Farmers Market Season Is Here!
New to the scene this year: Georgetown and Belltown.
Posted by: Hayley Poole on Apr 30, 2010 at 02:15PM
3 Comments
Wednesday was a big day for the locavore crowd—that’s when Columbia City’s farmers market opened, marking the first of the warm-weather neighborhood food emporiums.
This year, two new nabes are set to christen their own markets: Georgetown and Belltown. When it debuts June 5, Georgetown’s 70 vendors will flll the lot of the former Rainier Cold Storage at the junction of Vale Street. The space will serve as a hub for both foodstuffs and eclectic secondhand goods—organizer Jon Hegeman gave the go-ahead for a fresh produce and flea market duo. The Georgetown market place happens Saturdays.
Belltown’s bazaar will live—how cool is this?—in Olympic Sculpture Park. That market is set to open July 15 and take place subsequent Thursdays.
Until then, check out your neighborhood market. Here’s a look at when they open:
Broadway: May 9, Sun 11–3, at Broadway & E Thomas
Lake City June 3, Thu 3–7, at NE 125th & NE 128th
Madrona May 14, Fri 3–7, at E Union and MLK JR Way
Magnolia June 5, Sat 10–2, at 2550 34th Ave W
Phinney May 28, Fri 3–7, at 67th & Phinney Ave N
Queen Anne May 20, Thu 3–7, at W Crockett St & Queen Anne Ave N
Wallingford May 19, Wed 3–7, at N 45th & Wallingford Ave
What the hell do mbt shoes have to do with Farmers Markets?
In fact of matter, what do flea markets and imported goods and homemade jewelry have to do with “Farmers” markets anyway? Market organizers around Seattle need to stop exploiting the grass roots local food and local farmers market movement to their own for-profit ends by calling every kind of outdoor tented event that sells any type of goods a farmers market.
The best farmers markets in the city are run by non-profit organizations and are staffed by volunteer hours and share a deep commitment to bringing local farmers to Seattle neighborhoods and local shoppers. A real “Farmers Market” prioritizes farmers, local food, sustainable growing practices, community education, community building and farmland preservation. These farmers markets attempt to reach the total food community through redemption of SNAP/EBT food stamps and WIC and Senior FMNP coupons, provide weekly market space to other community non-profits and make substantial fresh food donations to neighborhood food banks.
Don’t be fooled by any event or business in Seattle calling itself a farmers market.
Most of the farmer’s markets listed are run by the non-profit organization Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, which does all of that education, support of low-income households, and local farmers: http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/about_us/our_organiztion
The independent, nonprofit, volunteer-run Queen Anne Farmers Market was inspired by the the fabulous work of the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance. www.qafma.org
Not every “farmers market” merits the label. Shoppers need to realize that they are voting with their food dollars for the kind of markets they want.