By Liza Gershman
There’s a magic hour on Saturday mornings when the sun hasn’t quite burned through the morning mist and the scent of basil floats on the breeze. It’s in that moment—coffee in one hand, tote bag in the other—that Healdsburg wakes up. Not with alarm clocks or deadlines, but with laughter, tomatoes still warm from the sun and the soft hum of a town gathering to celebrate the local farms’ abundance.
If you live here, the market feels less like an errand and more like a reunion. It’s where neighbors greet each other with hugs and handshakes, children dart between booths clutching just-baked cookies and you’re bound to discover something delightfully unexpected—like Cadd’s collection of over 1,000 iris-bulb varieties, freshly milled polenta from Front Porch Farm or vibrant chutneys from Roti Brothers’ stall.
While I didn’t grow up in Healdsburg proper, where I now live, my roots are deeply embedded in Sonoma County’s countryside, particularly along the winding outskirts of Bennett Valley Road, which my mother still calls home. From a young age, I was immersed in a community where food arrived sun-warmed and fragrant, neighbors left bags of apples and lemons and plums on doorsteps, and someone you knew always cultivated something wonderful in their garden. Healdsburg was a part of my early story, though.
I went to a small school, and most of my classmates lived in Dry Creek and Alexander Valley. Beginning at age 7 and continuing through much of my early 20s, I spent long weekends and school holidays at the Prestons’ property on Dry Creek Road. Lou and Susan Preston were not only family friends but also pioneers in the region’s sustainable agriculture movement. They transformed their land into a diversified organic farm and winery, contributing significantly to the local food culture and helping to establish the idea of “farm-fresh,” in my mind.
That land, and the quiet rhythm of life on Dry Creek Road, profoundly shaped who I became. With their daughters I picked blackberries until our fingers were stained, explored rows of vines and watched the seasons change not on a calendar but by the color of the leaves.
In sixth grade we went trick-or-treating to the few houses that dotted the stretch of country road, and one neighbor, not expecting young visitors, searched for a treat to give and awkwardly offered us bottles of homemade port (something that would only happen in the ’80s). I remember when Bistro Ralph’s was the place to eat, and when Ravenous had no more than four little tables tucked into the Raven’s front room.
All of this is to say, Healdsburg wove itself into my sense of home before I ever realized I was laying down roots, and shaped my understanding of what “eating local” truly means.
In being honored to work with the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market on my newest book, Farm + Market: Healdsburg, I’ve found myself returning to these youthful memories often.
The market has long been the town’s unofficial storyteller. Each booth holds a narrative: of generational farming, new beginnings, culinary dreams and the shifting dance of seasons. It’s why the market plays such a central role in so many of our lives and in the new book—not just as a place, but as a character.
I recently spent a morning talking with Shalie Jonker, co-founder of Noble Goat Farm and board chair of the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market, whose boundless energy and passion for our local agriculture is instrumental in the production of this project. Shalie spoke of heirloom varieties, crop rotation and the deeper philosophy of feeding a town not just with food, but with care. It reminded me that the Farmers’ Market is a celebration of our community.
This week, asparagus is peeking through the stalls like green confetti, a sure sign that spring has truly arrived. If you’re lucky, you might spot baby artichokes, citrus you’ve never heard of or a bundle of herbs that smells like the hillsides after rain.
In the coming months, this column will explore the stories behind the booths, the people who make this culture vibrant and the quiet beauty of seasonal living. It will also offer glimpses into the making of the Farm + Market: Healdsburg book—a love letter to this town in words, recipes and images.
Sharing our community food story is just the beginning. Residents can participate in the town-wide recipe contest and have a recipe featured in the book alongside the remarkable restaurants and chefs who are contributing recipes and stories (Single Thread, Valette, Cyrus, Charlie Palmer, Duskie Estes, Little Saint, Quail & Condor, Scott Beattie and more). Residents can sign up and have their portrait taken and featured in the book as well (see healdsburgbook.com for more).
For now, meet me where the sidewalk ends. Just past the dahlias and the sourdough, where the sound of an acoustic guitar blends with chatter and the smell of breakfast burritos curls in the air. That’s where the market begins—and with it, the story of Healdsburg continues.
Liza Gershman’s upcoming book, ‘Farm + Market: Healdsburg,’ celebrates the stories, recipes and local bounty of the community. Proceeds from the book go directly to support the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market. (www.healdsburgbook.com | @healdsburgbook)
