Supporting Farmers Markets

Supporting Farmers Markets

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

The Washington Farmers Market Association has been in existence since 1978 and was originally started by market managers who banded together to create an organization where market managers could come together and learn from each other. Karen Kinney, Executive Director of the WSFMA expounds.

KINNEY: It’s been doing that ever since then and over the last five to ten years the organization has really tried to expand its reach, especially as more farmers markets have started around the state, and they’ve grown, and more farmers want to sell at them. Then the needs for market managers change and so the organization has also changed to keep up with the needs of the market managers. At this point in time we have workshops, we have training, we provide a lot of networking services and then we also do a lot of advocacy for farmers markets and the farmers that sell at them on policy issues.

Farmers Market Week is August 4th through the 10th here in Washington and Kinney says there are some great events planned for the week as well as something new this year.

KINNEY: We’re working with the executive chef at Maria Hines restaurants in Seattle - it’s something new that we’ve done to create a Farmers Market Week recipe. It’s an affordable recipe that features fresh fruits and vegetables that could be found at any (farmers) market across the state. It’s easy to prepare and easy to adapt. It’s a sweet corn and pepper salsa that can be used with vegetables and rice and pasta, or chickpeas, or couscous, or meat, or it would be great on fish too.

The recipe can also be found on WSFMA’s website at wafarmersmarkets.com, along with a directory of farmers market locations and operating hours.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.