COVID-19 Precautions at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market

Posted on by E-G Market

As a valuable food resource for our neighborhood and the wider community, the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is designated as an essential business.

We’re pleased to bring you an opportunity to shop for groceries in an open-air environment and support local businesses—including farmers from our region! Shopping at a farmers market helps sustain our local economy. It also means fewer people will be in contact with your food.

Amid a time of uncertainty, we’re proud to be able to continue offering our market in the same place (2310 N Monroe) at the same time (Fridays, 3 to 7pm) and for a full 17-week season (June 5 to September 25, 2020).

We will be accepting cash, cards, EBT and WIC/Senior Checks this year (no personal checks, please). Our EBT Snap Market Match is a 100% match rate this year, which is up 80% from last year’s program. That means EBT customers will double their spending money when they shop at the market!

🍒 Changes to Market Activities 🍒

  • We love your pets, but this season we are asking you to keep them home. We will miss them dearly and are looking forward to 2021 when they can join us again. Service animals are always welcome. 🐾
  • We are postponing all our “non-essential” arts and crafts vendors until further notice. The usual number of farms, bakeries and prepared food vendors will be joining us and look forward to seeing you this season.
  • We will be eliminating public tables, benches and other public seating areas.
  • We are canceling all extracurricular activities such as onsite kids activities (KERNEL), story time, live music and special events.
  • We are discontinuing sampling, eliminating all common condiments and requiring all ready-to-eat food to be consumed offsite.

☀️ Our COVID-19 Safety Plan ☀️

You will probably notice some similarities in our plan that mirror other guidelines being used by markets in our region. As a proud member of the Inland Northwest Farmers Market Association, we stand proud in prioritizing the safety of our patrons and vendors.

  • We will have ONE designated entrance (at our the market info booth) and ONE designated exit for the market.
  • Hand-washing stations will be at the entrance & exit of market.
  • Booths will be spaced at least 10 feet apart from each other.
  • Markings will be made on the ground to suggest 6-foot distance to comply with physical distancing.
  • We will be posting signage for customers with recommendations for market behavior.
  • We will be posting signage for customers to find products and vendors at the market.
  • To minimize handling, we are requiring vendors (not the customer) to choose and package products.
  • Sick shoppers, vendors and market volunteers will be sent home and prohibited from the market.

💗 How You Can Help Us Be Successful 💗

  • Share this post.
  • Please stay home if you are sick.
  • Wear a mask to the market.
  • Use the hand-washing stations.
  • Come with a grocery list to shop.
  • Limit how many people from your household visit (ideally 1 or 2).
  • Offer to shop for your friends and neighbors.
  • Let vendors pick and package your groceries.
  • Do not eat at the market. Consume food offsite.
  • Wash items when you get home.
  • Share photos of what you got from the market. Tag us and the vendor on social media (Facebook & Instagram).
  • Leave positive and constructive Google and Facebook reviews.

THANK YOU for supporting LOCAL! With love from your 100% volunteer Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market!! 🍓🍞🍏🥚🍯🥧

Market Manager Opportunity

Posted on by E-G Market

The Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is looking for a new manager to lead the market into its eighth season in 2020.

This is a unique and profoundly rewarding volunteer opportunity for someone — or several someones — to make a lasting impact on multiple fronts:

  • Helping fledgling or small-scale farmers get a vital foothold in the local economy.
  • Providing nonprofits and other organizations with an effective, face-to-face outreach platform.
  • Increasing access to healthy, affordable, locally grown food beyond the high-disposable-income demographic.
  • Hosting a positive, vibrant, community-oriented event in a space that would otherwise be empty.
  • Bringing together individuals, couples and families whose paths might not cross under any other circumstances.
  • Contributing to a more sustainable food system.
  • The list goes on.

The current manager has overseen the market for the past seven years. In that time, the vendor count has grown along with foot traffic, volunteers, community partnerships and regular activities/events. A new manager would be taking control of that established platform and all its possibility.

Lack of experience isn’t a disqualifying factor. What’s far more important is dedication, resourcefulness and vision.

