Showing posts with label Opening the Season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opening the Season. Show all posts

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Farmers market: Celebrating 20 years of growing on Saturday - Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader - Port Townsend, Jefferson County & Olympic Peninsula's news website - Port Townsend, WA


2001-2005 Port Townsend Farmers Market Director, Harvindar Singh, takes a stroll through the last market of the season and his career.

Seeds of the Port Townsend Farmers Market were planted 20 years ago in a gravel lot downtown between Elevated Ice Cream Co. and the Cotton Building.

Vendors at that market, such as Denise Joy, remember that the wind swept in so hard off the bay that even on a hot summer day, “it felt like 40 degrees in the wind tunnel.”

Consequently, the market was relocated to another lot, a block away behind City Hall, which offered shelter from the wind. Tended by a community keen on going local and organic, the market blossomed, so much so that it needed to be transplanted yet again – to an entire block of Tyler Street in Uptown.

And that is where it blooms again on Saturday, April 7 for what is being touted as the market’s 20th anniversary season, though some who’ve been around for longer than that roll their eyes and say the market really is a more mature 21 years old.

But who wants to quibble with anniversary dates right before Easter?

Market director Will O’Donnell, who was a sophomore in high school, eager to get his driver’s license, 20 years ago, is looking forward to the day and the 2012 market year.

Farmers market: Celebrating 20 years of growing on Saturday - Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader - Port Townsend, Jefferson County & Olympic Peninsula's news website - Port Townsend, WA

Thursday, April 30, 2009

To market, to market, to buy local goods

By Allison Arthur of The Leader
April 29, 2009

Fresh from an International Farmers Market conference last weekend in San Francisco, Port Townsend Farmers Market Manager Will O'Donnell was excited Monday about the market opening Saturday, May 2.

It was the farmers market that brought O'Donnell and his wife, Kate Dean, who is Small Farms program director for the Washington State University Extension in Port Hadlock, to Jefferson County a decade ago.

And it's the same farmers market - a market that has grown in that decade from 15 to 70 vendors and from $80,000 to $800,000 in annual sales - that is keeping the family in Jefferson County, in an Uptown home not far from the market.

While the worldwide economy might be in the doldrums, O'Donnell says the future of the farmers market is bright.

"Our success rate is off the charts, and that's due to the fantastic and enlightened community we have. We have the perfect demographics for a farmers market," he said of a community that is middle-aged, highly educated and interested in healthy foods. (Read More)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

CHIMACUM FARMERS' MARKET OPENS JUNE 1ST

Jefferson County’s newest market brings growers and consumers together

CHIMACUM, WA. MAY 22, 2008 – Starting Sunday, June 1st, The Chimacum Farmers' Market will open to the public for the season.

Featuring locally grown produce from Chimacum Grange farmers, customers can be sure they are receiving the freshest items, most of which are produced within 30 miles of the market. Opening weekend offerings may include fresh greens, radishes, peas, herbs, vegetable and flower starts, seeds, jams and jellies, coffee, chocolate, eggs, wool and lavender products.

Participating farmers and producers include Plum Wild Farm, Dharma Ridge Farm, G&R Quality Seafood, Olympic Pastured Poultry, Mountain Spirit Herbal Co., Sequim Lavender Company, Princess Valiant Coffee and John Gunning's Familty Farm.

The popularity of farmers markets is growing quickly as people become more interested in eating locally. The surge in the cost of oil has had a noticeable effect on the price of food in the grocery store, since most food requires processing, packaging, refrigeration and a long trip in a truck. Local food is largely free of these fluctuating costs and is closer to the actual cost of production. Items produced closer to home are higher in nutrients because they tend to be picked at their peak and do not spend many days in transit to the consumer, losing more nutrients.

