Rachael Reiton, who owns Telegraph Farm with Leah AdangFry, holds a three-day old goat at her farm. Telegraph farm has been involved with the Toledo Farmers Market for since it's first official season, offering eggs, goat's milk soap and herbs and vegetables.
Telegraph farm owners Leah AdangFry (left) and Rachael Reiton (right) greet some of their goats on their farm land between Toledo and Winlock. The duo say being part of the Toledo Farmers Market has allowed them to grow their farm and get to know their customers.
A mother goat at Telegraph Farm between Winlock and Toledo nuzzles with her three-day-old kid. Goat's milk soaps are one of the offerings Telegraph Farm will have at the Toledo Thursday Market, which opens for a special spring market May 9 and then for its regular season June 6.
Carol Berch, owner of River House Bake Shop in Toledo, tests a loaf of chocolate chip bread. After deciding to start her bakery business last year, Berch became a part of the Toledo Thursday Market vendors and supporters.
Rachel Reiton, who owns Telegraph Farm with Leah AdangFry, greets Fleur the goat on a recent afternoon. Goat's milk soap is one of the items Telegraph Farm will be offering at the Toledo Thursday Market, which opens for a special spring market May 9 and then for its regular season on June 6.
When it was time to retire after 30 years working in Silicon Valley, Carol Berch created a critical function spreadsheet to help her and her husband look for the perfect place to live.
It led them to Toledo.
“We liked Toledo. We just thought there was a lot going on for it,” she said.
In Berch’s eyes, one of the indications she was right about her new hometown is the ever-growing Toledo Thursday Market, which officially opens its third regular season starting June 6. Berch started her River House Bake Shop just one year ago after about 10 years of thinking about it. She was partially motivated by encouragement she received from friends and neighbors after winning the Toledo Cheese Days cheesecake contest. The very first place she sold any of her treats was at the Toledo Thursday Market, not just because it was the market in her town but because she said she wanted to get involved in good things she saw the market bringing to Toledo.
“I think if you’re living in a small town you’d better get involved or you’re just taking up space,” Berch said.
Toledo Thursday Market is one of several markets in Southwest Washington that will officially open their market seasons in the coming weeks. The first to open this year will be the Historic Lewis County Farmers Market (Centralia Farmers Market) and Randle Farmers Market, which both open May 3, followed by Tenino, which opens May 4. The Pe Ell Farmers Market will also officially open May 11 and the Morton Farmers Market opens May 25. Toledo Thursday Market and the Community Farmers Market (celebrating its 15th season in Chehalis) both host special spring markets this year (May 7 for Chehalis and May 9 for Toledo) then officially start their market seasons the beginning of June. Also starting the first week of June will be Packwood and Winlock. No matter how long they have been around or when their seasons begins, each farmers market shares the common trait of creating community, Berch said.
“I see a good farmers market as a gathering place,” Berch said. “It’s a ‘put your screen down and come to the market and get something to eat and sit down and talk to the people who grew it so you know where what you are eating came from.’”
Viewing itself through the lens of a driver of community growth, one of the hallmarks of the Toledo Thursday Market has been an effort to keep vendor fees low and to fundraise so the market does not have to ask vendors to pay a percentage of sales. That can be helpful for farmers who are just starting to venture into selling to the public, noted Toledo Thursday Market vendors Rachael Reiton and Leah AdangFry, owners of Telegraph Farm between Winlock and Toledo. Though Reiton and her husband have lived on and farmed their land since 2010, she and AdangFry started their business venture just three years ago. They immediately jumped into the Toledo Thursday Market, participating for some of its inaugural season then full-time last season, with plans to be there again this coming season.
“Toledo was close for us so there was a lot less pressure for us and it allowed us to feel our way around what people wanted,” Reiton said.
Telegraph Farm offers numerous farmed and foraged items at the Toledo Thursday Market including: eggs; goat’s milk soap; culinary and medicinal herbs; flower bouquets; and fresh fruits and vegetables when available and not in direct competition with other farmers at the market. Selling directly to consumers at the market has given them a safe space to grow their business and be able to hear directly from shoppers what works and what doesn’t, AdangFry said.
“It’s creating community and growing community and supporting community,” she said. “You meet and talk to nearby farmers and the people who come to shop and I think it really creates a nexus for the community.”
The Toledo Thursday Market joined the Washington Farmers Market Association this year, which means it has enough local fresh produce vendors participating to qualify for a membership. For Berch, one of the most exciting additions this year is the market joining the Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Electronic Benefits (EBT) and senior nutrition assistance program. The market is currently running a fundraising campaign that, if fully funded, will allow the market to match dollar for dollar WIC, EBT and senior nutrition benefits spent at the market.
“Just because you don’t have a ton of money doesn’t mean you should have to eat crap vegetables,” Berch said.
Area Farmers Markets
Centralia Farmer’s Market – 11 a.m. Fridays starting May 3 in the Vanity Fair parking lot at Centralia Outlets, 109 West High Street. Season will continue through September but could be extended into October if weather and produce availability cooperates.
Info: centraliafarmersmarket.org
Community Farmers Market of Chehalis – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays June through October. Special Spring Sale 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 7. All market dates located on NE Boistfort Street in downtown Chehalis. Info: www.chehalisfarmersmarket.com.
Morton Farmers Market – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays May 25-Sept. 28 (no market during Logger’s Jubilee) at Gust Backstrom Park. Info: www.facebook.com/mortonfarmersmarket
Packwood Farmers Market – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays June 8 through September on the front lawn of Mountain Goat Coffee, 105 Main Street E., Packwood. Info: www.facebook.com/PackwoodFarmersMarket/
Pe Ell Farmers Market – 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays May 11 to Oct. 5 at the intersection of Highway 6 (Main Street) and 7th Avenue in Pe Ell. Info: call Rebecca Ambrose at (360) 304-9348.
Randle Farmers Market – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the first weekend of May through the last weekend of October at 109-B Hampton Road, Randle. Info: www.facebook.com/RandleFarmersMarket/
Tenino Farmers Market – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays May through September on Olympia Street in downtown Tenino. Info: www.teninofarmersmarket.org or www.facebook.com/TeninoFarmersMarket
Toledo Thursday Market – 3-7 p.m. June through September. Special Spring Market 3-7 p.m. May 9. All market dates located at the waterfront, 100 Front Street, Toledo.
Info: toledothursdaymarket.com.
Winlock Saturday Market – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays June through September on Highway 505 (Walnut Street) across from Cedar Village IGA.
Info: www.facebook.com/WinlockSaturdayMarket
