One of the pleasures of living in West Seattle is that even those who cannot grow a vegetable or flower garden can still have homegrown produce and fresh cut flowers by visiting the West Seattle Farmers Market.

Since 1999, the West Seattle Junction Association has hosted the weekly event, offered this year on Sundays, from last Sunday to Dec. 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the corner of Alaska and California. With 33 participating vendors, a wide variety of products will be available, all offered with a personal, local touch, according to Cassie O'Neill, director of Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance.

"The Market has attracted thousands of visitors annually for a shopping event that features exclusively Washington State farmers and ranchers. Everything offered for sale has been grown by the people you are buying it from. Consumers want to feel a connection to their food, to ask the grower how it was grown, what chemicals were or were not used," O'Neill said.

Planned for the summer months are weekly special events including produce tasting, cooking demos, live music and pony rides for children, as well as gardening and composting information.

"We're excited to be featuring the Lee Stripling Trio on May 6, and The Canote Brothers on June 10," O'Neill said. "We offer a wide variety of live music, everything from swing to bluegrass. In the spring and summer, shoppers enjoy the superb music, great weather and the small town ambiance of West Seattle."

In addition to offering fresh produce and nursery stock, visiting farmers benefit West Seattle by supporting area merchants. Market vendors donate approximately 6,000 pounds of unsold produce to the West Seattle Food Bank annually.

"Local merchants do well with the farmers coming in with their families. The farmers do their shopping and eating here, and the Market shoppers visit the stores and restaurants as well. Some merchants stay open on Sundays just to attract Market visitors," said Michael Hoffman, owner of Liberty Bell Printing.

Guests enjoy the wide array of agricultural products that are represented by West Seattle growers and ranchers, including fruits and vegetables, nursery starts, flowers, free-range meat and dairy products. Mainstay products include dahlia bouquets grown and arranged by local Hmong farmers, artisan Camembert-style cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery of Port Townsend and fresh tomatoes from Pilchuck Gardens of Snohomish.

"Most of the vendors are regulars, but some change week to week. No two trips are ever the same," said shopper Linda Ryssdal. "I can always find plenty of organic food while I meet my neighbors."

For more information about the West Seattle Farmers Market, contact the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance at 547-2278.