Saturdays come alive in May with the smell of freshly brewed coffee, ripe tomatoes, fried oysters and the sight of islanders gathering together to check out local wares.

“Everything is fresh and you can visit old friends at the market every weekend,” said Market Manager Jennifer Pietsch. “It is a celebration of the brand new growing season.”

Although January is technically the start of the new year, for Pietsch the beginning of the year happens on the Village Green.

“The start of market season is the start of the new year to me,” she said.

The Orcas Island Farmers’ Market is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday from the first weekend in May to the last weekend of September on the Village Green in the heart of Eastsound.

Vendors this year include artisan sandwiches, salads, pizza, coffee, fried oysters, meals from Vietnam and El Salvador, falafel, chocolate, flowers, fresh produce, and fish and lamb on certain days. There are also crafts like jewelry, felt works, soaps, lotions, candles and recycled clothing for children. Mixed in with all these wares will be educational booths, workshops and demonstrations.

On May 10, during the Cider and Mead Festival, Christina Orchid will present a “cooking with cider and mead” demonstration. On May 17, Wildlife Cycles will teach market goers how to change a tire, oil your chains and do other bike mechanic work. There will also be reusable bags to purchase this year.

For Pietsch, the magic of the market is meeting the creators of the products you peruse.

“When you come to our market the person you talk to is the person who made the goods or has grown the produce,” she said. “They can really speak to the process or what went into creating what they have. It’s a part of them … that’s what is special.”

For more info, visit orcasislandfarmersmarket.org.