Tag Archives: Rockridge Orchards

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

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

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.

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.

Rockridge Orchards and Molly Moon Win Awards from King County

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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)

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)

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.

August 14th Mercer Island Farmers Market Vendor News

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Farmers Market Preserves, Seattle, WA

Rome Doherty, owner of Farmers Market Preserves, talking with customers at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 26, 2011.

Rome Doherty, owner of Farmers Market Preserves, talking with customers at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 26, 2011. (Photo by Alyssa Hatsukami)

Rome Doherty, owner of Farmers Market Preserves writes us, “I spent time in the kitchen this week making friends with a 25-pound box of pie cherries and I have cherry jam of all types…I especially like the Cherry Vanilla. I also have a bunch of Peach Butter and more Raspberry with Theo Chocolate.”

After wrestling with the 25-pound box of cherries, Rome must really have have cherries on his mind because the “magic” word this week is “Chekhov.” No doubt in honor of his play “The Cherry Orchard.” So all customers interested in a dollar off of their first jar of jam, please try to work in the master Russian playwright’s name into your conversation with Rome.

Got Soup?, Seattle, WA

A customer at the Got Soup? booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 26, 2011.

A customer at the Got Soup? booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 26, 2011. (Photo by Alyssa Hatsukami)

Jerry Baxter, owner of Got Soup?, writes, “So this week’s weather has our usual 3 seasonal changes, hopefully the soups will fill your needs. Let’s talk about health. I will tell you something interesting about one of the main ingredients of each soup. Carrots are a rich source of Vitamin A and beta carotene as well as many minerals, good source for detox and very helpful to your liver. Watermelon, good source of Vitamin C and A. Good at fighting certain cancers, minimize asthma and reduces arthritis symptoms. Collard greens are by far the healthiest thing you can put in your mouth. Great source of fiber, collards are rich in sources of phyto-nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties. Salmon, highest source of Omega 3.”

This week’s soups are:

  • Carrot and Coconut Vichyssoise (cold and vegan)
  • North West Chowder
  • Watermelon Gazpacho (cold and vegan)
  • Jerk Chicken with Black Eyed Peas and Greens

As always, Jerry sources most of his ingredients from our local farms. This week Mercer Island Farmers Market vendors Full Circle Farm, Carnation, WA (onions, leeks, and fennel), Tonnemaker Family Orchard, Royal City, WA (dried chilies, peppers, and zucchini), Five Acre Farm, Whidbey Island, WA (zucchini), and Kittitas Valley Greenhouse, Ellensburg, WA (tomatoes) have supplied ingredients for his soups.

Jacobs Creamery, Doty, WA

A sign at the Jacobs Creamery booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 31, 2011.

A sign at the Jacobs Creamery booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 31, 2011. (Photo by Alyssa Hatsukami)

Jacobs Creamery, our newest vendor, is returning for their second market day at the Mercer Island Farmers Market. In addition to their eggs, cheeses (cheddar, Feta, Gouda, and Jarlsberg), and chocolate and vanilla puddings, they are expanding the products they are selling at the MI Farmers Market.

This Sunday, they will be selling crème fraiche, fromage blanc, honey butter, and cheddar curds.

Kittitas Valley Greenhouse, Ellensburg, WA

Heirloom tomatoes from Kittitas Valley Greenhouse at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 31, 2011.

Heirloom tomatoes from Kittitas Valley Greenhouse at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 31, 2011. (Photo by Alyssa Hatsukami)

Due to the remarkably cool summer all of Washington State has been experiencing, Kittitas Valley is not producing tomatoes in large enough volume to be at our farmers market on Sunday.

We are all hoping that this coming week the weather gets hotter over in central Washington so that their wonderful heirloom tomatoes ripen in time for our the MI Farmers Market next Sunday.

Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, Seattle, WA

Molly Moon Ice Cream Truck at Mercer Island Farmers Market

Mercer Islanders love Molly Moon Ice Cream. They line up to buy their favorite flavors at the Mercer Island Farmers Market.

Unfortunately Molly Moon is have mechanical problems and so their truck will not be at the Mercer Island Farmers Market this Sunday.

However, while their truck won’t be at the MIFM, their ice cream will be. We are so pleased that they, along with Parfait Artisan Ice Cream, have donated ice cream toward the MI Farmers Market’s third anniversary celebration. A big “thank you” to Molly Moon for their donation.

Customers are encouraged to join us in our celebration by picking up some ice cream at our sampling table starting at noon.

Overland Enterprises, Seattle, WA

Mark Overholt, owner of Overland Enterprises, talking with one of the Master Gardeners at his booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 26, 2011.

