Repair Fair,Know Your Farmer Know Your Food and WIC!
Lot’s going ON and coming IN this Saturday! The Repair Fair is gaining strength as an event (held all over the Metro area) where volunteer ‘fixers’ connect with those who have items in need of repair. These fairs are held to try and reduce the amount of stuff we throw away in the landfill, even more important now as China has cut back on accepting our garbage. And as we all know, there is no ‘away’. Bring clothes, jewelry, small appliances, tools etc. If they can’t be fixed at the Market you’ll leave knowing what you need to do to fix them yourself! The Fair runs 9am-2pm.
It’s also Know Your Farmer Know Your Food Day. Meet at the Info Booth at 9.15am and take a guided tour of the Market with an OSU Extension dietitian, meet the farmers, hear how, where and what they grow, get tips on storage and preparation. After the tour (30 mins) you get to watch a cooking demo (seating available in the shade), taste the food, get a recipe too. Those with the SNAP card can access $5 extra after the demo as well as the $6 extra Double Up Food Bucks. Stop by the Extension booth and watch a quick pickle recipe being made! Grab some cucs and a recipe and make refrigerator pickles for the hot week ahead.
Gorgeous salad mix from Brown Bottle Farm.
It’s also WIC day! The Ladies from the County’s WIC office will be there to give out coupons to young mothers to purchase fresh healthy produce. This special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. The great thing about this program is that our small local farms benefit from the extra purchases too, so it’s a win win!
Kids (ages 5yrs – 12yrs) can join the Market’s Power Of Produce (POP) Club and receive $2 in wooden tokens every time they come to market…year-round! This is thanks to our wonderful sponsors, Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District, ON Point CU and Bobs Red Mill. In fact the kids will be searching for 8 cardboard cut out ‘Bobs’ in the Market this week. Completing the ‘Find Bob” form will enter them in a drawing for Bob’s Red Mill’s pancake mix!
The first tomatoes are coming in now, but arrive early to get some.
The summer produce is pouring into the Market now. More vine ripened tomatoes from Sun Love and Brown Bottle Farms this week, plus just-pulled onions and garlic, new potatoes, shishito peppers, several kinds of basil, beets, carrots and loads of squash and cucumbers, salad greens, lettuce…too much to list here. Show up early while it’s still deliciously cool and stock up! Pack your car with a cooler and ice pack and treat yourself to one of the Market’s insulated, zippered shopping bags for $6.
See all Joe’s signs and more this Saturday
Two new art and craft vendors this week. Stitchery Designs makes useful items out of old feed sacks (so if you have any hanging around bring them this week and give to Michelle) and Joe of Victory Gardens Of Tomorrow is making a guest appearance, bringing examples of his art, which include fab garden signs, posters and cards, even patches to sew on jackets, all in his unique graphics. Check out his web site: https://www.victorygardenoftomorrow.com/
Grab yourself a bread hand from Grano Bakery this Sat!
Bring an appetite we now have FOUR food vendors, plus hot coffee and cold drinks. The Steve and Margot Show will entertain us and Ima Blueberry will give out stickers to kids between 9am and 11am. It’s a full house this week, hope to see you!