There’s a farmers market for you somewhere in Western Washington nearly every day
Farmers market season is underway in the South Sound, and this year we have even more places to shop for locally produced seedlings, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and more.
Despite new health and safety regulations that limited the number of vendors — and in some cases forced a move to a different location — markets powered through the past pandemic year. As a type of grocery, they were considered essential by the state, and as an inherently outdoor venue, they quickly became an unexpected safe haven for many shoppers.
The 2021 season has begun on Saturdays in Tacoma’s Proctor District and in Puyallup, the state’s largest. In Olympia, the year-round market is now open for summer hours three days a week, Thursday through Saturday. Others kick off in June.
TACOMA FARMERS MARKET
On May 6, Tacoma Farmers Market begins on Broadway Street. Though on-site eating of prepared foods remains off-limits due to COVID-19 restrictions, executive director Anika Moran looks forward to a successful season.
The Thursday downtown market will welcome more than 60 vendors this year (in tents with walls separating them from one another), after trimming the number for spatial reasons in 2020. Music, sans singing or wind insturments, will return, but only once a month instead of every week. First up: a Tacoma Symphony quartet will play a free pops concert on opening day.
The Eastside market starts Tuesday, June 1, and the Sunday market returns June 6 outside The Public Market at Point Ruston. Visit that day for a chance to win an all-inclusive stay at the new Silver Cloud Inn, which is slated to open with its waterfront views this summer.
For the second year, in lieu of an in-person gala, the market will offer three dates of Grit City To Go!: June 26 features seasonal Filipino food from Jan Parker Cookery, August 14 host is chef Derek Bray of The Table, and Dean Shivers returns Oct. 3 with Tacoma Pie.
Though the pandemic offered plenty of challenges, said Moran, it also provided a silver lining.
Many regional markets accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The state’s SNAP Market Match, jointly funded by public and private parties, doubles SNAP dollars spent on produce.
Pierce County CARES Act money helped Tacoma Farmers Market purchase a refrigerated vehicle that spent much of last year roaming to several locations. Known as the Fresh Express Mobile Market, the grocery truck — funded in part by USDA grants — will be stationed at 10 addresses in 2021.
Moran’s team curated the schedule based on census-designated areas considered to be food insecure, with a low-income population and with little access to supermarkets. Not only does it bring fresh, local food to people who might not otherwise have access to it, but it also helps Puget Sound farmers.
“It’s an awesome new market outlet for local farms and small businesses to be able to sell at retail prices to us, without having to truck all their stuff to a market setup,” said Moran.
Food access is an ongoing issue that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, with visits to food banks nearly doubling.
“Tacoma Farmers Market always participated in food access in some way. This is just a more robust way we’re able to do that,” she explained. “The opportunity to share this food with everybody in the county — it wasn’t really available to us before.”
The City of DuPont also saw an opportunity within the throes of the pandemic.
With events canceled and a murky 2021 ahead, said tourism and communications coordinator Erin Gowenlock, the city recognized that farmers markets were “one of the few ‘essential’ activities.’”
“Farmers markets were one of the top requested events from our community for years, and COVID gave us an opportunity to pursue this,” she said. “It’s been a learning curve and a lot of work, but it’s been incredibly rewarding, and the farmers market community is so inviting and helpful.”
The first-ever DuPont Farmers Market will run June-September in Clocktower Park on Thursdays, 3-7 p.m.
SOUTH SOUND FARMERS MARKETS
The region boasts a farmers market nearly every day of the week (no Monday market), with plentiful options on the weekends.
Whether you’re looking for a market near your home, spending the weekend in Olympia or taking a day-trip to Vashon, there’s a market waiting for you.
Markets are “loosely” coordinating to ensure the rules are similar across area markets, said Tacoma’s Moran. That usually means masks are required, vendors will handle the goods (versus customers picking their own), and sanitation stations will be plentiful. While prepared food vendors still serve, meals must be consumed off-site, and often one-way shopping routes are set up to ease traffic flow.
You can also find farm stands and other local food resources at Eat Local First, a statewide collaborative working to connect Washingtonians with farmers and locally-focused restaurants, grocery stores and other food businesses.
