Vendors and Activities for July 10

Posted on by E-G Market

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.

Looking Ahead: July Market Events

Posted on by E-G Market

Every Friday morning we post a list of vendors who are slated to be at the market that day along with our scheduled musician and demo activity.

But we know that seems like short notice to some folks. So for those (like us) who live and die by what’s been blocked off in their calendar well in advance, here’s a list of confirmed upcoming activities we’ll be hosting at the market throughout July.

July 3: There’s no scheduled demo because of all the Independence Day activities, but we will have a limited number of dump passes available for Emerson-Garfield residents. That means anyone who lives in E-G can get a $20 credit the next time they need to dispose of construction waste or garage/attic/alley/yard clutter. That’s usually enough to cover most loads.

July 10 – Garden photography: Want to put your best flower forward when showing off your home garden on Instagram or Facebook? Chris Wooley of Head and Tails Photo (you might know him from his photography for the Civic Theatre) is going to show all budding shutterbugs how to get the best shots of their home garden. He’ll go over macro settings, bokeh, filters, and other ways to capture the natural beauty of, well, natural beauty. Bring your preferred D-SLR or smartphone for hands-on tips.

Also starting July 10, the Kids Eating Right: Nutrition and Exercise for Life (KERNEL) pilot program will be launching at our market. Organized by Catholic Charities’ Food for All initiative, this is a weekly kid-friendly activity that focuses on healthy eating and exercise. It will involve games, crafts, or light physical activity such as yoga. Participants will get a reward for completing the activities. It’s safe, free and lots of fun, so bring your children and grandchildren!

The first KERNEL activity focuses on gardening. Kids will get to transplant a zucchini and learn how to care for and harvest it when the time comes.

July 17 – Compost tea: No, you can’t drink it, but it’s like rocket fuel for your plants. Master Composter and Master Gardener Ryan Herring will demonstrate the process for making both compost extract and compost tea and explain uses of each in the home garden.

The second week of KERNEL deals with companion planting. Here kids will 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.

July 24 – Vermiculture: That is, worm cultivation. Worms are the best friends your soil can have. Jim Wood of Marlé Worm Growers will show how to set up a bin for worm cultivation, how to “harvest” the worm castings and how to use them in your home garden.

KERNEL’s third week 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.

July 31 – Pickling and canning: One of our longtime vendors, Lois Musser of The Farm Yard, will show you how to can and pickle all those veggies that you buy at the market or that are growing in your home garden. Pickling expertise runs in the Musser family — Lois’ son Dave was interviewed by The Inlander last year on the subject.

The fourth week of KERNEL will tests kids’ knowledge of fruit and veggies. Sure, they can tell a carrot from a tomato, but do they know their zucchini from their cucumber? They’ll learn about all the visual and nutritional differences in this activity.

Vendors and Activities for June 5

Posted on by E-G Market

We’re kicking off our second full season in style. Today for your musical pleasure is Broken Whistle (pictured above), the band that appeared as if out of the blue last year and had the entire market enthralled by their performance.

At 4pm, we’re going to be recognizing our market poster contest winners, August Nelson and Mason Brazill. These are the two students from local elementary schools (this year we held the contest in Spokane Public Montessori and Trinity Catholic) whose drawings are now featured on our posters and handbills. Each winner will get $15 in market tokens and a hearty helping of thanks. Come out and show these two young — and clearly talented — artists your support!

On the other side of the parking lot, master composters will be holding a composting demo. They’ve been gathering your lawn cuttings, leaves and kitchen scraps for weeks in order to show you how to turn it into nutrient-rich super-soil for your backyard garden. That will be ongoing, so you don’t have to show up at an appointed time. This activity actually marks the start of several weekly hands-on gardening how-tos — but more on that in time.

Right in the lower level of Knox Presbyterian, the Spokane Hope Christian Reformed Church (스포켄 소망교회) will be holding one of their Korean food sales alongside the market. That means you can get hot, freshly prepared, authentic Korean food just a few steps away — just follow the scent. Grab a bite when you’re done shopping and enjoy it outside on the lawn or at the picnic table. Incidentally, the Korean Church is scheduled to hold their hot food sale every week.

