"This is the first year that I've felt I've gotten over the hump," says Melanie Defé, co-owner of South Bay Farmers Markets, referring to the annual obstacles of organizing the Willow Glen Farmers Market.

"I have to be honest: For years I wracked my brains trying to figure out the layout. This is the first time I've gotten to a point where I like what I've done," Defé says.

Defé has run South Bay Farmers Markets with Su Ellen B. Sterling for 11 years. The company used to manage a handful of local farmers markets but ultimately decided to focus on two, the Los Gatos and Willow Glen farmers' markets.

The impetus for those markets began when Sterling, who founded a technology company at which Defé was the vice president of operations, sold her business in 1989.

Sterling thought she and Defé would simply retire and enjoy their Saturdays visiting the farmers' market in Palo Alto, but the drive was daunting and one day they were talking with one farmer who suggested they organize a farmers market closer to home.

"And that's just what we did," Defé says. They coordinated their first market near downtown Los Gatos in April 1992.

"I don't make any money at this," Defé said. "I just do it because I like it. We make enough money to stay afloat."

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Pick A Peck: Seven-year-old Cornelia Bendel looks through a crop of peas at the Willow Glen Farmers Market. Her family has a share in the Live Earth Farm harvest in Watsonville through its Community Supported Agriculture program.

Defé is very strict about making sure vendors arrive on time and are fully set up by 8:30 a.m. The market is normally open until 12:30 p.m. This four-hour duration is a traditional time span that was initially established by farmers markets in Southern California almost 30 years ago, Defé says.

Many vendors drive several hours to sell at the Willow Glen market, and most vendors take about 30 minutes to an hour to set up their tents, tables and signs and lay out their wares or produce.

"So they're exhausted—they don't want to stay out here any longer than four hours," Defé says.

One longtime vendor of the Willow Glen Farmers Market is Zuckerman's Farm, whose 20 representatives haul produce to farmers markets throughout California all week.

Teri Navarec has been with Zuckerman's Farm for almost a year.

She said Zuckerman's has been involved with the Willow Glen Farmers Market since its inception and that the farm relies on farmers markets to stay in business.

"That's all we do," Navarec said. Weekly she or another Zuckerman's Farm representative will display artichokes, red potatoes, Yukon potatoes and asparagus. Their asparagus, a top seller, is the main reason Zuckerman's returns each season.

"People love our asparagus," Navarec says. "They ask for it by name."

Her daughter works the Old Oakland Farmers Market. Navarec drops her off at that market and then comes to Willow Glen. At 12:30 p.m. she packs up, drives back to Oakland for her daughter and boxes up what's left over. Then she heads home to Stockton.

Four hours is more than enough time for Willow Glen resident Alaine Mengerink to pick up some produce and anything else that catches her eye.

The Newport Avenue resident moved to Willow Glen eight months ago from Austin, Texas. This is her first season attending the Willow Glen market, and she has visited it twice.

"It's a lot easier to come to a farmers market for fresher food," Mengerink said. Though there is a fresh flower vendor, she said she'd like to see more native plants sold at the market.

Finding something for everyone is a major challenge, Defé says.

The best-case scenario would be "one of everything that was high quality," she says.

"I'd like to have a good Italian pasta person here, and a good meat or sausage person here. Perhaps someone selling hormone-free, free-range chicken. It's pretty hard to find a fresh egg vendor."

Bob Elsey, who lives on Hermosa Avenue, would also like to see the market cater a little more to children.

Defé says a clown who paints faces and makes animal balloons is part of the market but is not there consistently.

"I'd love to have more of the community service organizations here," she says, "a real community market where people come and get to see each other, where people can talk and find out about major community events—and get educated about farming. That's our goal."

She also would like to have the market located in the heart of downtown Willow Glen, not just beyond it.

"I think it would be good for the community and also for the merchants. But the biggest obstacle would be getting permission from city hall" and from Lincoln Avenue merchants.

Her goal for the market is to see it become something everyone can anticipate, "to develop it so that it is a happenin' place," she says. "This area has a really good sense of community."

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Weighing In: Happy Boy Organic Farmer worker Alison Lee-Whitney is a popular grower at the Willow Glen Farmers Market, providing a wide variety of organic produce to choose from.

