Port Townsend Farmers Market patrons who use EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards can get more cash back for fresh, locally grown veggies for the remainder of the season when they shop at the market.

“It’s a time when we really wanted to give our community the ability to stock up on local food,” said Jefferson County Farmers Markets director Amanda Milholland.

There are seven market days left; the last day is Dec. 16.

Milholland said it’s because of community sponsors and donations, along with a grant, that the market can offer this.

FOOD ASSISTANCE

The market accepts EBT cards all season. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) or Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers are accepted through October.

Card and voucher users who shop at the Port Townsend Saturday market can benefit from the market’s food assistance programs, which offer tokens to spend on more local produce. The market has two programs, the community-supported Gimme5, and Fresh Bucks, which is a USDA grant.

Through the remainder of the season, shoppers who have an EBT card can receive $5 more to spend on food.

As of Oct. 22, the market has had a total of $12,330 in EBT sales, $4,303 in Fresh Bucks and $6,184 in Gimme5 tokens, Milholland said.

These numbers are for EBT sales only, as the numbers for WIC and Senior FMNP vouchers have not been released.

“Between all the food assistance dollars and the matching funds, it will be over $30,000 that we anticipate our community will be bringing home in fresh vegetables and artisan foods,” she said.

The market also is tracking how many people are using food assistance dollars.

“Last year was the first year we had the ability to more accurately track how many people we were serving,” she said.

While the numbers haven’t come in this year, Milholland said that last year – between EBT sales and Farmers Market Nutrition Program (WIC and Senior) vouchers – the market served about 500 people.

“We would really love to see that number increase,” she said.

Milholland estimates there are about 4,400 people in Jefferson County who are on food assistance programs.

The goal with the matching programs, Milholland said, is to both support community access to local food for all people in the community while keeping money in the local economy and supporting the growth of small businesses. “We are truly grateful for community support of this win-win program,” Milholland said.

STOCK UP

While the market isn’t open through the winter, vendors are selling veggies that store well, like root vegetables – carrots, beets, potatoes, parsnips.

“All of those can potentially store for several months,” Milholland said.

She suggests storing root veggies in the bottom draw or crisper of a refrigerator in a perforated bag for some airflow (you can poke holes in the bag), or storing them in a cool, dry place such as a root cellar or basement.

Veggies can also be blanched and frozen, or canned.

“Even if you don’t do any of those methods, [root vegetables] can store for as long as a couple months,” Milholland said.

“It makes a huge difference when people have the access not just to food, but really nutritious food.”