SEATAC — When Riddhi Mehta-Neugebauer and her mother spotted bundles of amaranth leaves at a new SeaTac farmers market, they could hardly believe it.
“She and I were thinking about it and saying, ‘Oh, we must have a lot of these, this is really rare,’” said Mehta-Neugebauer, a SeaTac resident who primarily cooks South Asian cuisine. “I hope they continue to do this, it’s wonderful.”
That’s the plan. African Community Housing & Development launched the new monthly farmers market in SeaTac on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of their weekly farmers market in Delridge.
Sourcing food and produce from farmers, chefs, and entrepreneurs of color, the SeaTac Farmers Market will feature culturally relevant dishes and ingredients that local refugee and immigrant communities often cannot find at other nearby markets and grocery stores.
“Every time I bring culturally relevant food, they ask me, ‘Are you bringing more? Could you bring more? Could you bring this or that?’” says Beatrice Shimirimana, owner of Umoja N’Inguvu Farm, as she peels green garlic shoots.
Organizers said the new farmers market will serve as an important hub for food access and community building for racially diverse, low- and middle-income SeaTac residents, combating the stereotype that farmers markets are a place reserved for affluent white foodies.
Mehta-Neugebauer harvested her amaranth clusters from Heu’s Blooms and Greens, a Kent Valley farm owned by Nhia Moua that has been selling at the Delridge Farmers Market since 2021.
Moua said she enjoys growing common vegetables that do well in the Pacific Northwest climate as well as harder-to-find plants like lamb’s quarters and bitter melon.
Last year, she began growing and selling managu, or African nightshade (different from the poisonous varieties of nightshade), after her Auburn neighbor passed on some seeds from his family in Kenya. The crop has become an immediate hit with customers from East and West Africa at Delridge Market.
“I didn’t know African nightshade was an edible plant,” said Moua, who said she plans to bring her crop to SeaTac later in the season. “I didn’t know until I saw they were buying it and they were excited because you can’t find it in your regular retail stores.”
The market will return to the Matt Griffin YMCA the first Wednesday of every month from 3-7pm through November.
Officials with SeaTac-based African Community Housing & Development said the market not only serves one of the region’s most diverse communities, but also an area of intense need.
In the census tract where the market is located, nearly a quarter of the population lives in poverty, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. At least a third of the population lives more than a mile from the nearest grocery store or supermarket. Many visitors are residents of East Africa, Southeast Asia or Latin America who have few healthy, affordable food options nearby, officials said.
“Families from the community can just walk in, and just seeing that gap bridged is really meaningful,” said Zzaj Collins, director of fund development and communications. “You can load up the kids and just go out there and spend time together.”
At the farmers market, SNAP benefits are accepted, each child receives $5 to use at any food vendor, and people experiencing food insecurity can pick up a free bag of fresh produce.
Sadio Tohobo was among the visitors who, on opening day, picked up a free bag – filled with kale, blueberries, radishes, snow peas and more – and a whole halal chicken.
“I love it,” said Tohobo, a Des Moines resident, scanning the market as she stood near a beauty salon vendor selling henna.
Vendors participate in the market for free and can rent tents and tables for $10. The organization also buys back some of the produce and unsold goods at the end of the day to distribute later to the community.
Danitra Porter, owner of Queen Sugar Baking Company, was selling an assortment of pastries and baked goods Wednesday, some inspired by her Southern roots and her travels abroad growing up in a military family.
She started her small business during the pandemic, using stimulus check money and her personal savings to get it off the ground. The Delridge Farmers Market was one of the few markets that catered to small business owners and aspiring farmers, she said.
The market cultivates a strong sense of community — a place where vendors and buyers “can come to a market and feel welcome and not feel out of place,” Porter said.
“I’ve been to a lot of markets and that feeling of being one of the few people of color or black people in the market is just terrible. I’ve had to leave some markets because they weren’t welcoming, there wasn’t a sense of community,” Porter added.
Walking through the market with a stroller, Luis Marquez first stopped with his son just to take a look. He lives next to the YMCA.
Marquez, who regularly frequents the Burien Farmers Market, said he was excited to check out the new market and appreciated the diverse offerings, free produce and $5 for kids. He said he plans to return with the rest of his family next month.
“We eat so much food so fast,” Marquez said as his son sucked on hibiscus tea ice cream. “I’d rather have them eat berries and little vegetables than scavenge for foods high in carbs and sugar in the pantry.”
Aashay Savla, owner of Aash Farms and a regular vendor at the Delridge location, said he didn’t know how many people would come to the SeaTac market.
Noticing the diminishing supply of fruits and vegetables on his table after the first hour of the market’s opening, he said he was impressed by the crowds.
“I’m shocked to see so many people coming out. I feel very, very supported right now,” Savla said. “The support I’ve seen, people are overjoyed, they’re saying, ‘We’re so happy to see you here, I can’t believe it took this long.’”
Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks:
206-464-2246 Or ayoonhendricks@seattletimes.com; Reporter Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks covers race and equity issues for The Seattle Times.
