Baseball, soccer, football, lacrosse, volleyball--the community of Maple Valley
is bursting with sports teams for every age and interest. Given the health benefits
of both exercise and healthy eating, the Maple Valley Farmers’ Market will celebrate
local youth sports participation by presenting a surprise treat to those youth who
wear their sports uniform to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, September 3. Uniform-wearing
youth should go to the Information Booth to pick up their gift.
To support the healthy eating component of the Market, visitors will want to visit
their favorite of the farmers’ booths, offering fresh, ripe late-summer harvest
bounty; bright flower arrangements; cheeses; eggs; milk; organic meat; and more,
but they may especially want to check out the newest vendors. A Taste of Eden offers
northwest premier specialty olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars and blends—perfect
to pair with fresh greens and salad-makings from the Market.
In addition, the prepared food booths are always popular, and the newest booth will
make you think that you’ve just washed up on the Hawaiian Islands or in the Philippines.
Island Bites is owned by Maple Valley’s own Marites Descargar, who grew up cooking
Filipino foods and then married a Hawaiian, adding even more island recipes to her
culinary repertoire. A first-time entrepreneur, Descargar offers meat/veggie and
banana lumpia, an item similar to spring rolls, and popular in Indonesia and the
Philippines. Additionally, she offers ensaymada, a sweet bread served with whipped
butter and sugar; marinated chicken skewers; a plate lunch including rice, macaroni
salad, and Kalua pork, slow-cooked for 10 hours with Hawaiian rock salt and liquid
smoke; and pansit, a Philipino noodle dish with shredded pork or chicken, served
with one lumpia. Her foods will make you smell a tropical breeze!
In the non-food category, Michelle Young of Black Diamond will join the Market vendors
with her U Rockit! Hair Trends booth. Young’s feather hair extensions and hair tinsel
extensions will add a glamorous note to even the most chlorine-laden or summer-dry
hair.
Non-profit groups participating in the Saturday Market include Ankie Stroes of Maple
Valley/Enumclaw Master Gardeners, who will help to solve visitors’ plant and garden
puzzles; Cedar Grove Composting, one of the Market’s corporate sponsors, who will
provide advice and answer questions such as, “Can I put my Starbucks cup in my compost?”;
and St. George Episcopal Church, with information about their programs and church
services.
Market day would be incomplete without music, and this week’s group is Down the
Road, a trio of bluegrass and American Roots music veterans from the Snoqualmie
Valley area that includes husband/wife duo Cathi and Gary Davidson on guitars and
vocals, and John Tubbs on mandolin and vocals. According to their website, “the
trio blends signature duet and trio harmony singing, a little yodeling, and clean,
tasteful guitar-mandolin interplay to add a fresh, honest, straight-ahead voice
to the world of old-time country, bluegrass, and folk music. More information and
music can be found at http://www.downtheroadband.com/PAGE_4_SCHEDULE.htm
With only four weeks remaining in the Market season after this Saturday, Maple Valleyites
should make certain that their Labor Day Saturday includes a trip to the MVFM. It’s
the Saturday morning place to be from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. each Saturday through
October 1 at Rock Creek Elementary School.
