Maple Valley Farmers' Market Features Pie Contest

Maple Valley Farmers’ Market Features Pie Contest

With our unprecedented summer sunshine yielding an array of produce nearly exploding from farms and gardens, the Maple Valley Farmers’ Market will certainly be a delicious place to shop on Saturday, July 18. The MVFM will feature 16 farmers, selling fresh berries and peaches, green beans and squash, lavender products, fresh flower bouquets, strawberry plants, alpaca fleece creations, dairy products, honey and much more. In addition, visitors will be able to buy from five food processors, selling pasta, olive oils and vinegars, nuts, chocolate and kettle corn; four prepared food vendors, including George’s Bakery, Frank’s Franks, Katana’s Asian cuisine and EJ’s Catering; and five artisans with metal arts, soft toys, wood creations, vintage clothing, jewelry, soaps, and more.

And foods and gifts won’t be the only delights on Saturday-- this Saturday is the 6th Annual Fresh Fruit Pie Bake Off Pie Baking Contest, open to all who can craft piecrust and fresh fruit into a delectable creation. Sponsored by Ross Olive State Farm Insurance, we will award first, second, and third-place prizes, and winners will all receive a Market bag stuffed with goodies including flowers and other items from the Market. Crusts and fillings must be homemade, and all fillings must be fresh fruit. Participants should register for the contest and drop off their pie in a disposable pie tin at the Market Information Booth Saturday between 9:30-11:30. Judging begins at 11:45.

Non-profits also play a special part at the Maple Valley Farmers’ Market. Linda Kowalsky-Ellis, Market Manager, said, “The non-profits have a special place in the Market. Our Board of Directors is pleased to offer local non-profits market stall space for education and information sharing, as well as for fundraising opportunities.” Interested organizations are encouraged to complete a Vendor Application (Non-Profit Section) and forward it to Kowalsky-Ellis as directed on the website.

Saturday’s Market will again feature the Maple Valley Master Gardeners, with trained gardeners to answer tricky questions about problematic plants. In addition, African Promise will return as it does each week this season, this time with new jewelry from a recent trip to Uganda. African Promise is a nonprofit operated by Suzy Benson Gillies, a self-proclaimed “soccer mom” who worked with a family of Somali refugees in 2005 and then began to learn about the children in Northern Uganda struggling to avoid abduction by the rebel army. After visiting Uganda in 2008 and 2009, Gillies was moved to create the African Promise Foundation, which sells jewelry in the U.S. made of recycled paper beads, created by Ugandan women. The proceeds provide school fees, room, and board for students, many of whom have been orphaned due to AIDS or the war in Uganda. More information about African Promise, sponsoring a student, buying jewelry, or taking a two-week volunteer trip to Uganda can be found at www.africanpromisefoundation.org, or by visiting their booth on Saturday. And Chris Phillips from Rotary will also host a booth to share information about the Rotary’s upcoming event, “A Taste of the Valley,” to be held on July 30. Young entrepreneur Callie Christian will be back with her handmade jewelry booth.

And, of course, no Market Saturday would proceed without live musical entertainment. This week’s entertainer is Ted Argo, a regular entertainer around the Seattle area. Argo is a local musician and teacher who brings a variety of styles to the Market, including rock, blues, folk, standards, and more. Argo also leads the Maple Valley Big Band, which will be closing out the 2015 Market season on September 26.

The MVFM Board wishes to remind all that Maple Valley Farmers’ Market is “the Saturday morning place to be!” this Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Rock Creek Elementary School on Maple Valley Highway. More information on Maple Valley Farmers’ Market is available at (425) 463-6751 or at info@maplevalleyfarmersmarket.org. Linda Kowalsky-Ellis, Market Manager, urges MVFM fans to “Like us on FACEBOOK” or follow the Market on Twitter.