Fresh Mex

A new Mexican retail and wholesale grocery store, MERCADO DEL PUEBLO, will make its debut in mid-December with piñatas dangling from the ceiling and fresh tamales on the shelf.

The store’s owner, Fred Meyer (no relation to the chain of mega-stores), promises fresh produce and south-of-the-border goodies like chilies, spices and bulk piñata candy. Mexican breads, pastries cakes, desserts will come out of the shop’s “authentic, baked-from-scratch” bakery, says Meyer. They’ll also take orders for weddings and quinceañeras (coming-of-age celebrations for young Mexican women).

“Spokane has a very small, but growing, Mexican population,” says Meyer. “You see multiple stores down in Central Washington and when you come to Spokane, to be honest, you see two stores” – not to mention, he notes, a lack of products from Central and South America.

Belonging to a food-loving family of Mexican in-laws and 30 years of experience in the baking industry inspired Meyer to fill that niche.

Meyer is most excited about offering tamales and his wife’s salsa, which are already a hit among family and friends.

If “December 14th at the latest” is too long a wait for your share of the tamales, Meyer hinted that they’re already making them to order with a variety of fillings. We’re just saying… in case you’re brainstorming easy ways to feed holiday guests. — ERIKA PRINS

Mercado del Pueblo, 1814 N. Division, opens mid-December, Mon-Sat 7 am-6 pm, Sun 12 pm-5 pm. Call 327-2856 or e-mail pueblospokane@msn.com.

Winter fresh

Summer squash, cucumbers, peppers and peaches still stock farmers’ market stands, but many area farmers markets — including the Spokane Farmers Market downtown and the South Perry Market — will fold up their tents for the season by the end of October.

But for the next four weeks, says Fresh Abundance owner Eden Brightspirit Hendrix, “we’re in the biggest bounty of our entire year.”

Another few weeks of juicy peaches is still just another few weeks, though. And then what? What do people even eat after the parking lots that bustled with produce shoppers and acoustic guitar all summer are buried in white?

Here’s what: more fresh seasonal produce. Spokane’s clamor for year-round fresh deliciousness has been heard by the produce gods, and they have granted us an unprecedented number of winter farmers markets held indoors.

The Community Building farmers market, which began informally a few years ago with just one vendor — Arabesque Farms & Bakery — now takes over as the downtown source for a weekly “fresh” fix when Spokane Farmers Market closes in mid-October.

Fresh Abundance’s Community Roots Market will continue at least through the end of the year, says Hendrix, offering root crops like carrots and potatoes, winter squash and “heartier greens” like cabbage.

Millwood Farmers Market began staying open for winter last year at the request of vendors, who were scrambling to figure out how to continue delivering their fresh meats, produce and bread to regular customers after the market closed, says Susie David’s Cattle Company owner Dave McCullough.

And Local Marketplace & Gallery owner Michael Peterson is making preparations for their market’s first winter in the arts-and-crafts shop as we speak. “In fact.” he says, “I’m just building shelving in one of the rooms to set up for the farmers market moving in there.” — ERIKA PRINS

• The Community Building Market is open Thursdays from 11 am-3 pm at 35 W. Main Ave.
• The Millwood Winter Market begins Wednesday, Oct. 7, from noon-5 pm at the Crossover, 8919 E. Euclid Ave.
• Community Roots Market is on Sundays from 11 am-4 pm at Fresh Abundance, 2015 N. Division.
• The Local Marketplace & Gallery Market is on Fridays from 2-7 pm at 122 N. Argonne Rd.