Health and Wellness Day at the Maple Valley Farmers Market July 23
Published 10:26 am Friday, July 22, 2011
Tomorrow is Health and Wellness Day at the Maple Valley Farmers Market which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rock Creek Elementary.
Enhancing Maple Valley’s health and wellness were two of the reasons for the creation of the Farmers Market three years ago.
Sponsored by Always Best Care Senior Services Eastside, this week at the market will feature a chef demonstration by Ginger Passarelli, owner of Mama’s Steak and Pasta in Black Diamond and founder of The Soup Ladies.
Passarelli will get to the market early to select ingredients from vendors to use in her demonstration. Stop by her booth to learn some of Mama’s cooking secrets and tips.
In addition, Thrive Community Fitness and Kriss Chiropractic will host booths, while a local group will provide information about Parkinson’s Disease. Puget Sound Energy “Rock the Bulb” volunteers will have a booth to promote energy-efficiency, where they’ll give out free CFL light bulbs. And, lastly, there will be random giveaways throughout the market day promoting Health and Wellness Day.
Live entertainment this Saturday will feature the Burwell Brothers, Stephen and Seth, local bluegrass musicians who have won multiple picking contests in the Northwest. Their performance will begin at 11 a.m.
This week there will be 22 farmers and processors at the market, including Hayton Farms of Mt. Vernon, which sells organic berries and is new to the market this season. Owner Angelica Hayton is the fifth generation to live and work on her Fir Island farm established in 1876. The farm recently transitioned to all Certified Organic berries, and Hayton is “proud of the end product [that was] well worth the extra work.”
Prepared food is another favorite part of the Market and E. J.’s Custom Catering is back this year with its always-popular booth. Specialties include BBQ pulled pork sandwiches/slides; chicken coconut curry soup, known to sell out on cool days; breakfast burritos and frittatas; mango berry coolers; and other rotating seasonal items. Most menu items are prepared with produce from MVFM, making a visit to EJ’s an even more rewarding taste treat.
If both stomach and cupboard are full, visitors will want to meander over to the artists’ booths. An ever-popular booth is Bob Shillereff’s Photographs. Shillereff, a Maple Valley resident, specializes in wildlife and nature photos.
More information on Maple Valley Farmers Market is available at (425) 463-6751 or at info@maplevalleyfarmersmarket.org.
