Midtown Farmers’ Market is open

BY AIMEE MCADAMS

The Midtown Farmers’ Market is back for its eighth season. The Market’s location on East Lake Street and 22nd Avenue South is unique in that it is so accessible. There are several bus routes that stop nearby, the lightrail station is above the market, and it’s just off the Greenway bike trail. In fact, access is a big part of the market. “It’s about equity and local food access,” says Eric Gustafson, assistant director of the Corcoran Nei-ghborhood Organization (CNO). “The market provides access to locally grown food for many who cannot safely grow their own, primarily due to the arsenic contamination and related ongoing cleanup at residential properties in East Phillips and Corcoran.”

In addition to accepting Food Stamps (EBT), the market also accepts Visa and Mastercard. No other farmers’ market in Minnesota accepts credit cards yet because it’s very expensive and takes a lot of staff time. The market is working to encourage the City to shoulder some of this cost so that all the farmers’ markets in Minneapolis can accept credit cards, thereby increasing access to food. David Nicholson, the current market manager, says the City is interested in this, but there is no money to support it yet. “Most markets just don’t have the money to do this,” he says. “Everyone wants it but there are a lot of barriers and a lack of political will.”

“There is a very bountiful selection,” says Amy Behrens, assistant market manager. There are also artists, mostly from the surrounding neighborhoods.
These artists sell jewelry, aprons, pottery and candles to name a few, and
there will even be a hula hoop vendor this year! The market will have
apples, wild rice, bedding plants and prepared foods like honey, pickles,
roasted almonds, bread, eggs, and milk. There are also foods you can eat
right there at the market. Coffee, crepes, gelato, pizza, “and a couple
doing globally inspired street food,” says Behrens. In the past, Tuesdays
have been smaller market days, but this year the Tuesday market will also
incorporate food. Having food available changes the feeling of the market.
“People can come and eat and stay for awhile,” says Behrens. “They don’t
just come and shop and leave. It really has a neighborhood feel, a community-run feel. The market is big enough to have a wide selection, but small enough that you’ll see neighbors and people you know.”

In addition to food and art, the market also has a lot of special events:
cooking demonstrations, master gardeners answering your gardening questions,
story time for kids, music every week, and nonprofits have a chance to set
up booths and share information. This year they’ll also be doing a family
friendly kids tent once a month, which will give kids a chance to interact
with the market.

In the future, the market hopes to do even better with equitable food access. “We don’t necessarily want to grow in size,” says Behrens, “but to grow in diversity of vendors. We want the market to be a space for community and celebration. We want to support farmers, growers, local food and local artists. We want to play an integral role in our ‘foodshed’—the region where our food comes from. And we want to continue to make a space where everyone has access to fresh, local, healthy food.”

The Midtown Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., from May
till October; and Tuesdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., June till October. Find out
more about the market and its special events on its website:
http://midtownfarmersmarket.org/