The Live Oak Market

Started in 2000, this neighborhood market has grown to be a weekly event that is loved and depended on by the communities of Live Oak, Pleasure Point and Capitola. Here the atmosphere is bumping with families, cyclists, beach goers, locals, visitors, the young and the old. Shoppers find an excellent selection of organic produce from regional farms. The tables are stacked high with tree-ripened fruits, greens, fresh bread, pastries, nuts and legumes, sustainable seafood, pasture-raised organic meats and seasonal flowers. Many visitors spend hours at the market, filling their bags with berries, chicories and bagels – then moving onto a unique meal from one of the accomplished cooks that sell at the market. Sunday brunch offerings include traditional Michoacan Mexican dishes, exceptional focaccia breakfast sandwiches from Melrose, savory and sweet crepes, pupusas and farm-driven meals that spotlight the harvest in clean, creative and bright arrangements. Watsonville-based Hidden Fortress Coffee provides that hot, comforting cup of goodness that brings us back to the simple pleasures of life. This is your Sunday destination.

Market Match

Established in 2015, Market Match (MM) continues to run strong as our foundational food-access program. Largely funded through state and federal funding, it provides a dollar-for-dollar match up to $15; $15 of EBT is matched with $15 in MM for fresh fruits and vegetables. EBT is also known as CalFresh (statewide) and the Supplemental Nutrition Incentive Program (federally) – historically EBT has been called foodstamps. If a customer swipes their EBT card for seven dollars, they get seven dollars in MM tokens for free. Swipe for $15 EBT and receive $15 MM. Swipe for $20 EBT and receive $15 MM – the match maxing out at $15.

The goal of this project is to encourage EBT recipients to take advantage of fresh, California-grown fruits and vegetables from small and mid-sized farmers. By offering an incentive that makes fresh produce more affordable we help shoppers stretch their food dollars while buying nutritious food. Locate the information booth and the market manager to redeem EBT coins and to participate in the Market Match program. Learn more about the statewide program and its incredible reach and accomplishments here.

Dia de la Familia – Family Day

Dia de la Familia is a program run at the Live Oak Market in partnership with the Live Oak School District (LOSD). This event series sponsors a $10 gift in produce tokens to any family, caregiver or staff member of the LOSD on the third Sunday of each month. The series includes a market hunt, face painting, art making and the general festivities of the market. Our goal is to bring new households into the market while supporting community health and the small farm economy. The program began in 2022.