From the Neighborhood Farmer’s Market Alliance [[email protected]]:

Cherries, Strawberries and totally safe Tomatoes at the Farmers Market

This Sunday at the Broadway Farmers Market:

At last, STRAWBERRIES and CHERRIES have arrived at the market – they’ve been delayed by our cold, wet spring, but they’re here and we’ll be seeing even more of them in the weeks to come.

The Farmers Market also has plenty of SAFE, local, sustainably-raised tomatoes. One market farmer commented that the outbreak is likely due to the wide use of some kind of composting medium on big factory farms that was contaminated – but none of our market farmers are connected in any way to those kinds of operations. In fact, the tomatoes at the Seattle farmers markets right now are all hothouse tomatoes. Also, our farmers are growing plenty of heirloom varieties, both in their hothouses and in their fields.

The FDA website also notes that home-grown tomatoes are safe. Our market farmers are essentially growing home-grown tomatoes: they are not huge operations but rather smaller family farms, using safe, small-scale, healthy, and sustainable growing methods. These farmers live on their farms, pick the harvest themselves, and eat the food they grow as well as selling it to local markets.

Live music this week from Todd Koeppen.

The Broadway Farmers Market takes place every Sunday, 11 am – 3 pm, from May 11 through Nov. 23, in the lot behind the Bank of American at Broadway & E. Thomas. The market is operated by the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and strengthening Washington’s small family farms. You can find information about all seven Neighborhood Farmers Markets at www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org.

The Broadway Sunday Farmers Market also accepts EBT/Quest cards (food stamps), as well as WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Coupons.