News & Updates

Vendors and Activities for July 31

It’s an action-packed week at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market.

Our big news is that Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA) is going to be stopping by the market this afternoon as part of a tour with the Spokane Regional Health District to see Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers in action. Regardless of your political affiliation, we’d love to see you there as a show of support for this important food access program, for grassroots neighborhood efforts like ours, and for farmers markets all across Spokane.

For music, we’ve got a classically trained pianist from Denmark “who can really jam,” according to one source. Who says a community-oriented market like ours can’t be cosmopolitan too?

Our market activity will be a canning and pickling demo, led by Lois and Anne of The Farm Yard and The Father’s Table. They’ll demonstrate step by step the art of preserving all the fruit and veggies you grow or buy.

The fourth week of our free KERNEL kids activity is going to have a neat vegetable identification game. Our young participants will be blindfolded and have the chance to guess which veggies are which. They’ll also get an activity card and an easy-to-make recipe. This should be a lot of fun. Bring your kids and grandchildren!

We had the first crop of tomatoes last week, and we should be seeing lots more of those from all of our produce vendors. R.P. Guerrero had some amazing organic donut peaches, and Vladimir had some gigantic ones. This week Vladimir says he’ll be brining freshly harvested cantaloupe, peppers and potatoes too.

Oh, and Post Street Plants, another small neighborhood business, is joining us for the first time ever this week — plus JP is joining us for the first time this season. Here’s everyone who will be there today:

Our market tries to have everything you’ll need for a full “supermarket” shop. Each week Jenkins Java sells gallons and half-gallons of milk from Spokane’s Family Farm. Petunia’s has eggs as well as pasture-raised meat from Ramstead Ranch.

Vendors and Activities for July 24

Vermiculture is our market demo this week. (That’s worm cultivation for the uninitiated. See above for a handy info poster.) Jim Wood of Marlé Worm Growers will show you how to set up a bin for worm cultivation, how to “harvest” the worm castings and how to use them in your home garden. Worms are the best friends your soil can have!

Now in its third week, KERNEL’s free kids activity looks at composting. This will tie in with the vermiculture demo, and our younger participants will be able to get their hands dirty by making super soil with the help of their wriggly friends. And not only is the KERNEL activity free, kids get some Fresh Bucks for spending at the market once they’ve completed it.

Spokane Hope Christian Reformed Church, which shares the church building with Knox Presbyterian, will have freshly cooked authentic Korean food for takeout or eating at the market. They call it the best Korean food in town, and their many devotees would agree.

For music, we’ve got Matthew Hughes. He’s playing at the market for the first time.

R.P. Guerrero, our organic fruit vendor, had early peaches and nectarines last week, so we’re anticipating a nice-sized fruit harvest this week. Awesome Possum is going to be bringing some new up-cycled creations to the market too.

Here are all the folks who are joining us today:

Remember that you can get milk, eggs and meat at market! Jenkins Java sells gallons and half-gallons of milk from Spokane’s Family Farm. Petunia’s has meat from Ramstead Ranch as well as eggs.

By the way, each week we post the market as a Facebook event. If you’d like to show your support (or maybe just remind yourself to stop at the market on the way home), please click here and RSVP.

Vendors and Activities for July 17

This week the market has a follow-up to the composting demo that launched the season back in June. Master Composter and Master Gardener Ryan Herring will be demonstrating the process for making both compost extract and compost tea, and he’ll explain uses of each in your home garden. Stop by anytime during the market to learn how easy it is to make rocket fuel for your plants!

We’re also into the second week of our KERNEL program for kids. This week’s activity deals with companion planting. Kids will get to take part in hands-on learning about how to pair certain plants (like tomatoes and basil) to deter garden pests or avoid competition for soil nutrients. Last week’s transplanting activity was so successful we ran out of zucchini starts! We’ve braced ourselves for lots of participants this time.

Our musician today is Hannah Siglin, another market favorite. She sings and plays beautifully.

As most of you know, this summer’s hot weather has sped up the harvest. Our fruit vendors have said that early plums and peaches could be with us this week. We should also be seeing some new potatoes and possibly even the very first locally harvested tomatoes. Plus all that comes in addition to the fruit and veg we’ve been seeing for a few weeks now, such as zucchini, squash, cucumbers, broccoli and turnips.

There are still a handful of dump passes worth $20 each for Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood residents. First come, first served.