This role also isn’t limited to one person. If you’d like to divvy up the managerial responsibilities and work alongside others as a team, that should be doable.

The current manager is committed to advising and actively volunteering, and there’s an existing pool of committed volunteers from the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council who are willing to handle specialized roles (e.g., music booking, volunteer coordination, kids’ activities) and assist with setup, point of sale and teardown during market days.

And, finally, there is the possibility of pay. There are potential funding sources and other resources that could be pursued should that be a priority of the new manager(s).

If you’re interested, pleased e-mail market@emersongarfield.org or call (509) 255-3072. You can also stop by the market on any of the next three Fridays in September (3 to 7pm, 2310 N Monroe) and come to the market info booth.

Without a manager (or managers) firmly in place by January, it’s unlikely that the market will be able to continue.

Vendors, Music & Activities for August 12

Posted on by E-G Market

It’s National Farmers Market Week!

We’ll be celebrating in our usual fashion with a free cooking demo that’s open to everyone. This year’s guest chef is Andrew Larson of Twigs Bistro in downtown Spokane. Andrew’s going to be preparing two tasty recipes—blueberry cucumber salad and corn soup— using fresh market ingredients. Thanks to the Washington State Farmers Market Association, we’ll be handing out free accompanying recipe cards so you can easily prepare these dishes at home.

Spokane Public Library is joining us again this week for storytime and a free family-oriented craft activity. They’ll be reading Farmers’ Market Day by Shanda Trent, On the Farm, At the Market by G. Brian Karas, and Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Frances Cony. These storytime and singalong events are great for young children – so parents, please come down with the family in tow for some great fun and games. Bring their friends and make a playdate out of it!

And that’s not all we have for kids this week. The free KERNEL activity will be market bingo. Kids will get a bingo sheet that they’ll complete with our vendors’ help. As always, KERNEL participants will get $2 in KERNEL cash for spending on fresh fruit and veggies once they’ve completed the activity.

Oh, and we haven’t forgotten that adults like free stuff too. At 6pm we’ll be holding a drawing for several copies of Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day, Leanne Brown’s award-winning, full-color cookbook that is brimming with affordable, easy-to-prepare and delicious recipes. Just be sure you’ve entered your name and contact info in the jar at the market booth before the drawing.

Plus you can get some priceless (and free) advice from the Spokane County Master Gardener Program volunteers, who will have a booth at today’s market. Got pests in your garden? Veggies not producing like they should? Wondering how to even start a backyard garden? The master gardeners can help. Pick their brains and take advantage of their extensive knowledge on all things green. They’ll also have a display on pulses—that is, peas, legumes, lentils—in honor of the International Year of Pulses.

Singer-songwriters Megan Harper & Mikayla Mandere are our musicians this week. It’s their first time playing at our market, so we’re excited to see what’s in store.

Here are all the vendors who are currently scheduled to join us today:

Produce

  • Song Sparrow Farms: Fresh, locally grown produce, including melons. Also does a CSA.
  • The Farm Yard: Neighborhood-grown fruits and vegetables. Some craft items.
  • Woodard Family Farms: A variety of locally grown produce.
  • R.P. Guerrero: Organic tree fruit and more from the Quincy area.
  • Vladimir Kuzmenko: A wide variety of co-op produce from across Washington State.
  • Riverfront Farm (Project Hope): Neighborhood-grown, scattered-site produce.
  • The Father’s Table: Neighborhood-grown produce.
  • Berry Basics: A wide variety of local produce with an emphasis on berries.
  • Where the Wild Things Grow: Wild-harvested fruit.
  • Other vendors also sell homegrown produce alongside their primary goods.

Meat & Honey

Baked Goods

Prepared

  • Simply Sweets: Baklava, soft brittles, truffles, mints and seasonal products.
  • D’s Roasted Nuts: German-style roasted nuts with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.

