UDJ 5-9 Column
From CFI
Thank you Ukiah – from our Mendocino County family farmers and craftspersons – for your support at last Saturday’s opening of the Farmers Market season. To give you some sense of how busy things were, our visiting cherry vendor sold out about half way through the market. Bet he brings more tomorrow.
Special thanks to Santiago Simental, Martha Gonzalez, Mireya Gaona, Julian Ocegueda and the entire crew who worked on Nuestra Casa’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. You do good work, are great to work with and helped make opening day special.
If you missed it all, don’t make that mistake again. But also, don’t worry. You can begin having some make-up fun tomorrow. The Ukiah Saturday market just keeps getting better.
For example, Robinson Creek Flower Farm returns to the market tomorrow, just in time for Mothers Day. Our new local crafts section is another place you might find the right thing to go with those flowers for mom. Also look for the return of perennial customer favorite Elk Creamery/Flowers by the Sea. They promise a selection of organic goat cheese to sample, plant starts and some new specialty nursery items.
Another place to shop for mom is the new “Friends of the Market” table at the entrance to market café under the pavilion. You can get mom (or anyone else) a gift subscription to the market. Subscribers can then visit the market table each week to get their gift “Green Bucks,” which are good for anything at the market. You can also make a donation to provide a subscription for a local family in need. A subscription to the market is a great way to help maintain a steady flow of income for our local farmers and also an excellent gift for any occasion.
This Saturday we welcome The Human Race as our neighbor at the market. It is the largest collaborative fundraising event in the county and brings with it an array of related booths and activities. Moreover, coming to see The Human Race provides an opportunity to find out about our local non-profits and meet the great people who support them. They will treat us to a demonstration by the students at Maldonado Karate Kenpo and lots of other fun.
This Saturday the market café will feature traditional Irish Music by Kristine Robin, Bob Laughton & friends. At 10:15 in the café section you can meet Mendocino County's new animal advocacy organization, CARE: Compassion for Animals, Respect for the Earth. At 11:00 CARE member Priscilla Yeh will demonstrate how to cook stir-fried noodles with fresh local vegetables. A sample tasting is included. CARE will also be selling vegan desserts such as cake and cheesecake by the slice. So, after the Human Race, you can come to the market café for dessert.
This is the first of many cooking demonstrations at this year’s market, all of which are sponsored by the Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op. Keep your eye on this column for information about additional cooking demonstrations with chefs from CARE, Patrona and the Ukiah Brewing Company.
Starting in mid-May, keep an eye out for the Farmers Market insert in your Ukiah utility bill. It features a coupon you will want to have with you when you come to the market café. There is so much going on at the market that I’m out of space for now. Look for more about why you should support your farmers market next time.
That Ukiah Saturday market is open from 8:30 AM to noon every Saturday and is located on School Street starting at Clay Street and in Alex Thomas Plaza. Parking is easy, but Mother would prefer that you walk.
If you have questions about the market or want to help with our events contact market manager Scott Cratty at 462-7377 or cratty@comcast.net
