San Ramon Farmers Market Launches Autumn Orchard Showcase and Zero-Waste Composting Hub at City Center

Market managers with the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM) and environmental coordinators from the City of San Ramon Public Works Department opened the annual Autumn Orchard Showcase and Zero-Waste Resource Hub on Saturday morning at the San Ramon Farmers Market in the north parking lot of City Center Bishop Ranch at 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road. Running every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM rain or shine, the expanded late-October market layout features forty-five certified California family growers, specialty seed savers, and artisan bakers. Cool mountain nights across El Dorado, Sonoma, and Santa Cruz counties have delivered peak sugar levels across eighteen varieties of heirloom apples—including Arkansas Black, Honeycrisp, Sierra Beauty, and Pink Pearl—alongside Shinko Asian pears and Warren orchard pears.

At the center of the market promenade along Camino Ramon, the City of San Ramon and ACI of San Ramon inaugurated a staffed Zero-Waste Composting and Recycling Pavilion where apartment and townhome residents can drop off kitchen food scraps and pick up complimentary two-gallon countertop compost pails. Bilingual sustainability ambassadors are also distributing five-pound bags of screened organic compost produced from San Ramon residential green-waste collections for autumn home vegetable beds.

Shoppers using CalFresh EBT cards can visit the AIM manager's tent to receive up to $15 in matching Market Match produce scrip each Saturday, doubling purchasing power for fresh fruits, nuts, and leafy greens. Culinary instructors from Diablo Valley College's San Ramon campus are hosting live 10:30 AM apple-roasting and winter squash preservation demonstrations using induction cooktops powered by portable battery stations.

Free parking is available throughout the City Center Bishop Ranch garage and adjacent surface lots off Camino Ramon and Sunset Drive, with covered bicycle corrals located beside the north market entrance. Residents can view the weekly farm vendor roster and seasonal harvest chart on the Agricultural Institute of Marin San Ramon Market Portal.