Non-food

  • Eco-wise: Perennials and landscaping plants.
  • Heeling Hands Massage Therapy: Licensed chair massage and whole-body wellness.
  • Soap Simply: Handcrafted olive oil soap.
  • Mary Beauregard: Plastic canvas needlepoint.
  • KC Creations: Original photography, greeting cards, beaded earrings and other beaded items.
  • Urban Settlements: Spokane-based real-estate opportunities and guidance.

Feel free to RSVP to this week’s market at its event page on Facebook.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Vendors, Music & Activities for August 5

Posted on by E-G Market

Plenty of firsts at today’s beautifully sunny market!

Spokane handyman Kevin Oxley is going to be there with a booth for his non-profit organization, which carries out free handyman projects for disabled veterans. We’d love to encourage any disabled vets to come down during market hours and have a chat with Kevin to see how he can be of help. More info on Kevin and his organization can be found on his website; KHQ also did a brief story on him back in May.

Joining us for the first time under the band canopy are the Blue Water Strangers. This local six-piece plays fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and dobro to conjure up some great old-fashioned toe-tapping Americana music. Check out this playlist on YouTube for a sample.

We’ve also got a brand new meat vendor starting today: WalkingT Beef. Their all-natural, grass-fed and (non-GMO) grain-finished beef has earned them a loyal following across the Spokane area. You can buy select cuts of beef at the market—don’t worry, they can help you choose the right one—or you can place advance orders to reserve bulk locker beef. Be sure to ask them about it.

KERNEL has a fun new kids activity too. It’s called “Bugging Out.” Kids will learn some cool and interesting facts about garden insects, then get to make their own googly-eyed ladybug out of craft paper with the help of our volunteers. Like all KERNEL activities, it’s totally free, and every child will get $2 in KERNEL cash for spending on fresh fruit and veggies once they’ve completed it. And word is that Berry Basics will have some delicious fresh-picked blueberries and strawberries today.

Returning this week is West Central Community Center WIC. They’ll be handing out FMNP vouchers to area WIC clients. These supplemental vouchers have a cash value toward fresh fruit and produce from select vendors. If you’re a WIC client and haven’t already claimed your market vouchers, please come down and sign up to receive them!

Unfortunately, it looks like the Master Gardeners have had to cancel their plant activity today due to staffing. But they are still scheduled to be with us next week for our National Farmers Market Week celebration.

Here are all the vendors who are currently scheduled to join us today:

Produce

  • Song Sparrow Farms: Fresh, locally grown produce, including melons. Also does a CSA.
  • The Farm Yard: Neighborhood-grown fruits and vegetables. Some craft items.
  • Woodard Family Farms: A variety of locally grown produce.
  • R.P. Guerrero: Organic tree fruit and more from the Wenatchee area.
  • Vladimir Kuzmenko: A wide variety of co-op produce from across Washington State.
  • Riverfront Farm (Project Hope): Neighborhood-grown, scattered-site produce.
  • The Father’s Table: Neighborhood-grown produce.
  • Berry Basics: A wide variety of local produce with an emphasis on berries.
  • Where the Wild Things Grow: Wild-harvested fruit.
  • Other vendors also sell homegrown produce alongside their primary goods.

Meat & Honey

Baked Goods

Prepared

  • Seely Teriyaki: BBQ teriyaki chicken, stir-fried noodles and rice.
  • Black Fire Kettle Corn: Fresh-made delectable kettle corn.

Non-food

  • Eco-wise: Perennials and landscaping plants.
  • Heeling Hands Massage Therapy: Licensed chair massage and whole-body wellness.
  • Soap Simply: Handcrafted olive oil soap.
  • Sailor Girl Soap & Supplies: Face, bath and body products handmade with natural and organic ingredients.
  • Mary Beauregard: Plastic canvas needlepoint.
  • KC Creations: Original photography, greeting cards, beaded earrings and other beaded items.

Feel free to RSVP to this week’s market at its event page on Facebook.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Vendors and Music for the 2016 Season Opener

Posted on by E-G Market

Well, some rain is falling as this post goes out, but it’s forecast to start trailing off late this morning, leaving the skies partly cloudy (or partly sunny, depending on your point of view) this afternoon for our 2016 season opener.