There are also so many info booths that we lost count. SNAP is supposed to be on hand as well as some representatives from Building Stronger Neighborhoods.

As for vendors — here’s everyone who’s scheduled to join us 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
  • Gourmet Foragables – Wild-harvest edibles including mushrooms & berries
  • KC Creations – Beaded lanyards, leashes, earrings, photos and custom cards
  • KJ Pottery – Handcrafted functional pottery for the home and elsewhere
  • Jenkins Java – Cold- and hot-brewed coffee plus sodas
  • Mama Torrez Salsas – Authentic salsas, pico de gallo and chips
  • Mary Beauregard – Plastic canvas needlepoint
  • Morning Sun Bakery – Cinnamon rolls, muffins, cakes
  • Orange Thyme – Natural balms, soaps, perfume oils, body butters and more
  • Patti’s Pies – Homemade pies
  • Petunia’s Marketplace – Flavored honey, candies, gourmet pasta and more
  • Riverfront Farm – Locally grown vegetables from Project Hope Spokane
  • The Scone Ranger – Sweet and savory scones
  • Simply Sweets – Confectionery including baklava and brittles
  • Song Sparrow Farms – Locally grown vegetables
  • Vladimir Kuzmenko – Fruits and vegetables from the Yakima area
  • Wash House Candies – Dried fruit, granola, seasonings, honey and more

We’re getting every last item in place so you can do a full, affordable grocery shop here. Jenkins Java will be selling half-gallons of milk from Spokane’s Family Farm. And Petunia’s will have meat from Ramstead Ranch plus eggs!

Later in the month — and possibly as early as next week — we’ll regularly have certified organic fruit (cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples) from R.P. Guerrero Farms. As they’ll be traveling from their orchards in Quincy, they want to make sure they’ve got enough product.

Our regular chair masseuse, Rufino A. Zusimbo, was already committed to another event today, but he’ll be back in the usual “zen” spot on the lawn starting next week. We’ve also been getting some last-minute applicants, so you could very well see someone selling some lovely perennials there.

What’s Poppin’ Kettle Corn is confirmed to be with us starting on June 19.

And one more thing: Emerson-Garfield residents (and only Emerson-Garfield residents) will be able pick up dump passes worth $20 each. There’s a limited number, so get there early. We’ll be handing them out at the central market booth.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Seeking Sponsors for Kids’ Activities

Posted on by E-G Market

In partnership with Catholic Charities Spokane, the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is looking to launch a pilot program of kids’ activities called Kids Eating Right: Nutrition and Exercise for Life (or KERNEL for short).

KERNEL is a youth-oriented nutrition and exercise program that, if successful, will be hosted by several Spokane area farmers markets. It is designed to actively engage kids in learning about food, exercise and gardening. The proposed scheduled is for a 12-week program that has a different module each week. Each module is short in length, but focused on introducing youth to a lifestyle that includes nutrition and exercise.

The pilot program at Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market will start on July 10 of this year and run through September 25. We would assume a maximum of 20 participating children per week.

Each child would receive a booklet or passport with the 12-week KERNEL schedule. There would be a space for a sticker signifying completion of the module. Each child who completed 10 or more modules would receive a free, signed book at the end of the series.

Proposed modules would include:

  • Planting a seed pot
  • Basic composting
  • Yoga
  • Nutrition bingo
  • A concert with make-your-own instruments

The market is looking for sponsors to help make this happen. Sponsors could donate enough to cover the materials for one week’s activity (typically $50) or enough for several weeks. The total cost of the entire KERNEL program is anticipated to be $1000. All sponsors would receive ample promotion, including verbal and written recognition and logo/name visibility on a banner.

If you, your business or your organization is interested in sponsoring KERNEL — and helping to give many children a safe, fun, educational activity as a result — please get in touch with us at emerson.garfield@gmail.com or by calling (509) 720-7350. We have much more detailed info on the program that we can provide to prospective sponsors.