By CELINA YARKIN
For The Beachcomber
I have wanted to write an editorial about the Vashon Farmers Market for a long time. With the latest flurry of letters, the time is now. Many people feel allegiance to us at the Farmers Market, or to Bernie at East West Produce, as two recent letters reflect, and I would like to challenge that tendency. People should check out what we have to offer and shop from us, or Bernie O’Malley, or Jason Parr’s roadside stand, or Thriftway or IGA, because they find what they are looking for. We want you to come to the Farmers Market because we are good at what we do. Each of us has something different to offer, so let me talk about what we (the farmers and crafters) at the Farmers Market have that you won’t find at any of the other places.
I am going to respond to several points made last week in the letter to the editor “Produce stand helps town celebrate small farms,” by John and Clare van Amerongen. They raise questions about the Farmers Market that are out there, and the answers give me a chance to tell you why we are unique not just to the island, but to the whole Seattle area.
Clare and John asked why the Farmers Market doesn’t open earlier if we are concerned about losing business to East West Produce. All the growers at the market are on-island. Other farmers markets consist of small family farms and of big farms that send out 10 to 50 trucks a week to all the regional farmers markets, some organic and some not. This allows industrial-scale farms access to the direct retail market. This is an element that has crept into local farmers markets as the small farm movement has grown across the country. In the Seattle markets, many of the small farms and all of the large farms have to travel long distances to access the markets. Here, all the produce comes from within a 5-mile radius.
So that begs the question that Clare and John asked: Why doesn’t the farmers market open until 10 a.m.? We have debated opening earlier, but have always chosen to open at 10 so that we have time to pick things like head lettuce and berries that don’t like to be stored even overnight. Shoppers at the Vashon Farmers Market get freshness that can only be rivaled by a kitchen garden. Even other farmers markets can’t boast that! The farmers do get up at dawn to pick. We are not snoozing. If we ever choose to open earlier, it will mean shifting some of our harvest to the day before.
And why can’t the Vashon Farmers Market be open two or three days running like East West Produce? This question was also raised last week in the van Amerongens’ letter. The reason is because we harvest everything on Friday to bring to market Saturday. During the peak season we begin harvest at 7:30 a.m. Friday and sometimes don’t quit till 8 or 9 p.m. The plants aren’t ready for another market harvest until mid-week, which is when most of us are filling CSA shares and loading our farm stands. Bernie buys from multiple farms, not all of them small, which allows him to sell for a three-day run.
It is also a belief of some that produce at the farmers market is priced too high. I invite everyone to come to the market and price shop to bust that myth. The market has a range of pricing, some high based on the crop and the farmer, and some at great deals, so check it out.
One more difference that distinguishes what we offer from venues with larger farms is that we depend on diversity for our economic survival. This means that we do a lot of experimentation with varieties, so you will find produce at the market that you won’t find anywhere else. It is a place to discover new flavors like squash blossoms, rare melons and unusual varieties of greens, eggplants, tomatoes, flowers, beans and squashes, to touch on just a few. And then there is the atmosphere, with good food, people, island-made crafts and music, with quieter times too at the beginning and end of each market.
People should know that the Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA) is the home of 40-plus small businesses and is an economic engine of goods that are produced on this island by growers and crafters. VIGA’s gross annual income is approximately $300,000 per year, generated solely on Saturday mornings, and that is something to be proud of.
We hope that everyone will take advantage of everything that is available on this island and enjoy the bounty and unique opportunity offered by each business. Let’s give this island a shot of unfettered politics and make our market places jump and jive!
— Celina Yarkin owns Sun Island Farm with her husband Joe and is a VIGA member.
