Mercer Island Farmers Market “For the Love of Food” Benefit, May 19, 2013

Posted on 2013/03/03 by mifarmersmarket

Show your love for the Mercer Island Farmers Market!

Join us for the “For the Love of Food” Benefit on Sunday May 19th, 2013, 6-9 at Aljoya Mercer Island. Enjoy little plates, desserts, wine and beer while mingling with friends and enjoying live music. Where possible, ingredients will be gathered from MIFM farmers and vendors. Support MIFM by bidding at the silent auction.

Help us continue to offer the highest quality farmers market with educational and community building events. Tickets are $50.00 each; click on the green Tickets, below, to purchase your tickets. Thanks!

TICKETS

If you can’t join us, consider a donation, thanks!

November 20th Mercer Island Farmers Market Vendor News

Posted on 2011/11/18 by mifarmersmarket

Winter squash from Hand-Farmed Organics at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on September 18, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Our annual pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market is this Sunday, November 20th at our usual time—10 am to 3 pm—at our usual location—SE 32nd Street between 77th Avenue SE and 78th Avenue SE at the northern end of Mercerdale Park.

Most of our regular-season vendors will be be returning for this final market day of 2011. In addition to these familiar faces, the MI Farmers Market is thrilled that our Harvest Market will also have several new vendors including:

Sign announcing that the vendor will be at the Mercer Island Farmers Market's pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Farmboy Baking Company, Medina, WA, who are bringing homemade pies, caramel apples, cookies, and cake pops
Middlefork Coffee Roasters, Seattle, WA, who will be offering hot cups of brewed coffee free as well as nine different varieties of fair trade, organic arabica coffee
Rainer Mountain Cranberry Farm, Eatonville, WA, who are coming with their local fresh cranberries
Theo Dorres Aromatics, Renton, WA, who will have available hot cups of tea plus several varieties of fresh lose-leaf tea

Our market manager, Edee Philips, has been working overtime putting together the detailed list below of all of the expected vendors and the products that they are bringing to this Sunday’s Harvest Market.

Honey Crisp apples from Collins Family Orchards at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on September 11, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Collins Family Orchard, Selah, WA are planning to bring pink lady, fuji, honey crisp, gala, jazz apples, asian, bosc, packham pears, and angelo plums
Crown S Ranch, Winthrop, WA, will not only be featuring fifty organic-pasture-raised heritage turkeys—perfect for everyone’s Thanksgiving feast, but will also be offering 20% off holiday roasts, stew meat, and soup bones. In addition, Jennifer Argraves and her family will have available their sustainably raised tenderloin roast, standing rib roast and ham roast as well as chickens and heritage stewing roosters and limited cuts of beef and pork.
Farmboy Baking Company, Medina, WA will have fresh pumpkin pies, both ready-to-eat and “take and bake,” apple pies, berry pies, snowflake gingerbread cookies, caramel apples, caramel pretzels, and cake pops
Rome Doherty, owner of Farmers Market Preserves, speaking with customers at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on August 21, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Farmers Market Preserve, Seattle, WA, will be featuring several Thanksgiving-themed jams and jellies, including cranberry-jalapeño jam, crabapple jelly, spiced crabapple jelly, crabapple with mint and black pepper jelly, and crabapple with star anise jelly. Rome Doherty will also have on had several fruit butters, including apple, apple with ancho-chili, pear, peach and plum. He will be have free gift boxes available for those wanting to give his delicious, locally sourced products to those unable to get them themselves. As always, Rome will be offering a dollar off of your first jar of jam if you use the secret phrase. This week’s phrase—in honor of the Harvard-Yale game—is ”Bulldog, bulldog, bow, wow, wow”
Fishing Vessel St. Jude, Seattle, WA, will have their justly famous locally caught tuna, including several flavors of canned tuna, sashimi-grade albacore steaks, and five flavors of albacore jerky
Full Circle Farm, Carnation, WA, will be offering potatoes, beets, cabbage, carrots, celery and celery root, kales, chards, greens, and winter squash
Got Soup? owner Jerry Baxter handing a sample to a customer at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 24, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Got Soup, Seattle, WA, will have several cold-weather soups, including caramelized onion & apple braised cabbage, potato & leek with chantarellas, thai pumpkin with coconut, crab bisque, and asparagus with truffled marscapone
Hand-Farmed Organics, Fall City, WA, will have on hand many of the vegetables needed for your Thanksgiving meal, including brussel sprouts, sunchokes, potatoes, greens, kales, carrots, parsnips, squashes, pumpkins, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, and celery root
Farmer Kai Ottoson of Hedlin Family Farm, LaConner, WA hard at work setting up tables of produce at the Mercer Island Farmers Market in 2009. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Hedlin Farm, LaConner, WA, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, basil, beets, cabbage, carrots, swiss chard, fennel, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, shallots, potatoes, spinach, winter squash. In addition to these vegetables, Hedlin will also be bringing their own certified-organic, whole wheat flour
Island Apiaries, Freeland, WA, will be offering honey from Whidbey Island in many flavors such as blackberry, raspberry, buckwheat, and fireweed plus cinnamon-infused. Be sure to stock up for the winter
Jacobs Creamery, Doty, WA, will be returning to the MIFM will their wonderful eggs, European-style cultured butter, crème fraîche, cheddar, gouda, italian-grating cheese, eggnog pudding (chocolate and vanilla too), cranberry pizazz (cranberry-with-orange-zest-flavored fromage blanc), herbed and original fromage blanc, and fresh natural Greek, honey Greek, and european-style yogurts
Kittitas Valley Greenhouse, Ellensburg, WA, will be coming to the MI Farmers Market with their greenhouse-grown, heirloom tomatoes
Fresh, hand-made pasta from La Pasta, Seattle, WA at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 12, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

