Thursday, October 10, 2013

Fishline Celebrates October's Community Partner: Poulsbo Farmers Market


Everyone enjoys the hustle and bustle of a good farmer's market.  The people, the vendors, the ready to eat food on site are just a few of the things that make the Poulsbo Farmers Market so special.  The food is fresh, local, and sustainably grown and "the Poulsbo Farmers Market is without a doubt home to some of the best food in Kitsap County." 

For years the vendors at the farmer's market have donated fresh fruits and vegetables to Fishline.  This past summer alone, the food bank received 4,473 lbs of food.  These donations are distributed in our front market and our much appreciated by our clients.  In some cases, these are the healthiest foods that they have access to. 

Monday mornings offer a wonderful array of fresh and vegetables during the summer thanks, in part, to the efforts made by two Fishline volunteers, Tricia and James Beene.  They visit the Market twice on Saturdays, at the start to set up a Fishline donation table and at the end, to pick up the donated produce from each participating vendor.  They return to the food bank to package and label all donations, readying them for the Monday morning client visits.  They do this hard work each Saturday because of their personal belief that all should have access to farm-fresh, organic produce even if they can't always afford it. 
 

This past weekend, on October 6th, Poulsbo Farmer's Market took their relationship with North Kitsap Fishline a step further, and included the food bank in their annual Harvest Dinner Fundraiser, committing half of the funds raised to our mission to serve those in need in North Kitsap. "We believe that working together with Fishline strengthens our community and helps those that our organizations serve.  By coming together, our organizations will provide an example to there that the community benefits from various parts working together," says Paul Strid, President of Poulsbo Farmers Market. 
 The three course dinner was hosted at Mor Mor Bistro and included dishes prepared with care by their chefs Stephen Moreton and John Michael Nesby, who is also the owner.  The dishes included an Agrodolce Harvest Salad, made with local field lettuce and goat cheese from The Hansville Creamery (who donated the cheese for the Harvest Dinner); an Earth and Ocean combo with local salmon and beef, and a delicious corn, pork, onion, potato and sweet pepper succotash; and finally an Apple Crumb Cake from Borrowed Kitchen Bakery with Viking Feast Salted Caramel Ice Cream. 


During the evening, Mor Mor's owner, John, moderated an auction, also benefiting the two organizations.  The items for bid/purchase included the original print of this year's Poulsbo Farmers Market commemorative poster. 

Thank you to Poulsbo Farmer's Market for your commitment to the North Kitsap community and to Fishline.  A special thanks to Brian Simmons, the Market Manager, Kat Cummings, the Market Assistant, Board President Paula Strid, and all the board members.  We appreciate all that you do! 

The Poulsbo Farmers Market is open every Saturday until December 21st, from 9am to 1pm and is located at the Poulsbo Village Medical Center on the corner of 7th and Iverson.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

You're Invited to the Poulsbo Farmer's Market Harvest Dinner!

On Sunday, October 6th at 5 pm, the Poulsbo Farmer’s Market will have its annual Harvest Dinner at MorMor in Poulsbo. This is a beautiful, fresh 3-course dinner made with local ingredients and prepared by Chef John Nesby of MorMor. There will also be a silent and live auction with some delightful offerings. We’re looking forward to this annual celebration!

This year, the Farmer’s Market has decided to split its proceeds with Fishline, an extraordinary gesture and a real help to us. If you are interested in attending, the tickets are $75 and can be purchased through Fishline. Please email me at director@nkfishline.org if you want us to reserve a spot for you or friends and family.