she is “especially excited” to meet the horses, which she credited with “pulling for local food,” along with their owners, Karen and Dave Seabrook, and the rest of the project team.

“Beyond growing food, the Chimacum Workhorse Project seeks to demonstrate adaptation pathways, for building the resilience of our local food system, in the face of uncertain times ahead,” said Milholland, who’s also looking forward to fresh crab and salmon from the Coville Fish Company of Port Angeles.

Five of the Chimacum Farmers Market’s new vendors this season are short-season youth vendors, with children up to 18 years old selling homemade and homegrown products in June and August. That includes the 19th Street Flower Shop offering bouquets of flowers, basil plants, and crafts produced by elementary student Grant Axling.

“Our shoppers come for the community, food and art available at the market,” Milholland said. “A farmers market is distinctly different from a grocery store, partly because of the number of interactions and connections made each week.”

As an example, Milholland noted that the average grocery store shopper might talk with one to three other people, but at the county’s farmers markets, each patron connects with several friends and neighbors, as well as the makers and growers who participate in the market.

“We build this rich web of care and support every time we visit the market,” Milholland said.

To that end, this year’s Jefferson County Farmers Markets are administering the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program for adults 60 years and older (55 if you’re a Native American or Alaskan Native), with household incomes as high as $2,322 for an individual, or $3,152 for a household of two.

Milholland said that this federally funded program supports local food security, while benefiting local agriculture by increasing the buying power of seniors who participate.

Seniors can register for the program at the Chimacum Farmers Market’s information booth on opening day, June 2, and once registered, can start spending benefits at the Port Townsend or Chimacum farmers markets, from June through October.

Learn more at jcfmarkets.org.

Shoppers who utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or EBT, can double their food benefits, with a dollar-for-dollar SNAP match for the first $30 per shopper, per market day.

Bring your card to the information booth, to learn more and collect benefits.

This season’s official twine-cutting ceremony and group photo for the Chimacum Farmers Market kicks off at 10 a.m. June 2, and the farmers markets are set to be open Saturdays in Port Townsend from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m, and Sundays in Chimacum, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.