La Pasta, Seattle, WA, will have their hand-made pastas including egg, spinach, lemon pepper, spinach, beet, tricolore, black squid ink, four-cheese ravioli, three-mushroom ravioli, pumpkin ravioli, spinach-and-roasted-garlic ravioli, and potato gnocchi
Martin Family Orchard, Orondo, WA, will be coming to the Harvest Market with Fuji and Gala apples, Bartlett, D’Anjou, and Hosui Asian pears
Middlefork Coffee Roasters, Seattle, WA, will be at the MI Farmers market with free, freshed-brewed cups of coffee to keep everyone warm and lively. They will also be selling nine varieties of fair-trade, organic, Arabica coffee beans –fair trade and organic
Molly Moon Ice Cream, Seattle, WA, will be back with their wonderful ice cream featuring such Thanksgiving-themed flavors as pumpkin clove, spiced cider sorbet, pear sorbet, & cranberry-ginger sorbet. Molly Moon will also have several of their usual popular flavors, including Theo chocolate, Vivace coffee, and salted caramel
Parfait Organic Artisan Ice Cream, Seattle, WA, will also be back with several seasonal flavors, including pumpkin spice, cinnamon stick, and toasted hazelnut, plus many of their usual favorite flavors. They will have a special sale for their pints: buy four or more pints and get for free a jar of organic dark chocolate sauce
The folks at Patty Pan Grill cooking up veggies at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 31, 2011. (Photo by Alyssa Hatsukami)

Patty Pan Grill, Seattle, WA, will be cooking up their popular grilled veggie quesadillas, veggie and beef tamales (sourced from the MIFM’s Crown S Ranch)
Rainier Mountain Cranberry Farm, Eatonville, WA, will have the one of the key ingredients for your Thanksgiving meal: cranberries. Be sure to stop by their booth to find out about their farm and their fresh, locally grown cranberries
Snohomish Bakery, Snohomish, WA, will be coming to the market with their amazing artisan breads and pastries. For the holiday season they will also be bringing stollen, the traditional German Christmas cake
Theo Dorres Aromatics, Renton, WA, cups of hot tea, packaged loose-leaf teas blended from local certified organic ingredients, including a limited edition holiday tea & tisane gift tin, gluten-free & kosher
Trevani Truffles, Seattle, WA, will be at the Harvest Market with several holiday-themed treats, including egg nog and cranberry orange dark chocolate plus several other flavors of truffle including scotch & honey with turmeric, white chocolate marzipan with pistachios, classic dark chocolate, raspberry, caramel with sea salt, rosemary olive oil, and white chocolate lemon with anise
Shannon's dad, Ernie, talking with a customer at the Two If By Seafoods booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 24, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Two if by Seafoods, Seattle, WA, have have on hand their Alaska-caught sockeye and coho salmon, available in fillets and steaks, as well as the most amazing smoked salmon around
Veraci Pizza, Seattle, WA, will be at the MI Farmers Market baking pizzas including luna rossa italian dry salami, cascioppo bros italian sausage, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers on savory red sauce with our three cheese blend wild chanterelle fresh wild chanterelles, beecher’s flagship cheese on garlic olive oil with our three cheese blend
Willapa Hills Cheese, Doty, WA, will be offering market favorites, including Big Boy Blue, Two-Faced Blue, Pluvius, and You-Moon (pure sheep’s milk blue cheese)
Pizza dough being tossed at the Zaw Pizza booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 24, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Zaw Pizza, Seattle, WA, will be making from scratch, made-to-order handcrafted bake-at-home pizzas

