GULF SHORES, Ala. — For the second year, Paradise Island will play host to the “Gulf Coast Green Market.” As part of the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local Farmers Market Trail,” locals will be able to browse and purchase homegrown vegetables and other items from local producers.

Lake Shelby at Gulf State Park is the site of the market, and after last year’s success, the Gulf Coast Green Market has been extended from the two-day market of last year to a five Saturday event running throughout the month of June.

“Last year was our first year and we were only given two dates, both on Fridays, to host our market,” Dianna Wells said.

She, along with her husband James of Bay Title Insurance, serve as the sponsor of the Green Market.

“On both of those days, our farmers sold out, so this year we were given five dates to host our market,” she said.

The Green Market will be open each Saturday from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. beginning May 30 and running through Saturday, June 27.

Wells said park superintendent Hugh Branyon has been a huge help in making the event possible, and the cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores have also offered assistance by providing tables, manpower and advertising on their Web sites.

“Buy Fresh, Buy Local” is the emphasis of the Farmers Market Authority of Alabama. According to statistics, less than a million people in the U.S. claim their primary occupation to be farming, a drop of almost 5 million farms since 1935.

Normally, products produced and sold at farmers markets have been harvested within the past 24 hours, are fresher and have a better taste than produce found at supermarkets, which sometimes has been shipped across the country and was harvested two weeks earlier.

James and Dianne Wells realize the importance of what fresh fruits and vegetables means to the consumer, but they also realize the importance of supporting local farmers.

“We want people to view our area in an environmentally friendly way.  Producing and consuming locally grown fruits and vegetables is better for our environment and better for us,” Dianne Wells said.

More than 20 Baldwin County farmers are represented at the Green Market, and Wells said it is important to get there early each day because they will sell out.

“We do not charge the farmers for setting up at the market,” she said. “Nobody makes any money off of this market except the farmers, and we do it this way in order to have the best possible farmers and products available.”

Fruits, vegetables, bread, shrimp, flower and more will be available to shoppers.