The Crest Weekly Farmers Market Connects Citizens with Businesses, Fresh Food, and Community

By Colette Buck Current contributor

Each Wednesday between May and October, a small section of Millwood Park springs to life and brings community members from across the region together to enjoy the Millwood Farmers Market.

Created in 2006 by the Millwood Presbyterian Church, the market quickly outgrew several locations and was then passed to the Millwood Community Association, a group that organizes other Millwood community activities, to build on the market's continued growth.

Taking a walk around the market, visitors can view and buy everything from seasonal fruit, produce, and locally raised meats to handcrafted fiber art and metalworks. If shopping isn't a favorite activity, visitors can also find a spot on the grass under a canopy of trees, listen to live music and chow down on food and treats from different vendors.

Millwood Farmers Market Manager Jessica Vigil is in her third season of managing the weekly market and said the purpose of the market has remained the same even after passing hands—to support the greater City of Millwood and encourage economic vibrancy.

"All farmers markets, but especially Millwood's, are community-based events...trying to provide activities for our locals," Vigil said. "We're...focused on family and kid’s stuff because we have the park atmosphere. Come and stay for a while...enjoy the music, eat the food, and get your veggies for the week."

In addition to the weekly markets, the Millwood Community Association puts on special market events throughout the season, including the upcoming All Things Millwood event on July 19. During 'All Things Millwood', businesses in the city are invited to set up booths free of charge at the market to connect with visitors and share what they do.

For the third year, chefs from five Millwood restaurants will compete against one another to create the best edible creations. During this year’s competition, chefs will create an art composition using food items, and community members will serve as judges. In August, kids and their families can attend the market for two special events centered around summer fun and preparing for back to school.

"We've partnered with some haircutting places, last year it was the Paul Mitchell school, and we did free haircuts," Vigil said. "Then the West Valley School District came out, had a tent, and distributed a few backpacks, and I believe they plan to do that again."

Beyond bringing the community together, the market and its staff emphasize showcasing what families can do to stay healthy by hosting cooking demonstrations and exercise-based activities for kids. Recently, Vigil and other volunteers worked together and cooked two recipes using an early summer produce item commonly found in backyards across the Inland Northwest.

"At our market, we added a Two Bite Club, so every week we do... cooking demos with free samples where we're trying to use the whole foods that are in season, and we make samples with that," Vigil said. "We (used) rhubarb and made sweet and savory ones with onions and cherries that you would put on grilled meat."

The Two Bite Club is a program promoted by the United States Department of Agriculture to introduce children to healthy eating and recommended portion guidelines. All the fruits and vegetables used in the cooking demonstrations come from growers partnered with the Millwood Farmers Market.

Nearly all the fresh items available can be purchased with tokens exchanged for cash, debit cards, or SNAP benefits, making the market accessible to anyone and everyone. Visitors paying with EBT, WIC, or senior nutrition benefits are also eligible for an additional $25 in credit to purchase more fresh produce through the State of Washington's market match program.

"They swipe their debit card or EBT card just like they would at the grocery store, and then they tell me how much they want to spend," Vigil said. "We sell $1 tokens, little wooden tokens that are like poker chips essentially, and they get dollar-for-dollar whatever they pull off their EBT card. They use those tokens for whatever you normally buy with your EBT or SNAP in the grocery store."

The Millwood Farmers Market also runs a 'Market Bag' program that can be purchased using SNAP nutritional benefits and the market match dollars. For $15 to $20, community members can pick up a box of fresh market goods handpicked by a market worker who gets the best deals from market vendors.

"It's kind of like a fun surprise," Vigil said. "You're getting whatever is local, but you can still run around (the market) and shop."

Based on the practice of community-supported agriculture, the Market Bag program serves as a way to connect consumers to the people and farms that grow the food we eat. Vigil said in CSA practices, consumers write checks worth hundreds of dollars and give them directly to farmers at the beginning of the year in exchange for a portion of the harvest.

"Farmers markets in general are that first point of contact, so the idea is that the consumer gets to buy directly from whoever grows or makes their food or makes the craft," Vigil said. "Our bags are kind of the same idea, but we go to all our farmers and vendors, so you're getting a selection of markets and what's in season."

The Millwood Farmers Market runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Wednesday in the Summer and until 6 p.m. in the Fall. For more information on current market vendors or to apply as a vendor, you can visit www.farmersmarket. millwoodnow.org.