Island Senior: Enjoying summer’s bounty at the farmers market

Contributed photo

The equinox has passed and Fourth of July week­end is upon us. For islanders this gen­er­al­ly marks the true start of sum­mer both weath­er wise and in terms of increased activ­i­ties and vis­i­tors. One sure sign that sum­mer is revving up is that our local farm­ers mar­ket is invig­o­rat­ed with plen­ty of fresh pro­duce among oth­er unique offerings.

Pro­vid­ing an out­let for local farm­ers since 1987, the mar­ket has grown to about 35 ven­dors includ­ing farm­ers, artists and crafters, food proces­sors, ser­vice providers, and local com­mu­ni­ty orga­ni­za­tions. Since 2011 the mar­ket has made its home at Brick­works in Fri­day Har­bor. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sat­ur­days, April through October.

While fresh local­ly grown pro­duce is a big draw, you will also find local­ly raised meats, flow­ers and herbs, jams, jel­lies, baked goods, goat cheese, and even local­ly pro­duced sea salt and arti­san craft­ed teas, plus fine arts and crafts. Chances are there will be musi­cians play­ing on the plaza and you are bound to run into just the per­son you want­ed to chat with.

While you can’t beat fresh local farm goods, for seniors on fixed incomes this can get expen­sive. It’s easy, and very worth while, to apply for the 2022 Senior Farm­ers Mar­ket Vouch­ers. Eli­gi­ble seniors can receive $80 in vouch­ers redeemable at the farm­ers mar­ket. You are eli­gi­ble if you meet the fol­low­ing criteria:

• 60 years old or old­er (55+ if Native American)
• A res­i­dent of Wash­ing­ton State
• An income below $25,142 annu­al­ly or $2,096 month­ly for one per­son; $33,874 annu­al­ly or $2,823 month­ly for two peo­ple; add $728 month­ly for each addi­tion­al person

Appli­ca­tions are avail­able for a lim­it­ed time. To apply, con­tact Deb­bie Haa­gensen at 360–370-7526 or debbieh@sanjuanco.com, or stop by the Mullis Cen­ter on Mon­day, Wednes­day, or Fri­day between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. No proof of income is need­ed. Your vouch­ers will be mailed to you.

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