I have good news this morning. I have been in contact with the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association about initiating a market at the 1800 block of Waller St. (closed area west of Stanyan). I am sending their proposal to Rec & Park, to work through the details of use of the site. You may recall that a couple of years ago, Cheryl Brodie led HAIA's support of legislation from the Board of Supervisors to authorize use of park land for a local farmers' market. Now, with a proposal in hand, we are hopefully not too far away from actually seeing this come together as a real, live market, on Sunday mornings from 9 to 1.

By working with the PCFMA, they provide all of the management and administration of the market, its setup and cleanup. Importantly, they also provide insurance for the weekly event. The content of the market, as proposed, is at least 60% fresh, locally grown produce, and as much as 40% artisanal local products, such as breads, cheese, fish, flowers and such. In this arrangement, HAIA will be the local sponsoring organization. As you will see in the story about a similar market in Seattle, the local traffic to the market also benefits area merchants, as well as promotes healthier eating and other positive impacts.

Here is a link to the story about a Seattle market, discussing their experiences with starting and supporting a local marketplace:
http://www.neighborhoodlife.net/features/index.php?id=56

Please post your entries, your questions, your suggestions. That way, everyone can see what you are thinking, and thus it becomes a great way to develop our dialog and consensus about having a local farmers' market.