PORT ANGELES — Sweeten your Saturday during the annual Port Angeles Farmers Market Strawberry Shortcake Fundraiser, which kicks off the summer market season this week and again June 4.
The farmers market is at The Gateway pavilion at the northwest corner of the intersection at North Lincoln and East Front streets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday year-round and Wednesdays during summer months from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For two upcoming Saturdays, the market will offer strawberry shortcake for $6.50 per serving.
The strawberries are locally grown. The shortcake is made by Port Townsend artisan bakery Pane d’Amore. Each serving is topped with fresh whipped cream.
Entry to the market is free.
“We expect to be really busy over Memorial Day weekend with the Juan de Fuca Festival going on,” said Cynthia Warne, Port Angeles Farmers Market manager.
“Don’t wait until the afternoon to indulge,” she said.
“Strawberry shortcake is great any time of day, and you never know when supplies might run out.”
Warne said strawberries are ripening early this year, providing a bumper crop of berries.
Market operations
Net proceeds from the fundraiser will go to support market operations, Warne said.
“People often ask me why we need to do these fundraisers,” she said.
“They don’t realize that we have bills like any other business.”
The market must pay for insurance, organization memberships, rental fees, printing, postage and payroll for the market staff, Warne said.
“Unfortunately, all these expenses aren’t covered by the fees vendors pay to set up each week,” she said.
“We run on a very lean budget.”
Annual tradition
“We’ve been doing this fundraiser for several years now, but we thought it would be nice to use it as our official summer season opener,” Warne said.
“In the past, we haven’t really had an official season kickoff like markets that are only open during the summer months.”
The Port Angeles Farmers Market is one of the few to stay open year-round, Warne said.
“Our market is rather unique for Washington state because we are able to keep our market open through the winter,” she said.
“There are only six other markets in Washington that stay open all year. We are pretty proud to have farmers that have mastered growing food on the [North Olympic] Peninsula in the winter.”
Mild winters
While this farmers market has always been open year-round, “there have been years when the only fresh local produce that was available were mostly root crops such as carrots, potatoes, beets, parsnips and rutabagas,” Warne said.
However, the past couple of winters have been so mild that farmers were able to continue growing lettuce and other salad greens, which can be in high demand in the winter months, Warne said.
The milder winters have also made shopping at the market easier and more convenient for people who like to use the venue to meet friends and visit while enjoying coffee and pastries or other prepared foods, she said.
Since the 1980s
The Port Angeles Farmers Market has been in existence, in various incarnations, since the early 1980s.
During that time, the market has been in several locations around Port Angeles, moving in the summer of 2009 to its current location.
Besides offering locally grown produce, the market also offers locally grown meats, fish, grains, artisan breads, pastries, pickles, jams, honey and various types of hot prepared foods.
It also houses a number of vendors who sell hand-crafted jewelry, knitted and woven clothing, and skin care products including soaps and lotions.
For more information, visit www.farmersmarketportangeles.com/market.
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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
