FARMERS MARKET SEASON EXTENDED!
Based on polling of shoppers and market vendors, the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance has decided to add two weeks to the Phinney Farmers Market season. With a slow start to the growing season (remember "Junuary"?), we hope this will help you fill your kitchens with great late-ripening produce and other tasty goods, while assisting the farmers with an additional opportunity to earn some income.

On October 14 and 21 the market will close one hour early, so be sure to do your shopping between 3 and 6 pm while it is still light out. We decided that it was worth it to continue operations, even with reduced hours, but the vendors will need all the twilight to pack up and get ready to drive home. We hope you can make it before 6 pm!

Regular hours of 3-7 pm continue through Friday, October 7, which was originally scheduled to be our final day. We still plan to hold our PNA Harvest Potluck on October 7 from 6:30-8:30 pm.

Kids’ Day at the Market - This Friday, September 9
Top off the week with a fun-filled visit to the farmers market. Kids of all ages are invited to decorate a squash, add wheels, and race another zippy zuke down the “Zucchini 500” ramp. Althea the Face Painter will be back, offering fabulous decorations for modest donations. The Truck Farm will also return afer 5 pm, showing off their amazing mini-farm growing in the back of a pick-up truck. Join neighborhood favorite Gary Paine for a sing-along at 3:30, then stick around to share songs in French and Spanish with the Polly-Glots from 5-6:30. You don’t want to miss it!

Parking Alert

Do you drive to the Phinney Neighborhood Center Blue Building on Fridays? Beginning next week (June 3) the Phinney Farmers Market will take place in the upper parking lot from 3-7 pm. Morning drop-off and short-term parking will be no problem, although some spaces will be blocked off to accommodate early-arriving trucks. Set-up for market vendors begins at 1 pm so ALL CARS must be out of the lot by this time. We really don't want to tow anyone's car, so please park in the lower lot or be sure to move your vehicle out of the upper lot well before 1 pm. Thanks for your cooperation!

Talking Trash

Some PNA staff and community members are getting serious about waste reduction.

We want to send less to the landfill. We want to compost more. We want to recycle. The PNA has made the leap to weekly clean green pickup, which means we can compost all food scraps (meat and dairy too) not just veggies!

You can help.

Level one: When at the PNA, THINK about your garbage and where it should go. Can it compost? Can it be recycled? Does it need to go to the landfill? If you don't see the right place to dispose of it, ASK!

Level two: A team is forming to help improve composting and recycling options at the PNA. We are looking at the current systems and designing improvements that will make it easy for everyone who comes to the PNA to sort and dispose of things properly. New bins, clear signs, new waste vendors and programs, maybe even worm bins on site! If you want to be a part of this committee, contact judith@phinneycenter.org

For instance, did you notice that most waste produced at the Phinney Farmer's Market is compostable? ALL of the food scraps (plate scrapings including meat, cherry pits, carrot tops, etc) paper plates, and napkins, should go in the compost bin. Pizza boxes are compostable if they are greasy, and recycleable if they are clean! They get stacked next to the bins.

Anything recyclable at home can go in the recycle bin here, too.

Really, if we get it right, just about the only things in the landfill-bound trash can should be plastic utensils, plastic lids, and drinking straws, (and if you must--disposable diapers and dog poop)! We may even get our vendors to switch to compostable utensils and cups, so keep your eye out for that!

Help us out, if you see something in the wrong bin, be a good neighbor and sort it out!

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