Farmers Markets Offer Local Goods and Sense of Community

Holding off on the Home & Garden Idea Fair until 2022 is another necessary but disappointing part of this global pandemic. The Salmon Creek Farmers Market and its vendors have been a feature of the event for years and have always looked at participation in our annual tradition as a way of “bringing in the season.” It is an opportunity to introduce the market to new folks who are visiting the Home & Garden Idea Fair for the first time, or to remind long-time event-goers of the variety of vendors, food, produce and crafts that are created in our community.

All of Clark County’s farmers markets are planning on returning to bustling destinations – with safety precautions in place – in 2021. The Salmon Creek Farmers Market, usually located at the entrance to Legacy Hospital, is moving to Kaiser Medical Center at 14406 NE 20th Ave. Vancouver, WA 97686 due to the increased traffic at the hospital where parking lot space has become scarce. The market will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, starting on June 8.

Customers visiting the new market location can expect to find some great local producers including:

• Yellow Door Cottage Farm and Apiary with pure honey from La Center as well as sustainably grown blueberries
• La Center’s famous Coyote Ridge Ranch will offer a variety of vegetables
• Jacki’s Heirloom Gardens is a fixture with seasonal fruits and vegetables, along with a huge assortment of perennials
• Sassy Creek Nursery from Amboy offers starts and annuals throughout the season
• Dilish Farm in Vancouver will have a luscious assortment of seasonal vegetables and fruits.
• Market favorite Munoz Berry Farm from Ridgefield, will be there with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, loganberries and boysenberries.
• Jones Farm in Ridgefield will join the market in late July with delicious blackberries

A critical part of the farmers markets in Clark County has been the ongoing promotion of food assistance programs offered through SNAP, the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and the Clark County Food Bank. As active members of the Washington State Farmers Market Association, they have been fortunate to receive USDA grants that incent SNAP users to spend their SNAP dollars at the various farmers markets, matching dollar for dollar up to $40 of a SNAP transaction to be used for fruits and vegetables. Ann Foster, founder and director of the Salmon Creek Farmers Market said, “We are all proud of how we can support those in need of fresh and healthy food, as well as providing additional income to our local farmers.”

The Farmers Markets mission is not only to bring local food to our communities, but to promote, nourish and encourage local farms and farm businesses. Farms and open spaces keep this county beautiful and livable, as well as contributing to the food supply and market customers are invited to share this mission with them.

“We have much to be proud of in SW Washington,” Foster summed up. “The Home and Garden Show remains its own branded invitation to beauty, vitality and economic strength.” And we at Clark Public Utilities are proud of all the community partners that make the Home & Garden Idea Fair what it is… a community event.