As this is such a big day for our market, we’re hoping that you greet the clouds as a welcome relief from Spokane’s recent record-breaking heat and join us in a new location with more vendors, more volunteers, more parking, more visibility, more sponsors, more activities and more community partnerships than we’ve ever had before.

Today’s Kids Eating Right – Nutrition and Exercise for Life (KERNEL) activity is companion planting. As part of the activity, kids will get a basil plant to take home. Plus, as always, every youth who participates gets $2 in KERNEL Cash to spend on fresh fruit or vegetables!

This year KERNEL will take place every week of the market under the shade of the metal pavilion at the new site (2310 N Monroe). Bring your family, friends, school classes and other K-6 groups and take advantage of this great free activity each week.

Our musician today is the amazing Todd Milne.

Todd plays electro-acoustic world fusion music using traditional instruments like the shakuhachi (a Japanese bamboo flute) enhanced by a splash of technology. You might have seen him perform at other area farmers markets, where his music makes a great accompaniment to a bit of shopping and socializing. Check out this video of him performing at the Spokane Buddhist Temple in the South Perry District.

At around 3:45pm, we’ll be recognizing the winners of our annual market poster contest, Brynn Hooper and Madison Whitmarsh. These two Garfield Elementary students drew the pictures that we selected to feature on our poster and our handbills. They’ll each get $15 in market tokens for spending.

Now let’s get to all the vendors who are scheduled to join us today:

  • Mama Torrez Salsa: Original family salsa recipes from Mexico and flour tortilla chips
  • Sandi’s Bakery: Fresh-baked pastries, cookies, scones, muffins, breads and cupcakes.
  • SnowBerry Ridge Farm: Raw honey and honey products (e.g., beeswax, lip balm, natural soaps).
  • Song Sparrow Farms: Fresh, locally grown produce, including melons. Also does a CSA.
  • Farm Yard: Neighborhood-grown fruits and vegetables. Some craft items.
  • Sister Bees Kitchen: Handmade, gourmet granola and granola bars.
  • Transitions New Leaf Bakery: Baked goods and fresh produce from their garden.
  • The Scone Ranger: Scones that are so good, so moist, so habit-forming.
  • Simply Sweets: Baklava, soft brittles, truffles, mints and seasonal products
  • Mary Beauregard: Plastic canvas needlepoint.
  • Woodard Family Farms: Locally grown produce.
  • A Simplified Event: Homemade specialty pies, breads, cakes, cottage-style pasties.
  • KC Creations: Original photography, greeting cards, beaded earrings and other beaded items.
  • Seely Teriyaki: BBQ teriyaki chicken, stir-fried noodles and rice.
  • Morning Sun Bakery: Cinnamon rolls, pies, cookies, quiche (warm & cold), savory pies (warm).
  • Urban Settlements: Spokane-based real-estate opportunities and guidance.
  • KiYoTees: Recycled jean bags and tie-dyes.
  • Riverfront Farm (Project Hope): Neighborhood-grown, scattered-site produce.
  • Mary’s Tupperware: Tupperware containers for storing vegetables and fruits.
  • CC’s Holistic Gifts & Toast Toppers: Exceptional fruit spreads with no added sugar. Plus aromatherapies and salves.
  • Made with Love: Start-up bakery with fruit pies, artisan bread and more.
  • Black Fire Kettle Corn: Fresh-made delectable kettle corn.
  • Drumheller Heritage Gardens: Neighborhood-grown produce, eggs (quail, chicken). Also info on EF Exchange.
  • R.P. Guerrero: Organic tree fruit from the Wenatchee area.
  • Vladimir Kuzmenko: A wide variety of co-op produce from across Washington State.
  • Sunny Springs Gardens: Berkshire pork sausages and ground pork, plus eggs.
  • Heeling Hands Massage Therapy: Licensed chair massage and whole-body wellness.
  • Soap Simply: Handcrafted olive oil soap.

Plus the Christ Kitchen food truck will be there for freshly prepared meals to take home or eat at the market.

Clouds or no clouds, it’s going to be a big day. We look forward to seeing you there!