The popular Red Bank Farmer’s Market will be back sooner than expected, redbankgreen has learned.

Unfortunately, shoppers won’t be allowed out of their cars to squeeze, sniff and taste until the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer considered a threat.

What’s Going On Here? Read on.

Customers will be asked to preorder food and other products before arriving, and won’t be allowed out of their cars. (Photos by John T. Ward Click to enlarge.)

Last month, the Sourlis family-owned Galleria of Red Bank, which traditionally opens the market on Mother’s Day, announced that this year’s edition would be postponed until the pandemic passes.

On Monday, though, family member Ted Whitehouse told redbankgreen that the market will reopen – not on Mother’s Day, but May 17.

And mom and other market lovers won’t be able to stroll from stand to stand, hand-testing and examining fruits and vegetables. They also won’t be able to sample the assortment of jams, pickles, baked goods and other treats that pack the Galleria parking lot into November each year.

Instead, they’ll have to remain in their cars. And ideally, they’ll be picking up items they’ve pre-ordered from vendors, said Whitehouse. A “very limited” offering of a la carte products will be available, he said.

Whitehouse called the drive-thru “the safest and best option for everyone.” No walk-in or bike traffic will be permitted, he said.

  (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)