Fresno State sweet corn will be available for sale this season beginning Friday. Fresno State photo

Fresno State sweet corn is set to hit the shelves of the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market this Friday alongside discounts, new products and a live celebration to kick off the season.

Starting Friday, two mobile purchase stations positioned on the north side of the store will accommodate opening day customers, offering 10 ears of pre-bagged corn for $8.50 — the same price as last year — while supplies last.

Shoppers can also buy three ears of both yellow and white varieties of sweet corn for $2 inside the Gibson Farm Market.

Fresno State sells upwards of 35,000 ears on its opening day.

Summer hours will also begin on Friday with the market operating from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Summer hours will remain in place through the end of August.

The history of Fresno State sweet corn dates back to 1981 when faculty and students planted test projects on campus. The following year, it was sold on the corner of Chestnut and Barstow avenues near the campus farm.

This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the tradition.

“This year is running a bit later,” said Gibson Farm Market HR Manager Haley Allen. “Because of all that rain we had earlier in the year they weren’t able to plant as soon as they would have hoped to.”

Despite the rain, the market looks to have full shelves for quite some time.

“It has delayed it but we do have an abundance of produce recently because they all picked it at that one time because it was delayed,” she added.

In addition to sweet corn, customers will also be able to enjoy a variety of other campus-grown products including apricots, cucumbers, cherries, green beans, peaches, squash and strawberries.

Other products, including watermelons, peppers and tomatoes, are expected to arrive later this month, with table grapes and other commodities likely arriving in July.

The Fresno State Winery will also feature three chardonnay white wines crafted with grapes from Carneros, Lodi and Santa Maria vineyards.

Fresno State’s Tailgate White will also be making its return after a two-year hiatus. The wine should arrive next week.

In addition to wine and produce, the meat science lab offers more than 30 varieties of sausages, salami and summer sausage varieties in a number of flavors, as well as snack products and popular meat cuts.

Shoppers looking to appeal to their sweet tooth will soon be able to enjoy a new flavor of Fresno State ice cream – butter pecan – from the campus creamery, which should hit shelves soon.

Along with the new ice cream flavor, the market will also introduce a strawberry-lemonade float.

“It’s kind of like a root beer float but it’s with lemon lime soda and our strawberry lemonade sherbet,” she said.

The food science and nutrition staff will also offer baked goods and to-go meals featuring campus-made ingredients.

Lastly, the market will have new apparel in stock, including hats, which have been off the shelves for the past year and a half.

Allen said that lines often begin forming as early as 5:30 a.m. Customers are encouraged to show up early.

“We’re really excited to have everyone here,” she said. “We hope it goes smoothly and for everyone to have their bags ready to fill up.”