News & Updates

Vendors & Activities for August 19

What’s in store for today’s market? Lots! The Spokane County Master Gardener Program is returning – this time with an informational display on beneficial insects and pollinators. If your home garden isn’t producing like it should, it might be because you aren’t attracting the right bugs! Along with dispensing wisdom on how you can cultivate a green thumb of your own, the master gardeners are planning to hand out some kid-friendly materials on beneficial insects and pollinators.

The Spokane Regional Health District is also scheduled to hold a WIC (FMNP) distribution at today’s market. WIC clients, please come down to the market and sign up for these vouchers that give you cash value toward fresh fruit and veg!

Today’s free KERNEL kids’ activity is “Write Your Own Food Story.” Our KERNEL volunteers will help your kids write an illustrate a fun, food-related story – no matter whether it’s based on real life or drawn from their imagination. As with all KERNEL activities, every child will get $2 in KERNEL cash for spending on our vendors’ fresh fruit and veggies.

The winners of our cookbook raffle for Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day were drawn last week. The following winners who weren’t present at the time of the drawing are asked to pick up their copy at today’s market:

  • Tim MaCurdy
  • Lois Stites
  • Cindy Masterson
  • Diane Brown
  • Shelley Clark

Our musical entertainment (and our backup musical entertainment) ran into some scheduling issues this week, so our band canopy might sit empty. If you’re a singer/songwriter, feel free to come down and perform jam-session style! It’d be a shame to have no background music on such a lovely market day.

Jesus Guerrero has been out in his orchards since early this morning picking certified organic peaches to bring to market. That’s him in the photo above with a truck full of huge, ripe mid-season peaches that will be waiting for you.

Here are 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.
  • Berry Basics: A wide variety of local produce with an emphasis on berries.
  • The Father’s Table: Neighborhood-grown produce.
  • Where the Wild Things Grow: Wild-harvested fruit.
  • Other vendors also sell homegrown produce alongside their primary goods.

Meat & Honey

Baked Goods

  • Sandi’s Bakery: Fresh-baked pastries, cookies, scones, muffins, breads and cupcakes.
  • The Scone Ranger: Scones that are so good, so moist, so habit-forming.
  • Morning Sun Bakery: Cinnamon rolls, pies, cookies, quiche, savory pies.
  • Made with Love: Startup bakery with made-from-scratch fruit pies, artisan bread and more.

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.
  • 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, Music & Activities for August 12

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

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, Music & Activities for July 29

After last week’s market got hit with a sudden torrential downpour that flooded some areas of the parking lot, it looks like the weather will be overcompensating today by giving us plenty of sun. And we do mean plenty.

But it’s worth ignoring the thermometer. Because, among many other delicious items, we’ve got peaches. Huge, juicy, flavorful organic peaches. Picked this very morning at R.P. Guerrero‘s orchards and brought directly to market.

And there will be ample shade under the KERNEL canopy, where today’s free activity is about one of our favorite activities – biking! Kids, bring your bikes and decorate them using our provided supplies. Our KERNEL volunteers will also be giving demonstrations on how to properly wear a helmet and make hand signals while cycling. As always, kids will receive $2 in KERNEL Cash to spend at the market on fresh fruit (peaches, perhaps?) and veggies with the completion of the activity.

Plus Todd Milne is rejoining us as our musician today. You’ll remember him from our season opener back in June, where his electro-acoustic world fusion music went down a treat.

Here are all the vendors who are 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Other vendors also sell homegrown produce alongside their primary goods.

Meat & Honey

Baked Goods

  • Made with Love: Start-up bakery with made-from-scratch fruit pies, artisan bread and more.
  • Simply Sweets: Baklava, soft brittles, truffles, mints and seasonal products
  • Sandi’s Bakery: Fresh-baked pastries, cookies, scones, muffins, breads and cupcakes.
  • Morning Sun Bakery: Cinnamon rolls, pies, cookies, quiche, savory pies.

Prepared

  • Delmar’s Roasted Nuts: German-style roasted nuts with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.
  • 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.
  • Urban Settlements: Spokane-based real-estate opportunities and guidance.
  • Boisjolie Bracelets: Handmade unique bracelets and other jewelry.

You can show your love on Facebook by RSVP’ing to this week’s market at its event page.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Vendors, Music & Activities for June 24

It wasn’t until we were writing today’s market blog post that we realized last week’s market blog post mistakenly claimed to be this week’s market blog post. In other words, June 17 got mislabeled as June 24. No one called us on it at the time, but it must have left a few folks scratching their heads.

All that’s been fixed now, however, and we’re back on the right week. So let’s see what’s in store for June 24. The real June 24.

Our musicians on this Friday afternoon are Jones & Jones from right here in Emerson-Garfield. They play “classic rock (softly), classic pop, a little folk, and a little blues.” These (unrelated) guys come highly recommended from some insiders at Spokane Public Radio, so we’re looking forward to hearing them play.

For our activity, Al Steuart and Ryan Herring of the Spokane Master Composters/Recyclers will be doing a compost tea demonstration. What’s compost tea? Some gardeners swear by it, saying it’s like rocket fuel for your plants. But it takes skilled preparation, and the master composters can show you how.

Plus the Spokane Water Wagon will be at the market today! They should have some information about rain water collection systems, water conservation, as well as identifying and repairing leaks. They always have free swag, too, like wildflower seeds, water bottles and hose timers.

Today’s free KERNEL kids exercise is a jump roping activity. Experienced jump ropers will get to show off their skills, while beginners will have a chance to learn some new ones. Once they’ve completed the activity, every participant gets $2 in KERNEL Cash to spend on fresh fruit and veggies.

The cherries are fat and ripe, apricots are in season, and the green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach) have pretty much reached their local peak. We should soon be seeing some colorful early harvests.

All the vendors scheduled to join us today—including a couple new faces—are:

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.
  • 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.
  • Riverfront Farm (Project Hope): Neighborhood-grown, scattered-site produce.
  • The Father’s Table: Neighborhood-grown produce.
  • Other vendors also sell homegrown produce alongside their primary goods.

Meat & Honey

Baked Goods

  • Made with Love: Start-up bakery with made-from-scratch fruit pies, artisan bread and more.
  • The Scone Ranger: Scones that are so good, so moist, so habit-forming.
  • Simply Sweets: Baklava, soft brittles, truffles, mints and seasonal products
  • Sandi’s Bakery: Fresh-baked pastries, cookies, scones, muffins, breads and cupcakes.
  • Morning Sun Bakery: Cinnamon rolls, pies, cookies, quiche, savory pies.
  • A Simplified Event: Homemade specialty pies, breads, cakes, cottage-style pasties.

Prepared

  • Mama Torrez Salsa: Original family salsa recipes from Mexico and flour tortilla chips
  • Delmar’s Roasted Nuts: German-style roasted nuts with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar.
  • Seely Teriyaki: BBQ teriyaki chicken, stir-fried noodles and rice.
  • Black Fire Kettle Corn: Fresh-made delectable kettle corn.
  • ButterFusion: All-natural flavored butters made here in Spokane.
  • Toast Toppers: Exceptional fruit spreads with no added sugar.

Non-food

  • 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.
  • Urban Settlements: Spokane-based real-estate opportunities and guidance.
  • KiYoTees: Recycled jean bags and tie-dye attire.

Want to show your love on Facebook? Go here and tell the world you’re attending today’s market – and please invite your Facebook friends.

We look forward to seeing you there!