Farmers and market manager are seldom at a loss when asked by shoppers ‘How do I prepare this?’ However, cookbooks that are inspiring, unintimidating, and sensitive to seasonality can be few and far between.  Some markets even create and publish their own cookbooks to help further educate their customer base and to help their farmers [...]

Tags: cookbooks, Summer recipes

by Cristina Sandolo, Project Co-Director, Nourishing Neighborhoods, Wholesome Wave Foundation This is a guest article submitted by the Wholesome Wave Foundation in honor of National Farmers Market Week 2010. At Wholesome Wave, we have seen firsthand over the years how partnerships between farmers markets and other organizations lead to opportunities to boost new and existing [...]

Today, the Toyota Farm to Table Tour will sponsor an all-star chef line-up for its Washington D.C. event, hosted by the FRESHFARM Market by the White House (810 Vermont Avenue NW) on Thursday, July 29 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A Letter from the Board, by Cheryl DeBerry Most farmers market producers and coordinators are knee-deep (scratch that…we’re “neck-deep”) in market season at the moment. With all the planting, tending, harvesting, washing, packing, and hauling needed to get items to the market, then the setting up, selling, and tearing down at the end of the market, plus [...]

Tags: Cheryl DeBerry

By Sylvia Fagin and Jean Hamilton, Northeast Organic Farming Association-Vermont The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) is providing Vermont farmers markets with a new tool to bolster the support they receive from their communities. A short (18-page) manual entitled Engaging the Community for Farmers Market Success is now available on the NOFA-VT website. [...]

Tags: NOVA-FT

Real_Food_Cover_ThumbnailIn “Real Food, Real Choice: Connecting SNAP Recipients with Farmers Markets,” the Community Food Security Coalition and Farmers Market Coalition sought to determine and measure the challenges farmers markets face in serving the growing number of SNAP participants nationwide, and offer a road-map for improvement.

Tags: Real Food Real Choice Report

One too many produce markets and grocery store chains have jumped on the marketing band wagon, capitalizing on growing consumer enthusiasm for local food, direct from farmers. Safeway’s ears must have been burning in Kirkland, Washington as farmers market advocates from across the country convened by conference call to discuss why Safeway was opening up tents in their parking lots, moving their produce department out into these tents and calling it a “Farmer Market”. The term “farmers market” has become so ubiquitous that its integrity has been compromised, especially in the eyes of the farmer and the discerning customer.

Tags: definition

The market list serves have been abuzz lately with questions and corresponding feedback on how to build and use evaluation tools. These questions seem to come in two forms: “How can we assess our market organization so that we can ask for more support from funders or community members?” and as often, “How can we [...]

Tags: Market Portrait

ECOBAGS, a leading retailer of reusable tote bags, has recently established a Farmers Market Shop on its web site.  The store offers shopping, bread, and produce bags, along with some nice farmers market-inspired designs ideal for a market who doesn’t want to bother with customer printing. ECOBAGS has generously offered to donate to the Farmers [...]

Tags: ECOBAGS

“Should we charge vendors a single base fee or a percentage-of-sales fee?” “ What types of insurance does our market organization need?” “ What rules should apply to artisan vendors?” These are just a few of the questions that FMC, and our member state associations, get every month from both new and existing markets. A [...]

Tags: FAQ