Build Your Own Holiday Gift Basket at the Mercer Island Farmers Market’s Pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market

Posted on 2011/11/14 by mifarmersmarket

Holiday gift baskets for the Mercer Island Farmers Market's pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

As part of the Mercer Island Farmers Market’s pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market on Sunday, November 20th, our community will have the opportunity to build their own holiday gift baskets of local produce and artisan food products.

To encourage this, the MIFM will be offering complimentary baskets and wrapping plus a market tote bag. The supplies of baskets are limited. So be sure to come early to the Harvest Market. We open at 10 a.m.

The Harvest Market will feature many familiar farmers and vendors that will have the perfect fruits and other products for gift baskets.

Booth Canyon Orchard, Carlton, WA will be returning to the MIFM with their organic heirloom apples and pears
Collins Family Orchard, Selah, WA will have their delicious local apples
Farmers Market Preserves, Seattle, WA will have their wide variety of jams and jellies that feature fresh local fruit
Fishing Vessel St. Jude, Seattle, WA will have their cans of Albacore tuna and packages of Albacore jerky
Island Apiaries, Freeland, WA will have their jars of local honey
Rockridge Orchards, Enumclaw, WA will have their bottles of fresh apple cider as well as hard ciders and berry wines
Tonnemaker Family Orchards, Royal City, WA will have their wide selection of apples and pears
Trevani Truffles, Seattle, WA, will have their artisan chocolates

In addition, the MIFM will have several new vendors at the special Harvest Market, including Theo Dorres Aromatics, Renton, WA, which will be offering their artisan tea blends.

Cute Video of Icel of Crown S Ranch Getting Turkeys to Gobble

Posted on 2011/11/13 by mifarmersmarket

Organic-pastured turkeys from Crown S Ranch, Winthrop, WA. (Photo courtesy of Crown S Ranch)

Many of the members of the Mercer Island Farmers Market community know Crown S Ranch‘s Jennifer Argraves and her daughter Icel as they sell their beef, chicken, pork, eggs, and vegetables at our market each week. In preparation for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Crown S Ranch posted a cute and very short video of Icel getting their turkeys to gobble. From the video, it appears that Icel is bilingual—speaking both English and Turkey.

Remember that Crown S Ranch will be at the Mercer Island Farmers Market’s pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market on Sunday, November 20th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They will have their organic-pastured turkeys available for your Thanksgiving feasts.

Rockridge Orchards and Molly Moon Win Awards from King County

Posted on 2011/10/12 by mifarmersmarket

Today, two of the Mercer Island Farmers Market’s vendors won awards for best small businesses from King County.

Mercer Islanders lining up at the Molly Moon Ice Cream Truck at Mercer Island Farmers Market on opening day, June 12, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Molly Moon Ice Cream, Seattle, WA won the Small Business Award. The “wonderfulness” of Molly Moon and their ice cream isn’t news to Mercer Islanders, who have been enjoying their delicious treats for two seasons now.

Customers at the Rockridge Orchards booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 3, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Rockridge Orchards, Enumclaw, WA won the Rural Small Business Award. Mercer Islanders have also grown to love the delicious ciders and wines from Rockridge. Their sweet, slushy, and cool raspberry-cider granita in the summer and their hot apple cider in the fall are especially appreciated.

The Mercer Island Farmers Market would like to offer our congratulations to both of these businesses and their employees for their much deserved recognition.

October 9th Mercer Island Farmers Market Event News

Posted on 2011/10/07 by mifarmersmarket

The Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

This Sunday, October 9th, is the last regularly scheduled market day of the 2011 Mercer Island Farmers Market season. (The MIFM and many of its farmers will be back for a pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market on Sunday, November 20th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Even though the MIFM’s regular season is coming to end, our volunteers have planned a full schedule of activities for this Sunday’s market.

Children’s Table

Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin Heads made by our community's kids at the Children's Table the Mercer Island Farmers Market in October 2010. (Photo by Julie Sarkasian)

MIFM volunteer and Mercer Island pre-school teacher Judy Witmer is planning to decorate pumpkins with our youngest shoppers at the Children’s Table.

