At the Farmers Market

This is Mike Finger, a farmer vendor and the first president of the Bellingham Farmers Market (BFM), which opened in June 1993. 

I think of him as "my" farmer, because when we moved here in 2002, I started going to his market stall for wonderful organic vegetables and fruits, and have done so ever since. I buy from several other farmers at the BFM as well, but Mike is my "go-to guy." 

He and his family, and "a hardy band of young helpers," as his Cedarville Farm website says, have been hard at work since 1989, growing a wide range of organic crops and raising chickens for eggs and meat, and also a Thanksgiving turkey flock.

They've expanded their "reach" beyond just the Saturday farmers' market by offering a variety of "shares" in their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. Participants provide money up front, which enables Mike to purchase "early season necessities like seeds, materials, labor, and much more," as the Cedarville Farm website describes. More than 45 kinds of vegetables of myriad varieties grow there from mid-May to early winter.

There are a variety of ways for their customers use their CSA credit. I have a "Your Choice Market Share," as I like to pick out my favorite items at the Saturday market. Others opt for a "Grower's Choice Share," which provides them with a weekly box of fresh, delicious items from the farm, delivered to a convenient location for pick-up. Cedarville's "Workplace Share" brings folks' Growers' Choice Share right to them at work. If money is tight, customers can choose "Work Trade Shares," helping out with the farm work and getting their weekly box at a reduced rate.

I feel so fortunate to live in a city and county where local agriculture is valued and supported!

Mike asked me to take a photo today of his whole stall. I wish I'd had a 24mm lens to capture it all, but the extra photo will give you a good idea of the bounty he had at today's Bellingham Farmers Market!

Blip 2013