Patronizing local farmers keeps agriculture viable on the peninsula, ensuring that farms will stay in production and increasing food security on the peninsula. As people become more interested in locallization and supporting the local economy first, food is at the top of the list of things in which everyone has the same basic need. Building a strong food network means that peninsula residents would have an easier time being fed in the case of emergency that effects the normal channels of large scale food distribution.

The Chimacum Farmers' Market is located at the Grange, 9572 Rhody Drive, on the Jefferson Transit bus line across from the Chimacum Schools. The market will be open Sundays from 11am to 3pm, June 1st through October.

For more information on the Chimacum Farmers' Market, please visit http://www.chimacum.org/ or contact Molly Fahrenschon at 360.821.1035

Thursday, May 01, 2008

To Farmers Market we will go! Maypole dance for Saturday's opening

"After several years of rapid growth, the Saturday market has become the largest weekly confluence of community in Port Townsend, drawing more than 1,000 customers each week. This success has attracted a large number of new vendors.

'We've added 11 new vendors and counting to the market this year, all food-related, including five new growers,' reported market manager Wendie Dyson. Because the interest among vendors is so high, Dyson initiated a waiting-list system to allow new vendors to experience the market when an established vendor cannot attend.

'I'm getting several calls each week from local entrepreneurs who want to join the market,' said Dyson. 'Some are backyard hobby growers whose gardens are producing enough excess that they're ready to start selling. This is exciting because it's increasing our local food source and building the diversity of products at the market. Several are younger residents starting their own side business preparing foods using ingredients they're sourcing from local growers or the Food Co-op, thus further supporting our local food system.'" (Read More)

Friday, May 11, 2007

Klaus Hintermavr, Hillside Farm


Klaus Hintermavr, Hillside Farm Market Board Member, talks about opening day of the 2007 season.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Emily Truitt, Tarboo Valley Pasta, Sells Out On Opening Day


Emily Truitt, Tarboo Valley Pasta, talks to Matt Sircely, PT Farmers Market Communications Coordinator, about selling out on opening day.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Karen Lee, Port Townsend Farmers Market Board President


Claire and Zoe, Leader Vision Cub Reporters, chat with Karen Lee, Port Townsend Farmers Market Board President, about opening day 2007.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Nick Hill Recaps Opening Day



Nick Hill, Market Manager, recaps the events of Opening Day, May 5, 2007. For more opening day videos, check out Port Townsend Leader Vision.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Port Townsend Farmers Market Welcomes EBT


Gabriel Bernier of Basic Food Education & Outreach at the Olympic Community Action Program displays the wooden nickels, each worth a dollar towards food, vegetable seeds and starts, that he purchased during a test run of the PT market's new wireless EBT machine. Photo by Matt Sircely.

For the first time this season, the Port Townsend Farmers Market will accept food stamps, also known as EBT. Participants in the program can now swipe their card at the market information booth in exchange for tokens that can be used to buy fresh local food and even vegetable seeds and starts.

"It has been a real pleasure working with the PT market. I hope this partnership represents only one step in many toward creating a strong, equitable, and sustainable local food system," says Gabriel Bernier of Basic Food Education & Outreach at the Olympic Community Action Program. Bernier will furnish information at the market info table to help individuals determine whether they may be eligible to receive EBT.

The Port Townsend Farmers Market is located uptown on Tyler Street at Lawrence. Wednesday markets begin on June 13th. For more information, call the market office at 379-9098 or visit www.ptfarmersmarket.org.

PHOTO: Gabriel Bernier of Basic Food Education & Outreach at the Olympic Community Action Program swipes his personal EBT card during an on site test of the market's new wireless machine. Market Manager Nick Hill administered the test. Photo by Matt Sircely.

CONTACT: Matt Sircely • matt (at) ptfarmersmarket (dot) org • (360) 301-3789

PT Farmers Market Opening Day is May 5th

PT Farmers Market Opening Day is May 5th

SATURDAYS Uptown-Tyler at Lawrence
9:30am-1:30pm ~ May 5-Nov 17

WEDNESDAYS Uptown-Polk at Lawrence
3:30pm - 6:30 pm ~ June13-Sept 26

If you think the market is bustling, you're right.

