Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

November 20th Mercer Island Farmers Market Vendor News

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

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)

    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)

    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.

    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.

    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, Mount Vernon, WA hard at work setting up tables of produce at the Mercer Island Farmers Market in 2009.

    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)

    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)

    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.

    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)

    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

More Memorable Market Moments from the Mercer Island Farmers Market

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We got such a great reaction to our post on the most memorable market momentsof our market manager, Edee Phillips, that we thought that today we would do another collection of these special times at the MI Farmers Market. We have another memorable market moment from Edee, plus one from MIFM board member and treasurer, Julie Sarkasian, and one from MIFM board member and president, Joel Wachs.

EDEE’S SECOND FAVORITE CUSTOMER MOMENT: THE SURPRISE GIFT

Over the years, Edee has seen relationships develop and deepen between Mercer Islanders and the market’s farmers. This was one of the fondest hopes of the organizers of the MIFM when the market started in 2008. While Edee was aware of many of these relationships, she didn’t realize how strong some had become.

Shoppers at the Martin Family Orchard booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market.

Shoppers at the Martin Family Orchard booth at the Mercer Island Farmers Market. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

One of the market days in the fall of last year, Edee was walking through the market and saw a long-time, dedicated MIFM customer at the booth of Martin Family Orchards, Orondo, WA. Martin Family Orchards is one of the original vendors at the market and year-after-year our customers line up to buy their delicious tree fruit. While seeing the long-time customer at the booth wasn’t anything extraordinary, what stopped Edee in her tracks and was extraordinary was that this customer was giving a gift to the Martin Family employee. Edee says, “The employee was looking at me like she could not believe what was happening. She later explained to me that the weekend prior, her back was hurting her so badly that she was asking customers and fellow vendors if anyone had ibuprofen or tylenol. Well this market day, the first one after her back problems, the customer had come back to the MI Farmers Market with a special herbal-flax-seed-filled hot-cold pack for her.” It was quite a touching moment for the vendor, who told Edee that she works at manyfarmers markets throughout the region and something like this had never happened to her before. It was a touching moment for Edee as well–and one that has become one of her most memorable market moments, because our market manager has worked so hard to build ties between Mercer Island and farmers. The Surprise Gift was proof that her years of dedication and hard work were truly bearing fruit. (Please forgive the pun.)

JULIE’S MOST MEMORABLE MARKET MOMENT: MR. AND MRS. PUMPKINHEADS

Like Edee, Julie was part of the core group of volunteers that helped start the Mercer Island Farmers Market. Five years later, Julie continues to volunteer for the market and currently serves as a member of the board of directors and as our treasurer. Julie’s volunteering at the market extends beyond these roles. She is also a market-day volunteer serving in a variety of positions that all help to insure that the market runs smoothly. Speaking with her, it becomes clear that one of the volunteer positions that she enjoys the most is assisting at the children’s table.

Judy Widmer working with children at the children's table at the Mercer Island Farmers Market in October 2010.

Judy Witmer working with children at the children's table at the Mercer Island Farmers Market in October 2010. (Photo by Julie Sarkasian)

Each market day, Judy Witmer, a Mercer Island resident and longtime teacher, has an educational activity for our youngest shoppers. Judy, one of the MIFM’s most dedicated volunteers, spends time during the week to develop simple activities that use mostly natural ingredients so that our community’s children can become more familiar with the natural bounty around them. Julie marvels, “It is amazing how these kids, raised with all the technology, respond. It is this engagement and enthusiasm from them that draw me in each and every time a volunteer.” Julie’s most memorable market comes from one of her days volunteering last fall at the children’s table. Judy developed an activity where children could decorate mini pumpkins with various pieces of squash, root vegetables, and greens making “Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkinheads.” Julie, still extremely impressed with the children’s creativity all of these months later, says, “It was so interesting to see how each child used the vegetables in different ways. And it was great fun to see the each of the pumpkin ‘faces’ emerge.”

Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin Heads at the Mercer Island Farmers Market.

Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin Heads at the Mercer Island Farmers Market. (Photo by Julie Sarkasian)

There are so many different aspects to making the Mercer Island Farmers Market a fun experience where both adults and children can learn more about agriculture and the local produce from our region’s farms. It is through volunteers like Judy Witmer that these happen and most memorable experiences and memories happen.

JOEL’S MOST MEMORABLE MARKET MEMORY: MARKET SNOW DAY

Joel has been a volunteer at the Mercer Island Farmers Market since its very first opening day, August 10, 2008. Since serving in his original role as a volunteer flagger, Joel has served in several other volunteers roles as well as on the MIFM’s board. In 2011, he is serving as the market’s president. Each year, the Mercer Island Farmers Market volunteers and market manager like to try new things; to push the market in a new direction or two. Last year, one of the new things that the MIFM tried was its first-ever Harvest Market, held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It was a risk for many reasons. Would our farmers be interested in selling that day?  Would there be enough fresh produce that late in the season? Would customers be interested in purchasing fresh produce several days in advance of the holiday? Would the cold weather make shoppers reluctant to come to an outdoor event? Would a market, which was to take place four weeks after our final regular season market, be too difficult to raise awareness of to busy customers with lots of choices on where to shop for the holiday (a bit of “Out of sight, out of mind,” maybe)? In the end, the Pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market proved to be one of the best market days last season. A better maxim to describe our customers’ response to this new concept was “Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” Not only did our farmers have wonderful fresh produce, but the Harvest market’s sales and customer counts were among the highest in all of 2010. Several of our vendors reported that the Harvest Market was their best sales day that market season at the MI Farmers Market. One of our vendors even told us that it was the single best sales day that she ever had at any farmers market no matter the time of year. All of the MIFM’s volunteers were not just relieved, but ended up extremely gratified by our community’s response and support, which showed how much Mercer Islanders valued having the farmers market and in providing fresh, local produce for their families’ holiday meals.

Snowing at the Mercer Island Pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market in November, 2011.

Snowing at the Mercer Island Pre-Thanksgiving Harvest Market in November, 2011. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

What turned a wonderful experience into an extraordinary one and the one that is Joel’s most memorable market moment was when early that market day it began to snow. He says, “Several of the volunteers later spoke with each other about that moment. We all had a sinking feeling that with the snow that the shoppers would disappear and the Harvest Market would turn out to be a failure.” But instead of disappearing, the MIFM’s shoppers paused for a few moments to watch the flakes come down and then turned back to their shopping. As Susie Rosenstein, Mercer Island Farmers Market board member and vice president, said, “It was magical.” Do you have any memorable moments from the Mercer Island Farmers Market? We would love to hear them.