* = accepts EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) for SNAP/WIC, with many offering Washington’s SNAP Market Match
TUESDAY
▪ * Tacoma Farmers Market - Eastside, 3500 McKinley Ave. E: June-August, 3-7 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/eastside-market
▪ Village Farmers Market, Sunrise Village, Puyallup: July-August, 4-8:30 p.m., mysunrisevillage.com/village-farmers-market
▪ * Renton Farmers Market, Renton Transit Center, South 3rd Street at Burnett Avenue: June-September, 3-7 p.m., rentonfarmersmarket.com
▪ Silverdale Farmers Market, Silverdale Antique Store, 9490 Silverdale Way: April-September, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., facebook.com/SilverdaleFarmersMarket
▪ JBLM Marketplace, MWR Fest Tent at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (accessible only with JBLM pass): biweekly, May-September, jblm.armymwr.com
▪ * Cowlitz Community Farmers Market, Cowlitz County Fairgrounds, 1900 7th Ave.: May-September, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., cowlitzfarmersmarket.com
▪ * Chehalis Farmers Market, Boistfort St. at Market Ave.: June-October, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., chehalisfarmersmarket.com
▪ * Fresh Express Mobile Market - Tacoma, Bay Terrace Apartments, 2550 S. G St. : June-October, 3-5 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/fresh-express-mobile-market
WEDNESDAY
▪ Steilacoom Farmers Market, Lafayette at Wilkes: June-August, 3-7 p.m., townofsteilacoom.org/267/Farmers-Market
▪ * Tukwila Village Farmers Market, Tukwila Village Plaza, 14350 Tukwila International Blvd.: June-October, 4-7 p.m., tukwilawa.gov/event/tukwila-village-farmers-market
▪ * Fresh Express Mobile Market - Bonney Lake, Bonney Lake Food Bank, 24015 state Route 410: May-October, 4-6 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/fresh-express-mobile-market
THURSDAY
▪ * Tacoma Farmers Market - Broadway, 9th and Broadway: May-October, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/broadway-farmers-market
▪ City of Dupont Farmers Market, Clocktower Park, 1401 Palisade Blvd.: June-September, 3-7 p.m., dupontwa.gov/566/Farmers-Market
▪ Burien Farmers Market, Burien Town Square Park, 480 SW 152nd St.: May-October, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (10 a.m. for seniors), discoverburien.org/new-page-2
▪ Gig Harbor Waterfront Farmers Market, Skansie Brothers Park: June-September, 1-7 p.m., waterfrontfarmersmarket.org
▪ * Bremerton Community Farmers Market, Evergreen Park, 1400 Park Ave.: May-October, 4-7 p.m., bremertonmarket.wordpress.com
▪ Enumclaw Plateau Farmers Market, 1600 1st St., Enumclaw: June-September, 3-7 p.m., enumclawplateaufarmersmarket.org
▪ * North Bend Farmers Market, Si View Park: June-September, 4-8 p.m., siviewpark.org/farmers-market.phtml
▪ * Olympia Farmers Market, 700 Capitol Way N: April-October, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., olympiafarmersmarket.com
▪ * Toledo Thursday Market, Steamboat Landing, 115 Ramsey Way: February-December, 2-6 p.m., toledothursdaymarket.com
▪ * Fresh Express Mobile Market - Lakebay, Key Peninsula Community Services, 17015 9th St. Ct. KPN: May-October, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/fresh-express-mobile-market
FRIDAY
▪ * Tacoma Farmers Market - MultiCare, 315 Martin Luther King Jr. Way: August, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com
▪ Lakewood Farmers Market, Fort Steilacoom Park, 8714 87th Ave. SW: May-September, 2-6:30 p.m., cityoflakewood.us/lakewood-farmers-market
▪ * Orting Valley Farmers Market, North Park, June-August, 3-7 p.m., ortingvalleyfarmersmarket.com
▪ * Olympia Farmers Market, 700 Capitol Way N: April-October, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., olympiafarmersmarket.com
▪ * Centralia Farmers Market (The Historic Lewis County Farmers Market), Centralia Outlets, 1342 Lum Rd.: May-October, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., centraliafarmersmarket.org
▪ * Fresh Express Mobile Market - South Tacoma, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, 4851 S. Tacoma Way: May-October, noon-2 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/fresh-express-mobile-market
SATURDAY