In 2006, revenues hit $632,000, a 21% increase over 2005, and we saw 17 new vendors. But the market's success is as much about values as it is about numbers.

The market promotes sustainable agriculture, a vital part of the creativity of our community, especially the sustenance provided by local farmer / growers.

Opening Day Site Map

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Press Release: Port Townsend Farmers Market Opens

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

DATE: May 5, 2007 รข€¢ 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

CONTACT: Matt Sircely matt at ptfarmersmarket dot org (360) 301-3789


Video: Nick Hill, Market Manager

The Port Townsend Farmers Market opens this weekend in Uptown Port Townsend on Saturday, May 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Deputy Mayor Michelle Sandoval will open the market with an official ceremony at 9:30 a.m. At noon, Sandoval will draw upon her Chicana heritage to deliver a brief address in Spanish, invoking the celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

On opening day, the market stage will feature folkloric Mexican music by Tres Piedras, a trio of twin fiddles and guitar led by local fiddler Marla Streater. As part of the Cinco de Mayo festival, children will have the chance to swing at a festive pata.

Each week through the season, the farmers market offers a wide spectrum of food, crafts, art and music together with an opportunity to personally connect with the local sustainable growers who are sowing the future of Jefferson County. In the last few years, the Port Townsend Farmers Market has grown into a full scale community celebration, with more than a thousand people attending each week.

Perennial changes at the farmers market always present a few surprises. This year, new vendor highlights include the return to the market of Frog Hill Farm. A long-standing anchor of the local food network, Frog Hill's cooperative team of seasoned growers will fill another booth with glorious, healthy produce.

Also among the new arrivals, Randy and Anne Unbedacht of The Spot Restaurant will serve seafood gumbo, caesar salad, soups, pestos and salsas alongside their signature "SPOTKETS" tasty pastry pies stuffed with seafood, meats or vegetables. Janice Speck of Janice Designs will furnish her bracelets, necklaces, scarves, and hats using locally processed wool and her palette of vibrant colors.

Former Old Tarboo farmer Emily Truitt will introduce her new Tarboo Valley Pasta, made with local eggs. Also for the first time, the Silverwater Cafe will offer its spice collection, including the renowned Silverwater Secret Spice. Dottie Holland and her young daughter Maddie will carry a combination of farm-oriented artwork, vegetables and even homemade animal treats. They will be accompanied by Maddie's miniature horse Willie certain to be popular among the market-going children.

In all, more than sixty vendors, including twenty-one growers and wildcrafters, will attend the community celebration on opening day. Vendor attendance will continue to grow during the first few weeks.

The Port Townsend Farmers Market is located uptown on Tyler Street at Lawrence. Wednesday markets begin on June 13th. For more information, call the market office at 379-9098 or visit www.ptfarmersmarket.org.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

NEWS FROM THE MARKET: April/May 2007

Coop Commons
Port Townsend Food Coop Newsletter

By Matt Sircely

As the spring soil awakens and the young starts begin to climb out of their pots, we at the Port Townsend Farmers Market are thrilled to look forward to another season of providing personal connections between the community and local growers. Last year, between a thousand and 1,500 people supported the market each week, perhaps the largest weekly confluence of community in our beloved town. We need to grow our local production to keep pace with the rapid increases in demand, and we strongly encourage more local growers to climb on board. As Coop Commons goes to print, vendors continue to submit applications, so please consider this one last bugle call.

In the last issue, Nick Hill foreshadowed the arrival of new staff at the market, and it is little surprise that, after all of his heartfelt dedication as site manager last year, Nick is the new Market Manager. The market also welcomes Ruth Ballard to the new position of Friends of the Market Coordinator. Ruth will be organizing and leading our courageous volunteers. I feel honored to announce that I will be the Communications and Marketing Coordinator this year and I will continue for a third year as Music Coordinator.

