Dayton’s family friendly farmers market offers culinary adventures plus local resources, free classes
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Wed, 07/19/2023 - 2:25am
With summer in full swing, the farmers market in Dayton is the place to be for local flavor on Thursday afternoons, 3 to 6 p.m.
The market offers a seasonal bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, local honey and jelly, and special items like chard from Dayton’s Solidarity Garden and garlic, rosemary, radishes and apricots from student school gardens.
During their July 20 special Third Thursday event, the Dayton High School Boosters will be selling pulled pork sandwiches, Dust Devil fries and other snacks and beverages. A free class on quick meal planning begins at 4 p.m.
Each Thursday market also includes a fresh made selection of culinary delights like jams, infused honeys, and raw honey from local Misbeehaven Farm.
In addition to other fresh produce, the market has grapes, canteloupes, Rainier cherries, and watermelons, a large selection of tomatoes including heirloom tomatoes, three types of peaches (including the candy-like donut or flat peaches), Walla Walla and purple onions, and lemon, pickling and Marketmore cucumbers.
The Dayton Farmers Market is funded by a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education grant (SNAP-ED) and organized by Healthy Communities Coalition’s Rural Health and Nutrition Initiative (RHNI) team. SNAP-ED goals include “assisting households in adopting healthy eating and active lifestyles that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the My Plate Food Guide.” The enthusiastic RHNI team is on hand each Thursday to explain various MyPlate standards, from shopping to food preservation and everything in between.
“The Dayton Farmers Market is a great place to come for fresh produce and to learn about where your food comes from,” said market manager Justin McIntosh. “The market is also a place where you can share ideas with farmers, producers, and neighbors about what to do with their food, like recipe sharing.”
Third Thursdays: McIntosh also noted that on the third Thursday of each month, the market hosts additional booths and activities. He explained that “for Third Thursdays, we have food tastings plus free monthly classes on being food frugal, from learning to coupon to learning about food storage. Not to mention the cooking! People really enjoyed the grilled chard at one of our recent tasting events.” Upcoming classes at the market include quick meal planning on July 20, how to prep for the next growing season (August 17), and how to preserve your harvest (September 21). All classes begin at 4pm.
Third Thursdays also include kids’ activities, in addition to various resource booths which vary monthly, such as Healthy Communities Coalition’s (HCC) prevention booth, River Wranglers, and Boys & Girls Clubs.
HCC’s Prevention booth serves another goal of the Dayton Farmers Market - strengthening community by providing information on mental health and behavioral health resources and alcohol, tobacco and other drug use prevention. The prevention team also offers details about Nevada Tobacco Quitline’s free support for anyone with a goal of quitting tobacco.
Helping youths learn skills on the job: Paid high school interns have been part of the market’s summer business model for most of the two decades that it’s been operating. This summer, Dayton High junior Aribella Payne and Dayton High senior Connor Callahan are among the interns with Healthy Communities’ Comstock Youth Works Program. They’re learning on the job at the market, earning a wage and gaining skills in customer service, cashiering, and confidence in making sales. Both say they’ve been “amazed by how much” they’re learning at the market.
The Dayton Farmers Market is part of the nonprofit Healthy Communities Coalition’s “healthy food hub.” The hub includes multiple strategies so that many groups and individuals can work together regionally to improve access to and demand for locally and sustainably-grown, nutritious and affordable food.
The market accepts cash, credit, WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons, Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers, and SNAP-EBT (with SNAP’s Double Up Food Bucks program, customers can save 50%).
Where and When: The Dayton Farmers Market is open on Thursdays through September 28, 2023 from 3pm-6pm at 60 Second Avenue and Highway 50 (next to Pizza Factory).