Jenkins Java will be selling gallons and half-gallons of milk from Spokane’s Family Farm. Petunia’s will have eggs as well as meat from Ramstead Ranch — and, better yet, Petunia’s will be joining us every week from now until the season’s end!

Vendors and Activities for July 10

Have we got a fun activity lined up this week — garden photography! Award-winning photographer Chris Wooley of Head and Tails Photo is going to show you how to put your best flower forward when showing off your home garden on Instagram or Facebook. He’ll go over macro settings, bokeh, filters and other ways to make your flowers and other plants look their best. So feel free to bring your camera, any questions you may have, and any photos you want to show off.

The Kids Eating Right: Nutrition and Exercise for Life (KERNEL) pilot program is launching today too. Organized by us and Catholic Charities’ Food for All initiative, this marks the start of a weekly kid-friendly activity that focuses on healthy eating and exercise. It’s safe, free and lots of fun, so bring your children and grandchildren! This week kids will get to transplant a zucchini of their own and learn how to tend and harvest it.

SafeLink Wireless is going to be joining us at the market today too. Through the federal Lifeline program, they’re able to give qualifying individuals free mobile devices and voice plans they need to to connect to jobs, family and emergency services at no cost. If you think you might be eligible (folks on SNAP, SSI, TANF and other assistance programs are good candidates), please stop by the market today and find out more at the SafeLink booth.

Our musician today is Hannah Siglin, another market favorite. She sings and plays beautifully. Andrew Kunellis, a songsmith from the Oakland area who’s playing our market for the first time. (Hannah is actually scheduled for next week!)

And, yes, today there will be Korean food from Spokane Hope Christian Reformed Church to eat in or take out. You’ll find them in the basement of Knox. Just follow the sandwich boards — or the heavenly scent of authentic Korean food.

Oh, and there are still a few remaining dump passes worth $20 each for Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood residents. First come, first served.

And without further ado, here are the vendors scheduled to join us today:

Planning on coming today? Please RSVP on Facebook here! We’re a grassroots market and rely on our patrons to help get the word out.

Jenkins Java will have a Italian sodas and cold-brewed coffee to complement your Korean food. They also have non-homogenized milk from Spokane’s Family Farm. Gallons are only $4.50 — that’s less expensive than the same milk at most supermarkets.

Vendors and Music for July 3

Stop by the market today to stock up on some fresh fruit, veg and other goodies for your July 4th celebrations!

Because of all the activities on offer this holiday weekend, there’s no market demo scheduled. We will, however, be giving out a limited number of free dump passes worth $20 for Emerson-Garfield residents on a first-come, first-served basis.

Plus we’ve got some great entertainment lined up with Wilson Rahn. He’s a local singer/songwriter with one EP under his belt.

Here are the vendors who are scheduled to take part today:

  • Alpine Bakery – A full range of baked goods, including gluten-free
  • Awesome Possum – Handmade all-natural lotion bars and lip balms
  • Chattaroy Cheese Co. – Farmstead goat cheese
  • Country Buddies – Jams, salsas and more
  • Courtney’s Crafts for Costa Rica – Handmade jewelry, scrapbooks and more
  • The Farm Yard – Neighborhood-grown veggies, herbs and more
  • The Father’s Table – Neighborhood-grown veggies, herbs and starts
  • Food for All (aka Vinegar Flats) – Locally grown veggies and herbs
  • Jenkins Java – Cold- and hot-brewed coffee plus sodas
  • Mary Beauregard – Plastic canvas needlepoint
  • Orange Thyme – Natural balms, soaps, perfume oils, body butters and more
  • Petunia’s Marketplace – Flavored honey, candies, gourmet pasta and more
  • Riverfront Farm – Locally grown vegetables from Project Hope Spokane
  • R.P. Guerrero Farms – Organic fruit (cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples)
  • Rufino Zusimbo – Chair massage
  • The Scone Ranger – Sweet and savory scones
  • Simply Sweets – Confectionery including baklava and brittles
  • SnowBerry Ridge – Raw honey
  • Song Sparrow Farms – Locally grown vegetables
  • Vladimir Kuzmenko – Fruits and vegetables from the Yakima area

It’s forecast to be hot today, so Jenkins Java will have a Italian sodas and cold-brewed coffee to cool you off. They also have milk from Spokane’s Family Farm. Gallons are only $4.50, which is less expensive than the same milk at most supermarkets.