Throughout the season, a series of festivals will celebrate some of the favorite crops. Still, each week at the market is essentially a festival of food, art and music. Underscoring the vibrant community celebration are the intentions of building a sustainable food network that we all share. This year, the Farmers Market will also accept Food Stamps, allowing recipients to use EBT cards to directly buy local produce.

Out On The Farm

One measure of the health of a local farming community is the stability and continuity of farms and farmers coming to the market. We are pleased to announce that almost all of our farming neighbors will be back at the market on opening day on May 5. Only one farm has departed, and we hope John Gunning and Colinwood Farm will return in 2008.

Change is in the winds on our local farms this year, and we consider change with continuity to be good news. For example, Corona Farm will continue production, but with different farmers. Adam Blake and Em Graham, already familiar to many as managers of Full Circle Gardens, have taken the reins at Corona. Adam will also maintain the market's website at www.ptfarmersmarket.org.

Meanwhile, seasoned growers Marko Colby and Hanoko Myer, formerly of Corona and other farms, farm with Keith Kisler at Finn River Farm, continuing the thread of continuity. Kate Dean will step back to spend more time with her family. Marko and Hanoko have also joined a cooperative team to return Frog Hill Farm to the market, a farm well-known in town for its CSA program and bountiful lunches.


Old Tarboo Farm will be back with new farmers, and we send a hearty welcome to Jovi Catena and partner. Half of the former Old Tarboo dynamic duo also returns in a different fashion, as Emily Truitt (see video) will sell handmade pasta instead of greens. We wish Karyn Williams well as she travels the world.

We’re happy that Klaus and Jan Hintermayr of Hillside Farm will be back on Wednesdays and will also join us on Saturdays this season. Sunfield Farm will add Wednesdays to their schedule, including a CSA pickup on site.

While there is considerable change this season, there is also growth and continuity — something we can all take nourishment from. Once again, the market encourages new farmers and growers — even back-yard, community gardeners to join the ranks. Get in touch with Nick Hill, Market Manager, at nick@ptfarmersmarket.org and he’ll find you a spot. Get food you can trust at the market, where you can personally know both the farm and the farmer.

Monday, June 19, 2006

The Port Townsend Farmers Market Opens 2006


WATCH PT FARMERS MARKET VIDEOS


The Port Townsend Farmers Market opens for the season on Saturday with expectations of another year of sales growth.

Market manager Libby Urner said vendor demand for space is so strong that the market has expanded into the Clay Street intersection. Listen To Interview with Libby Urner. (MP3, 13 minutes)

“We’ve got a lot of momentum this year,” she said. “There’s a bunch of new vendors, and just about everybody we had before is returning.”

Also new this year is a “Friends of the Market” membership program designed to help build the budget of the nonprofit Port Townsend Farmers Market Association.

The market could also gain visibility through a 4-H project that will feature live interviews and Internet video podcasting direct from the market. (Read More)

Wednesday Market Now Open

The Port Townsend Farmers Market opens its Wednesday market Wednesday June 14th.

The market, open from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Polk Street between Lawrence and Clay streets, will be open Wednesdays through Sept. 27.

Produce available this week includes salad greens, cut flowers, green garlic, asparagus and rhubarb. Eggs, salmon, cheese and other products are also available, along with a variety of crafts and fresh-cooked food. Strawberries and snow peas should be arriving within the next two weeks.

Music at this week’s Wednesday market is provided by Bill Shepherd.

Kids age 16 and under who would like to sell crafts at the market can set up a booth for free on Wednesdays, with no advance registration. Kids under 8 should have an adult on hand to help out.

The market is also open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tyler Street between Lawrence and Clay, through Nov. 18.

For information, call market Manager Libby Urner at 379-5610, ext. 302.