Celebrate Farmers Markets during National Farmers Market Week : August 4th – 10th

There is no better time to celebrate farmers market than during National Farmers Market week which takes place this year from August 4th to August 10th. In preparation for National Farmers Market Week, we’re reflecting on how farmers markets support healthy communities: They preserve America’s farmland, stimulate local economies, increase access to fresh, nutritious food, and support healthy communities. Farmers markets are increasing in numbers in Minnesota and around the country, allowing more communities to reap the benefits!

Show support of your local farmers market by visiting the market on Saturday from 8am-1pm or Tuesday from 3pm-7pm, by donating to the market to allow us to continue to keep vendor fees down and work towards equitable access to healthy, local produce, and by volunteering with the market to build capacity and strength of the market.

Thank you for supporting the market!

What’s Available? 

Welcome the Colors of the Summer Market!

Now that Mid-July is here and the growing season is in full swing the market is gaining color every day! The luscious reds of strawberries, the yellows and greens of gorgeous summer squash and zucchini, the deep purple of kohlrabi and the vibrancy of our customers fill the market each Saturday from 8am – 1pm and Tuesdays from 3pm – 7pm.

Early birds are welcome to join us at the market at 8am this Saturday for Yoga with Billy (Elizabeth) Harness from the YWCA. Then enjoy the colorful market sights and smells with your neighbors, learn more about reducing waste from the Master Composters, join Martha for the Second Saturday Activity and so much more! Stop by Tuesday for dinner from Tollefson’s Family Pork, and pick up your weekly produce, bread and more.

Thanks to everyone who has made our composting program a success thus far. Keep up the great work and don’t forget – food and paper scraps in the compost bin! If you are interested in helping us implement the program, email us at info@midtownfarmersmarket.org

 Support your Midtown Farmers Market November 15th! 

With your support, the market has set a record this year dispersing $18,500 in EBT  (food stamps), allowing low-income families access to healthy, local produce.

The market serves more than 55,000 customers a year, and here’s is what some of them say about why they love the market:

” Midtown Farmers Market is energizing and impacting local and organic food streams and sustainability way beyond the neighborhood it serves.”

“Great atmosphere, music, great farmers/growers, close by, friendly, good prices, my community.”

“oh so local! Captures the spirit and vibe of South Central Minneapolis”

“Makes you feel proud to live in the Twin Cities!”

“Lots of great fresh food with a strong sense of community”

Show your love for the market tomorrow on Give to the Max Day. Support local farmers, healthy communities and sustainable agriculture by donating to the Midtown Farmers Market!

When you support the Midtown Farmers Market, you’re supporting local farmers, sustainable agriculture, and healthy communities–you’re helping to create the kind of community we all want to live in. Mark your calendars for Give to the Max 2012!

Thank you for your support of the market!

Your gift helps us thrive as a local farmers market in the heart of the city, bringing together growers and neighbors in the open air to enjoy fresh food, local music, and a vibrant, diverse, and supportive community.

Last market – grab your kale (and pumpkins, honey, apples, and more)!

Did you know? Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat. It contains loads of vitamins A, B, C, and K as well as a wealth of antioxidants. AND you can get a bundle this week before the season is over! Tuesday, October 30th will mark the end of this market season. So be sure and get that last produce to fill your root cellars, freezers, or canning cupboards before winter hits us in full force! Saturday will be filled with produce, baked goods, prepared foods, warm beverages, beautiful handmade crafts and a special musical guest – Cactus Blossoms. Stop by Tuesday for one last chance to grab your fall pumpkins, fresh kale, honey, apples, or whatever else you hope to fill your shelves with to hold you over until next year!

What’s Available? 

This Saturday find:

The Market is seeking new members for our Advisory Committee. What’s the Advisory Committee? It’s a small group of volunteers who help the farmers market with marketing, fundraising, events, and any other needs that may come up throughout the year. You may have met Advisory Committee members during one of our Bucket Days when we ask market shoppers to support the market with small donations. But Advisory Committee members do most of their work behind the scenes: crafting fundraising appeals, lining up guests for events, promoting the market on Twitter and Facebook, and designing and maintaining this very website. It takes a lot to make a market like Midtown happen, and it simply couldn’t happen without the support of our Advisory Committee.

So who are we looking for to join the committee? The most important qualification is that you love the Midtown Farmers Market — you love coming each week and you want to sustain and spread the amazing experience of the market to others in our area. You should feel strongly about local food, strong communities and the idea that everyone should have access to fresh, healthy food regardless of how much money they make or where they live. If this sounds like you, you’d fit right in on the Advisory Committee.

Dedication to the market is qualification enough, but we are also seeking a few specific skills. People with PR and marketing experience, fundraising experience — volunteer or professional — and people who might have daytime availability to help the market plan events are strongly encouraged to apply. We welcome people of all experience levels.

Advisory Committee members serve two-year terms and are expected to dedicate about ten hours each month to the market.

All sound good? We are asking prospective committee members to fill out a brief application: just explain why you are interested in joining the committee and provide a current resume. You can find more details on our application flier [PDF].

Applications are due August 22, 2012.

If you have questions, please contact Market Manager Amy Behrens at manager@midtownfarmersmarket.org.

We are partnering with Memorial Blood Centers to host a blood drive on Energy Day, August 4 from 8:30am – 12:30pm! Only volunteer donors like you can help—step up to donate and help save up to three lives in your community. Plus, all presenting donors will receive a free tote bag! Schedule now online.

More info on the Energy Day blood drive

For as long as the kitchen is open, mention Midtown Farmers Market and 10% of the proceeds from your meal and drinks go to benefit the market!

Special thanks are in order: to Gandhi Mahal, for serving as our gracious hosts; to market vendor Anne Leck of Native Oaks Farm for donating the delicious lamb; to the crew at Harriet Brewing for pouring their fabulous brews; to Minnehaha Lake Wine and Spirits for providing the wine; to our musicians for the evening; to the our market vendors — including Black Onyx Creations, Rebecca’s Bakery, and Courageous Crumb — whose desserts made a perfect last touch to a satisfying meal; to Peace Coffee for after-dinner coffee; and to all the businesses and individuals who donated items to the silent auction.

To all those who joined us last night, thank you! If you missed this fundraiser, consider signing up for our mailing list (use the box on the right side of this page) so you can be sure not to miss out on the next one.

Photos by market volunteers Noel and Martha.

The Midtown Farmers Market will be hiring an Outreach Intern for the 2012 season to promote the Market Bucks incentive program* to SNAP-EBT recipients in the communities surrounding the market.

Job duties will include:

• Helping to develop and implement an outreach plan which will include meeting with local businesses and organizations, tabling at events, and connecting with residents.

• Distributing promotional signage and printed materials door-to-door, at events, and through connections with local organizations.

• Assisting market staff with the Market Bucks program on market days.

• Attending meetings with Market Bucks partners.

The ideal candidate would:

• Have outreach experience

• Be familiar with South Minneapolis

• Have connections with local organizations serving low-income families

• Be able to demonstrate an ability to work with minimal supervision

• Represent the Market and the Market Bucks Program in a professional manner

• Speak Spanish or Somali

Hours and Salary: 200 hours at $10/hr from May-October 2012 with the highest concentration of work hours occurring in June, July, and August.

Applicants must be available some Saturdays from 8:00am-2:00pm, Tuesdays from 3:00pm-8:00pm, and additional hours as determined by the Market Manager.

Email cover letter, resume, and three references to Amy Arcand (amy@corcoranneighborhood.org) by 5:00pm on March 28.

*This project was supported by the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support and its Statewide Health Improvement Program, funded by the Minnesota Department of Health and by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.