One of the prepared-food vendors making its first appearance at the farmers' market is the Whole Bean Roasting Company, based in Soquel.

Alicia Benoit and Beau Washington ran the young company's booth on April 26, offering free samples and selling cups of freshly brewed coffee. In future weeks, when the weather warms, they may consider selling iced coffee too, Benoit said.

"We're taking suggestions and figuring out what people want and seeing what we actually can do," Benoit says.

The farmers' market in Santa Cruz was fully booked with merchants, so Whole Bean Roasting Company founder Josh Corey considered himself fortunate to have gotten a space at the Willow Glen market, Benoit says.

Getting to that booth at a farmers' market is the start of what is usually a long but hopefully rewarding day for vendors.

"Waking up is the only hard part," Benoit says, "but once we get the coffee brewed it's OK."

Another vendor of prepared food at the market is Greenlee's Bakery, established in 1924.

The 78-year-old bakery, located on The Alameda in San Jose, decided to listen to its customers' suggestions and try selling loaves of the bakery's signature cinnamon bread at farmers markets.

Greenlee's employee Jeanette Geldner set up a table and filled it with plastic-wrapped loaves of cinnamon bread.

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Petal Pushers: Freshly cut flowers in many varieties are a popular purchase at the Willow Glen Farmers Market.

"We're getting the feel for it," Geldner said. "We'll see how today goes, and next week. It'll take us a couple weeks to figure out if the market will be beneficial for us."

The market has been beneficial to Stacey Zanella, who for the past three years has sold her line of handmade aromatherapy lotions and lavender products at a booth there.

Zanella's company, Miel—which is Spanish for "honey"—sells at two other farmers' markets as well.

Zanella can't explain exactly why she returns to the Willow Glen market. "I don't know," she says. "I just like it. It's a nice family market with a lot of return customers."

She began making candles and soaps 12 years ago after she realized that the oils her physical therapist was using were helping her feel better when incorporated into the massages. She went to school to study aromatherapy and started making her own products.

"It's a full-time job. Every day I'm either sewing or making lip balm or drying lavender," Zanella says.

Her advice for other vendors contemplating selling at farmers' markets: "You better be dedicated. It's a lot of work."

And Zanella is committed, hauling her products from Hollister, 50 miles away, once a week.

"I'm into a high quality of life," she says. "I'm really happy with what I do, and I get by."

Steven Brocato also gets by. The Willow Glen resident only drives a couple blocks from his Lincoln Court home to set up his glasswares.

"This is what I love doing, and I try making a living at it," Brocato says.

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Classy Glass: Steven Brocato, owner of Brocato Glass Designs, brings his custom glass and ceramic artwork to the Willow Glen Farmers Market. Brocato, who lives only blocks away from the Saturday event, says the market offers good exposure for his work.

At least four consignment stores used to carry his wares, he said, but they had to stop because of the poor economy.

But the stores recommended that Brocato start selling at farmers markets because his items would get more exposure.

He prefers farmers markets because organizers at craft fairs and flea markets require more money to participate.

Defé says that produce vendors are in the same boat, preferring farmers' markets to flea markets because people there are looking for bargains and "try to dicker them down for prices. And these farmers have spent an enormous amount of time and energy and money trying to grow their products."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates farmers and prohibits them from reselling anything they didn't grow themselves, Defé says. So a rule of Defé's markets is that produce vendors must sell only what they grow.

Produce vendors at a flea market may be resellers, but certified produce vendors at a farmers market must be the original growers, Defé says.

And just as the agriculture department is strict in regulating where farmers may sell, Defé is strict on who may participate in the South Bay Farmers Markets.

"I could have a hundred more vendors," but only those that meet her high standards make it into the Willow Glen market.

"If it ain't high quality, you ain't comin'," she says with a confident smirk. "I'm really strict about the whole process."

The only thing just beyond her control is how the residents view the farmers markets.

"We really want people to feel that this market is someplace they can come to and relax, have their coffee, watch their kids play, go shopping downtown."

Defé feels the market's location near downtown and its weekly appearance is advantageous to more than customers and vendors.

"Everybody benefits—not just us, not just our farmers, but all of the downtown merchants benefit from us being here." Defé says. "Our goal is that symbiotic relationship."

The Willow Glen Farmers Market runs April through November. It is open every Saturday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.