Last year’s pumpkin decorating was one of MIFM board member, treasurer, and volunteer Julie Sarkasian’s most memorable market moments.

We are sure that our children will have a great time making Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin Heads with Judy at the Children’s Table. And that many more of us will join Julie in having a memorable market moment watching our children’s creativity as they decorate the pumpkins.

Sampling Table

Sign at the Sampling Table at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 3, 2011. (Photo by Alyssa Hatsukami)

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., MIFM board members and volunteers Susie Rosenstein and Tanya Bednarski are planning another Sampling Table. As of today, they are not sure of whether they will be sampling apples or pears, but it will be one of those two.

This will be another opportunity for our community to learn about the large number of different apples and pears produced by the growers at the MI Farmers Market. So, be sure to stop by the Sampling Table to talk with Susie and Tanya about different apples or pears and learn about their different tastes, textures, and uses.

Music

Music this Sunday will be by Miles and Karina, whose describe their music as “a confusin’ country fusion of quirkish delights: Accordion – Banjo – polka – Bossa – James Bond … a soundtrack for your life.” Their accordion-banjo take on the theme to the James Bond films is definitely something to hear. We can’t for their performance at the MIFM.

Island Apiaries Featured in an Article in Today’s Mercer Island Patch

Posted on 2011/10/07 by mifarmersmarket

David Neel, owner of Island Apiaries, Whidbey Island, WA, talking with a customer at the Mercer Island Farmers Market. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

There’s a great article in today’s Mercer Island Patch about the Mercer Island Farmers Market’s very own David Neel and Island Apiaries.

In just his first year at the MIFM, David has become one of the most popular farmers at the market with his distinctive yellow-and-black canopy, deep knowledge of bees and beekeeping, and delicious varieties of honey.

Probably though what attracts most people to his booth initially is the plexiglass-enclosed beehive that he brings each week with him. This hive gives our community a chance to observe bees up close as well as providing David a chance to teach us all about bees and their behavior. As he says in the article:

“Getting bees out where people can see them is…a valuable tool in educating people about bees and destroying the myths that people have about them…For example, honeybees will leave most people alone; people who have been stung are almost always stung by wasps (yellow jackets), because honeybees know that if they sting you, they’ll die, whereas wasps can sting you over and over.”

If you haven’t had a chance to talk with David or to see the beehive, be sure to stop by this Sunday, talk with him, and check out the bees. Also remember that each Sunday at the start of the market, David posts a question; the first person to correctly answer it wins a free eight-ounce jar of honey. So there is another incentive to get to the MIFM—and Island Apiaries booth—early.

October 2nd Mercer Island Farmers Market Event Highlights

Posted on 2011/10/06 by mifarmersmarket

The Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

The Mercer Island Farmers Market had the perfect autumn weather for its October 2nd market: 60s and sunny. Our community turned out for our local farmers and for several fun and educational activities: a Power Hour with free coffee; a chef demonstration by chefs from Stopsky’s Delicatessen; the master gardeners; pressing apples at the children’s table; music; and tree distribution by the City.

Power Hour

Helen Martin (left) and Julie Sarkasian, MI Farmers Market board member and treasurer, during the Power Hour at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

We started off the MIFM with free coffee thanks to one of our Power Hours. These Power Hours are a reward—and a caffeine boost—for the early birds who show up for the first hour of the farmers market.

The October 2nd Power Hour was sponsored by Helen Martin, who many know through her extensive volunteering for various organizations including the Rotary and the Mercer Island Arts Council.

Thank you Helen for sponsoring the event and supporting the Mercer Island Farmers Market.

Chef Demonstration: Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Olive Tapenade by Stopsky’s Delicatessen

Stopsky’s Delicatessen returned to the Mercer Island Farmers Market to do their second chef demo of the 2011 market season. Back in June, executive chef Shane Robinson came to the market to prepare salmon. This time chefs Austin and Michael came to the market to prepare Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Olive Tapenade, which is Stopsky’s take on Israeli salad, a mixture of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and parsley.

Austin, sous chef at Stopsky's Delicatessen, demonstrating how to use a mandoline to slice shallots during a chef demo at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Austin did a wonderful job not only explaining and showing how to make the dish, but also discussing basic kitchen techniques and terms. He taught our community about:

the importance of keeping your working area and cutting board clean and organized;
the pitting of olives using the flat of a chef’s knife;
the meaning and value of mis en place—a French culinary term to describe preparing and organizing all of the ingredients for a recipe before beginning to cook; and
maybe most importantly, safely using a mandoline, a slicing tool.

