Friday is the last Phinney Farmer’s Market of the season. The market is open from 3-7 p.m. in the lower parking lot of the Phinney Center at Phinney Avenue and 67th St.

Since it’s the last one until next spring, you might want to stock up on items such as honey, jam, pickles, and frozen soup and pasta.

The Farmer’s Market (a PhinneyWood sponsor) features fruits, veggies, cider, bread, cheese, soup, meat, honey, jam, pickles, flowers, pasta and more. Go for dinner and eat at Veraci Pizza, Pan Africa or Patty Pan Grill, and top it off with dessert from Half Pint Ice Cream or Trevani Truffles.

Friday is the last Phinney Farmer’s Market (a PhinneyWood sponsor) of the season. The market is open from 3-7 p.m. in the lower parking lot of the Phinney Center at Phinney Avenue and 67th St.

As usual, you can pick up your fruits, veggies, cider, bread, cheese, soup, meat, honey, jam, pickles, flowers, pasta and more, plus eat at Veraci Pizza, Pan Africa or Patty Pan Grill, and top it off with Half Pint Ice Cream or Trevani Truffles.

To encourage people to shop at their local farmers market, the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance is passing out free “Fresh Bucks” at several local businesses during the next two weeks.

“Fresh Bucks” coupons worth $2 each will be distributed during the next two weeks at several Phinney/Greenwood neighborhood businesses, including Greenwood True Value Hardware, Makeda Coffee and Whole Life Yoga, among others (look for Fresh Bucks posters at participating businesses). These coupons can be spent at the Phinney Farmers Market just like cash, on any market Friday, to purchase fresh, healthy fruits, vegetables and other local farm and food items.

The Phinney Farmers Market was chosen to pilot the initiative, which is aimed at expanding sales to local farmers. You can redeem the Fresh Bucks at the Phinney Market next Friday, Sept. 25.

The Phinney Farmers Market is open 3-7 p.m. every Friday through Oct 2, in the lower parking lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Center at 67th and Phinney Ave N. The market features fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, plus local farmstead cheeses, meats, wild-caught seafood, and other locally-made foods (chocolates, bread, pizza, ice cream, tamales and quesadillas and more).

Despite overall growth in the number of farmers markets in the Puget Sound region over the past 10 years, our region’s farmers, and the local organizations that sponsor farmers markets, are struggling to sustain themselves in this economic climate.

Don’t forget tonight is the monthly Greenwood-Phinney Artwalk, with dozens of businesses all along Greenwood Avenue hosting artists from various mediums. It’s also your last chance to get an artfully decorated penguin from Penguins on the March at silent auction.

The Phinney Farmers Market (a PhinneyWood sponsor) opens at 3 p.m. today with the usual fresh produce, handmade cheese and chocolates, pizza, ice cream, honey, pastries, fresh cider, flowers, etc. It’s open until 7 p.m. in the lower parking lot at the Phinney Neighborhood Center.

While you’re at the PNA, take a look at the shiny clean roof of the brick building, thanks to these brave guys who were pressure washing today (thanks to Mike for the photo).

And at Wayward Coffeehouse, the Pacific Northwest Folklore Society Presents guitar and fiddle duo “The Forget Me Nots” from 8-10 p.m. No cover charge.

I’m sure there’s lots more happening in the neighborhood tonight. Put a note in comments if you know of other fun events.

The signs in the window and in front of the old Mud Bay building on the corner of 83rd and Greenwood announce that Kelly’s Fresh Produce is coming.

Workers are remodeling inside and out:

Their website says they aim to be an everyday farmer’s market, with a variety of organic and conventional produce, plus a full line of local dairy products that are free from hormones, plus other groceries and even floral.

I’ve got a message in to them to find out more details and when they hope to open, so stay tuned. And thanks to Abby and Tracy for the tips!

If you’re looking for something to do in the neighborhood tonight, stop by the Phinney Farmers Market (a PhinneyWood sponsor) in the lower parking lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Association from 3-7 p.m. Pick up your fresh fruits and veggies, homemade pasta, bread and cheese, have a dinner of Pan-African food or Veraci Pizza, and top it all off with a little ice cream and some fresh-cut flowers to brighten someone’s day. As always, the kids’ slides are the social center of the Market.

Then leave the kids with a babysitter and head over to the Greenwood Senior Center for Bingo Karaoke Night from 7-10 p.m. For just 10 bucks you get all the bingo and bad singing you can handle and the opportunity to win cash prizes. Snacks and adult beverages are for sale. All proceeds benefit the Senior Center’s programs.

And at Wayward Coffeehouse at 8570 Greenwood Ave. N., legendary local folk artist Jim Page performs from 8-10 p.m. with Joe Martin. No cover charge.