▪ * Proctor Farmers Market, North 27th at Proctor: April-December, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., proctorfarmersmarket.com
▪ * Puyallup Farmers Market, Pioneer Park, 300 S Meridian: May-October, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., puyallupmainstreet.com/puyallup-farmers-market
▪ * Federal Way Farmers Market, 1701 S. 320th St.: May-October, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., federalwayfarmersmarket.com
▪ Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market, 22625 Dock Ave. S: June-September 9 a.m.-2 p.m., dmfm.org
▪ * Kent East Hill Farmers Market, Morrill Meadows Park, 10600 SE 248th St.: June-September, first and third Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., livingwellkent.org
▪ Maple Valley Farmers Market, Maple Valley Legacy Site, 25719 Maple Valley Black Diamond Road SE: May-September, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., maplevalleyfarmersmarket.com
▪ * Olympia Farmers Market, 700 Capitol Way N: year-round, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., olympiafarmersmarket.com
▪ Yelm Farmers Market, Yelm City Park: late May-October, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., yelmfarmersmarket.com
▪ Shelton Farmers Market, 302 Railroad Ave.: May-October, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., sheltonfarmersmarket.org
▪ * Port Townsend Farmers Market, Tyler Street at Lawrence Street: April-December, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., jcfmarkets.org/saturday
▪ * Sequim Farmers Market, City Hall Plaza, 152 W Cedar St.: May-October, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., sequimmarket.com
▪ * Port Angeles Farmers Market, Gateway Tranist Center: year-round, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., farmersmarketportangeles.com
▪ * Port Orchard Farmers Market, Port Orchard Waterfront Boardwalk, 933 Bay St.: April-October, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., pofarmersmarket.com
▪ * Poulsbo Farmers Market, 18901 8th Ave. NE: April-December, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., poulsbofarmersmarket.org
▪ * Bainbridge Island Farmers Market, Town Square at City Hall, 280 Madison Ave. N: year-round, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., bainbridgeislandfarmersmarket.com
▪ * Vashon Farmers Market, Village Green, 17519 Vashon Highway SW: April-October, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., vashonfarmersmarket.org
▪ * Tenino Farmers Market, E Suxxex Ave. at S Olympia St.: May-September, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., teninofarmersmarket.org
▪ * Morton Farmers Market, Gust Backstrom Park, 700 W Main Ave.: May-October, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., fompwa.org/farmers-market
▪ * Cowlitz Community Farmers Market, Cowlitz County Fairgrounds, 1900 7th Ave.: April-October, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., cowlitzfarmersmarket.com
▪ * Fresh Express Mobile Market - Eatonville, Center Street Junction, 305 Center St. W: May-October, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/fresh-express-mobile-market
▪ * Fresh Express Mobile Market - Tacoma, Salishan Family Investment Center, 305 Center St. W: May-October, 2-4 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/fresh-express-mobile-market
SUNDAY
▪ * Tacoma Farmers Market - Point Ruston, The Public Market at Point Ruston: June-September 10 a.m.-3 p.m., tacomafarmersmarket.com/point-ruston-farmers-market
▪ * Auburn Farmers Market, Les Gove Park, 1140 Auburn Way S: June-September 10 a.m.- 3 p.m., auburnwa.gov
▪ * Tumwater Farmers Market, Peter G. Schmidt Elementary School, Capitol Boulevard at Dennis Street: May-September, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., tumwaterfarmersmarket.org
▪ * Chimacum Farmers Market, Chimacum Corner Farmstand, 9122 Rhody Dr.: June-October, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., jcfmarkets.org/sunday
▪ * Aberdeen Sunday Market, W Heron at S Broadway: May-September, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., aberdeensundaymarket.org
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "There’s a farmers market for you somewhere in Western Washington nearly every day."