The finished Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad and Olive Tapenade by Austin, sous chef at Stopsky's Delicatessen, at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Thank you to everyone at Stopsky’s Delicatessen, especially Shane, Kelly, Austin, and Michael, for coming to the MI Farmers Market for the chef demonstration. We hope that you had a great time and that you will come back for a few chef demos next market season.

Children’s Table: Apple Press

Judy Witmer, Mercer Island pre-school teacher and MIFM volunteer, helping a young boy press apples at the children's table at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Judy Witmer did it again; she came up with another fun, educational activity for our community’s children. This past Sunday she brought an apple press to the MIFM in order to show how apple cider is made.

Our community’s kids had a great time turning the wheel and pressing the apples as well as tasting the fresh apple cider by Rockridge Orchards, whose booth is just across from the Children’s Table.

Thank you to Judy for doing what seems impossible: week after week coming up with something educational and exciting for our children to do. Thank you as well as Rockridge Orchards for helping make the activity so special.

Master Gardeners

The Master Gardeners answering questions at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

The Master Gardeners were back at the MI Farmers Market for another Sunday of answering our community’s questions about gardening and lawn care. This is a great time to head over to their booth to ask about the best practices for the fall and winter.

We really appreciate the volunteers at the Master Gardeners coming each Sunday to help teach our community.

Music

Jazz Connection playing at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

The musical entertainment for the MIFM’s farmers, volunteers, and community was by Jazz Connection.

What really impressed us was how versatile the group was, almost like the Swiss Army knife of sextets. They seemed like a dozen groups in one: sometimes a set was just a duo with a vocalist and a guitar; other sets they were a jazz trio; yet other sets a sextet… At a certain point we just stopped keeping track of the different combinations and just enjoyed the group’s music.

A big “thank you” to the members of Jazz Connection for coming down to the MI Farmers Market on Sunday.

City of Mercer Island Native Tree Distribution Program

City of Mercer Island employees distributing native trees to Mercer Islanders at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on October 2, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Thanks to a grant from the King Conversation District, the City of Mercer Island has been distributing native tree varieties to Mercer Island residents at the MI Farmers Market. These trees are available to any Mercer Island resident for $5.00 per tree. The types of trees that have been available are Vine maple, Western red cedar (two-gallon size), and Mountain hemlock.

This coming Sunday, October 9th will be the final day of this program. So this Sunday, be sure to head down to the MIFM to pick up some native trees for your yard.

October 2nd Mercer Island Farmers Market Event News

Posted on 2011/09/30 by mifarmersmarket

This afternoon, a few of us were thrilled to hear on University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass‘s weather segment on KPLU that the weather on Sunday is supposed to be the nicest for the next week: partly sunny and in the 60s. As the volunteers at the Mercer Island Farmers Market have put together a full set of fun and educational activities for our community, this is great news for them and their farmers. So come down to the MI Farmers Market this Sunday to enjoy the weather and the farmers market.

Power Hour

An "early bird" shopper picking up some free coffee during the Mercer Island Farmers Market's Power Hour on July 17, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

For the first hour of the MIFM from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., we will have another Power Hour, when volunteers will be serving free coffee to our farmers, volunteers, and community. We hope that this morning jolt of caffeine will help “power” everyone through the five hours that the market is open.

The Power Hour is sponsored by Mercer Islander Helen Martin. Many in our community know Helen from her extensive volunteer activities ranging from the Mercer Island Rotary to serving on the Mercer Island Arts Council. Thank you, Helen, for your support of the Mercer Island Farmers Market and for sponsoring the Power Hour.

Music

This Sunday, Jazz Connection will be performing at the Mercer Island Farmers Market. All of us—the farmers, the volunteers, and the community members—look forward to hearing this sextet perform jazz standards, blues, and original compositions.

Chef Demonstration

Chef Shane Robinson of Stopsky's Delicatessen explaining in more detail a cooking technique to a Mercer Islander after a chef demo at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 19, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

At noon, Shane Robinson, executive chef at Stopsky’s Delicatessen, and his team are planning to return to the MI Farmers Market for the second time this market season to do a chef demo.

They are planning to make their heirloom tomato salad with cucumbers and olive tapenade. Be sure to join us to learn how to make this dish.

The folks from Stopsky’s will also be bringing some of this fresh salad from their kitchen just up the street for our community to sample.

We also understand that they are now open for dinner Monday through Saturday.