Crop of farmers markets keeps growing

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If you love farmers markets, life is getting sweeter.

Not only are markets beginning to open for the 2004 season, but this year there are more of them in Washington than ever before — about 90 — delighting fans but raising the question of how many markets local farmers can supply and consumers can support.

The total includes four new area markets scheduled to open in June — in Bellevue, Federal Way, Carnation and Mukilteo .

In the markets that have opened so far, new-crop vegetables have begun to appear, bearing the fresh taste of spring. Among them, depending on the market: asparagus, green onions, rhubarb, radishes, the earliest peas, spinach, wild greens such as nettles, and assorted salad greens, including arugula, sorrel and lettuces.

Through summer and fall, farmers' tables will overflow with all manner of produce: strawberries, cherries, raspberries, corn, beans, beets, apricots, squash, tomatoes, peaches, potatoes, apples and much more.

And that's not all. State regulations now allow the markets to sell wine (by the bottle only), in addition to locally produced frozen meats, poultry and fish and live shellfish, all of which were added in recent years.

And, again depending on the market, there's a growing array of locally crafted processed foods, such as jams, pickles, breads, cheeses, spice mixes, pies and preserves.

So many markets have come on the scene statewide — 26 new ones in the past six years alone — you could plan a cross-state trip around them, capturing the flavor of communities large and small. (The schedules for all 86 member markets in the Washington State Farmers Market Association are listed on its Web site, www.wafarmersmarkets.com.)

Though accurate statistics are hard to come by, and estimates vary widely, it's clear that a lot of Washingtonians are buying some of their food at farmers markets.

"We're working on tracking (the number), but we think on a weekly basis, it's in the 100,000 to 200,000 range," said Zachary Lyons, director of the farmers market association.

But it's hard not to wonder: Are there enough local farmers to supply ever-more markets and enough eager consumers to support them?

The markets bring together a pair of forces: small farmers' financial need for direct sales and consumers' desire for locally grown, truly fresh and frequently organic produce, along with a chance to meet the grower.

So loyal are many customers that they show up virtually every market day, year after year, some with their entire families in tow, vendors and market managers report.

Though many markets also feature crafts — jewelry, candles, pottery and more — it's the produce that brings shoppers back again and again, said Lyons and others.

Not every market thrives. Though total numbers keep growing, every year a few around the state close down for good, and an overemphasis on crafts vs. produce is often a key contributor, Lyons said.

"Shoppers expect to see a critical mass of produce," agreed Chris Curtis, director of the Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance.

The nonprofit alliance manages five Seattle farmers markets, among them Columbia City's, which opens today, and the University District's, the state's largest in shopper numbers at 4,000 to 5,000 each Saturday.

For farmers, the markets sometimes mean salvation in a business constantly losing ground to encroaching development or the lures of more lucrative careers.

"The farmers markets provide a way to sell the bulk of my products," said John Huschle, who grows 20 crops on five of his 10 acres near Carnation.

The wholesale prices paid by conventional produce distributors and supermarkets are too low to support a small farm like his, he said.

"I might get $1 for a bunch of spinach on the wholesale market," but $1.50 a bunch when selling directly to consumers at a farmers market, he said.

Such price differences, when applied to all his crops, can affect his annual income by $20,000 to $30,000, he said.

Despite such advantages to farmers, a few markets are beginning to see an under-supply of produce from growers.

"The growth of new markets opening up is somewhat outpacing farmers' supply," said Lyons. "It's not a big gap because we've got more and more small farms coming on line because of the markets."

Some market managers agreed with that observation, but Huschle, who sells his produce at four farmers markets in Seattle, isn't so sure.

"I don't see a whole lot of new farmers coming up. I see the same people every year," he said. While under-supply of local produce so far is a relatively small problem, according to Lyons, other challenges face farmers markets and affect people who shop there, or would like to.

One involves food stamps. Formerly issued in paper form by the government, these now come as plastic cards that supermarkets process electronically. However, most farmers markets aren't equipped with the electricity or phones needed to process food stamps, which means vendors are losing some business while food-stamp users are missing out on the chance to buy the markets' local produce.

Though food-stamp purchases at farmers markets in the state could total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions, annually with the proper equipment, they actually amount to only about $20,000, Lyons said.

Efforts are under way to find remedies, including a possible government grant for a pilot project trying out new processing technology, he said.

Despite this and other challenges, such as resolving sometimes knotty setup issues with city governments or local business communities, new farmer's markets keep cropping up. Among them, the new Mukilteo Farmers Market, opening July 22, represents a splash of optimism, not only about saving farms but about building community — at least in the eyes of its young founder and manager, Eden Trenor, 22.

"I feel there's a lot of good done in creating community spaces with a positive atmosphere," said the Washington native, who graduated from college in Ohio just last week. At this market, which will start with just 10 vendors, there will be no crafts, only produce and food products. For farmers-market fans, it's yet another place to taste Washington.