If you know of anything else fun happening in the neighborhood, please let us know in comments below.

It’s been an eventful week filled with fire and water here in Phinney-Greenwood, but earlier this evening, most of the activity was of a more mundane nature, with the exception of the proliferation of TV news trucks, including this one parked at Ken’s Market.

At the Phinney Farmers Market, Mayor Greg Nickels was out shopping for votes and taking time out to decorate a zucchini with his wife, Sharon, for the Zucchini 500 races.

Then there was the Art Up Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk. There was plenty to be seen and heard at SPACE Design Collective.

And at the Seattle Management Group, Rick Rogers was back for another showing with some new works, including these.

We’d have gone to the Greenwood Collective to see the Penguins on Parade auction for Woodland Park Zoo, but we just ran out of steam at that point. How was it? Let us know in comments.

Here’s what’s “Ripe ‘n’ Ready” at area farmers markets this week, including the Phinney Farmers Market on Friday:

New Vegetables: Tomatillos, Celery Root, Bitter Melon, Ground Cherries – a small, sweet tomatillo, Rutabagas

New Fruit: Wild Huckleberries

Wild Mushrooms: Chanterelles, Lobster

This info is from the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, which runs the Phinney Farmers Market (a PhinneyWood advertiser). Here’s a complete list of what you might find at your local market this weekend.

Phinney’s market runs from 3-7 p.m. every Friday through Oct. 2 in the Phinney Neighborood Center’s lower parking lot just east of the corner of 67th and Phinney Avenue North.

As we were walking to the Phinney Farmers Market tonight, we came across Tunji Alao creating beautiful baskets on the sidewalk across the street from the PNA.

Tunji owns Masai Imports on Broadway on Capitol Hill and also sets up outside each Seattle farmers market. He has a wide range of sizes and styles, including a handled one that’s perfect for holding fresh produce from the market – and we saw a number of people at the market with them.

Tunji told me he came here from Ghana 35 years ago and got his masters degree in broadcast journalism from the UW. When he couldn’t find a job, his family back home sent him a bunch of hand-woven baskets to sell. He sold out immediately and his new career was born. His family continues to send him baskets and he makes his own as well, sending money back home to his family.

Here are some of his bigger baskets.

The Phinney Farmers Market at the Phinney Center at 67th & Phinney Avenue runs from 3-7 p.m. every Friday. Dozens of vendors sell fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, chocolates, honey, spreadable toppings, jam, cider, cheese, pastries, seafood, meat, and food to order, such as pizza and Pan-African dishes.

New to the market this week are blueberries, apricots, raspberries, cherries and sweet bell peppers. For a list of what’s available at the market this week, check out the Ripe ‘n Ready Report.

Kids have access to the hillside slides to blow off a little steam. This Friday’s entertainment is Chet Corpt, who will play the African Kora (a 21-string harp-lute) from 4-6 p.m. Next Friday, July 10, KING FM will bring a number of classical instruments for its Instrument Petting Zoo; and on Friday, July 17, mandolin player Dara will perform.

The Phinney Farmers Market runs through Oct. 2. (The Phinney Farmers Market is a PhinneyWood advertiser.)

Nationally famous chef Poppy Tooker from New Orleans comes to the Phinney Farmers Market on Friday, June 19 at 4 p.m.

Poppy Tooker has been featured on numerous TV shows and documentaries, including Savoring the World and Simple Living, the History Channel’s Holiday Foods episode of “America Eats” and a “Throwdown” with Bobby Flay, where her famous seafood gumbo proved unbeatable on the popular Food Network show! Poppy will be cooking up a big pot of gumbo at Phinney, showing shoppers how to use our own seasonal farm ingredients to make a fantastic, richly-flavored stew (and yes, samples will be given out). This FREE event is not to be missed! Copies of Poppy’s new cookbook will also be available for purchase.

The Phinney Farmers Market takes place from 3-7 p.m. every Friday through Oct. 2 in the lower lot at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 67th and Phinney Ave N. The market is operated by the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance. For more info, see www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org.

Time to get your fresh fruit and veggies, flowers, jam, pickles, cheese, hand-made pasta, baked goods, pizza and a whole lot more as the Phinney Farmers Market opens the season Friday from 3-7 p.m. at the Phinney Neighborhood Center.

Live music from 4-6 p.m., a play area for the kids and sunshine – what a great way to spend a Friday evening and support your local farmers.

Phinney’s market runs every Friday through Oct. 2. They always have a whiteboard out front detailing what’s fresh that week, but you can also sign up for a weekly “Ripe and Ready Report” from the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance. Send an email to nfma@seattlefarmersmarkets.org to be added to the list.