Mark Overholt, owner of Overland Enterprises, talking with one of the Master Gardeners at his booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 26, 2011. (Photo by Alyssa Hatsukami)

Mark and Susan Overholt, owners of Overland Enterprises, wrote us about their plant-of-the-week:

Clethra alnifolia (Ruby Spice) is a showy and fragrant deciduous shrub that blooms in late summer. A most underused and hard to find beauty that grows in any exposure and soil condition. Its hot pink 2 inch flowers at the branch tips resemble bottlebrushes. Even if you have no room for this shrub please come visit our booth anyway to see and smell this rare plant.

Overland Enterprises is located conveniently next to the Master Gardeners’ table. So be sure to stop by to talk with the Master Gardeners and Mark and Susan with all of your gardening questions and needs.

Rockridge Orchards, Enumclaw, WA

Rockridge Orchard's booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 26, 2011.

Rockridge Orchard's booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on June 26, 2011. (Photo by Alyssa Hatsukami)

Due to a prior commitment, Rockridge Orchards, will not be at the Mercer Island Farmers Market this Sunday. They will return next Sunday, August 21st.

Zaw Pizza Now Accepting Credit Cards at the Mercer Island Farmers Market

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Sign at the Zaw Pizza booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 17, 2011.

Sign listing Zaw's specialty pizzas and that they now accept credit cards at the Mercer Island Farmers Market on July 17, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

The number of vendors at the Mercer Island Farmers Market that accept credit cards keeps increasing. This past Sunday, July 17th, was the first market day that Zaw Pizza accepted credit cards at the MIFM. Zaw’s Anthony Styll told us that there was an immediately positive response from customers to using credit cards, which ended up accounting for around one-third of all of his sales.

With Zaw Pizza’s addition to the list, nearly 20% of the vendors at the MI Farmers Market are now accepting credit cards, making shopping more convenient for our customers. So please remember the next time that you are at the farmers market, cash is not the only way to pay for the delicious products from many of the vendors.

Below is an updated list of vendors at the Mercer Island Farmers Market that are accepting credit cards:

Update on Vendors Who Accept Credit Cards at the Mercer Island Farmers Market

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Sign informing customers that credit cards are accepted at the Molly Moon Ice Cream Truck at the Mercer Island Farmers Market.

Sign informing customers that credit cards are accepted at the Molly Moon Ice Cream Truck at the Mercer Island Farmers Market. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

Last month, we posted a list of vendors at the MI Farmers Market that accept credit cards. We have learned that there are a few more vendors that now accept these payments. Here is an updated list:

Sign informing customers that credit cards payments through Square are accepted the Collins Family Orchards booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market.

Sign informing customers that credit cards payments through Square are accepted the Collins Family Orchards booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

The newest members on this list are Molly Moon Ice Cream and Collins Family Orchard, which is not only accepting credit cards but doing so through Square, a device that works through a smartphone. We mentioned in the previous post on this topic that Farmers Market Preserves is also using Square and that its owner, Rome Doherty, reports how excited customers are with using it. Nick of Collins Family Orchards has equally nice things about Square and farmers market customers acceptance of it. “They find it really neat to sign on the screen on my phone and then to have me email them a receipt.”

In addition, Hayton Farms, Mount Vernon, WA, which accepts credit cards at other farmers markets, is working on getting the equipment to the Mercer Island Farmers Market.

Stay tuned for more updates to this list.  And remember, cash isn’t the only way to pay for the fresh, delicious, local produce and food from many of the vendors at the Mercer Island Farmers Market.

Cash Not the Only Way to Pay at Mercer Island Farmers Market

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Wireless Credit Card Machine at a Farmers Market

Wade Bennett of Rockridge Orchard using his wireless credit card machine at the U-District Farmers Market in March 2011.

Did you know that several of our vendors accept credit and debit cards?

Dale Nelson of Woodring showing off his Square Up device at the Phinney Ridge Farmers Market

Farmers Market Preserves is even using the latest in wireless technology, Square Up. If you haven’t seen one in action yet, you might want to check it out by heading over to the Farmers Market Preserve booth and buying some of jam-master extraordinaire Rome Doherty’s wonderful products with your credit card. Rome reports, “I love ‘the square,’ and my customers are entertained by it as well.” (Remember, Rome always has a special word of the week for a discount off of the first jar of jam you buy. Check our Facebook page, Twitter feed, or blog for each week’s word.)

Collins Family Orchard will be the latest MI Farmers Market vendor to begin accepting credit and debit cards as soon as their equipment arrives, which should be in the next week or two.

So next time you come to the market, don’t worry if you forgot your cash. More and more of our vendors are accepting credit cards. Just ask the vendor if you can use yours.