Sunday, September 5th: Awarding Winning Market & Vendors! Of Firsts, Seconds, Thirds & Fourths!!!

A busy Ballard Farmers Market basks in golden smoky sunlight on August 1, 2010. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

According to the USDA, there are 6,132 farmers markets at present in the United States. And in the American Farmland Trust’s national 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Market Contest, your Ballard Farmers Market finished #4 in the large market category. Not too shabby. Thank you, good folk of the People’s Republic of Ballard, Seattle and Washington state for voting for Ballard. And to those who didn’t vote for Ballard out of fear it would draw even more people to Ballard Avenue every Sunday, you can rest assured that those crowds are headed to Rochester, NY now. And if you believe that, I have some condos in Belltown I’d like to sell you!

Anthony Estrella of Estrella Family Creamery holds three ribbons from 2010 Amercian Cheese Society competition. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of contests, the 2010 American Cheese Society Convention & Competition was held here in Seattle just last week, and three Washington cheese makers that sell right here at your Ballard Farmers Market won awards. Estrella Family Creamery, out of Montesano, won three ribbons, including First in Class (smoked Italian styles category) for their Weebles cheese, First in Class (sheep or mixed milks category) for their Caldwell Crick Chevrette, and a Second Place Award was given to their Jalapeño Buttery in the Flavored, Peppers category.

Roger Wechsler of Samish Bay Cheese. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Samish Bay Cheese, out of Bow, won four ribbons, including: First in Class for their Ladysmith cheese in Fresh Unripened Cow’s Milk Cheeses category; Second Place for their Aged Ladysmith in the Farmstead Cheeses up to 60 days category; Third Place fro their Ladysmith with Chives in Farmstead Cheeses with Flavoring category; and Third Place for their Yogurt Cheese (Labneh) in Cultured Products from Cow’s Milk category.

Cheese maker Matthew Day from Mt. Townsend Creamery in one of his four cheese caves in Port Townsend. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And Mt Townsend Creamery, from Port Townsend, won First in Class for their Seastack cheese in the Soft Ripened category. Congratulations to all the great cheese makers of Washington, who have so impressed the rest of the world over the last 5-10 years that they drew this major national cheese event to Seattle this year. And don’t forget that three more of those great Washington cheese makers — Golden Glen Creamery, Port Madison and Sea Breeze — also sell great cheese at your Ballard Farmers Market. Blessed are the cheese makers, indeed!

Fresh Frasier River Sockeye from Loki Fish. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

The boats of Loki Fish have returned to Washington waters from Alaska after a long summer fishing up north. Now, they are harvesting Frasier River sockeye salmon just south of the Canadian border, and you can get some of this amazing fish fresh today.

Wild lobster mushrooms from Foraged & Found Edibles. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Though we may be bemoaning the summer that never completely arrived this year, as we rapidly descend into fall, one thing we can celebrate is an early and vibrant fall wild mushroom season. Just look at these spectacular lobster mushrooms Foraged & Found Edibles has right now. And if you still don’t know why they are called lobster mushrooms after seeing this photo, you need to either adjust the color on your monitor, or you need to look up what a lobster looks like after it’s been steamed.

Cippolini onions from Oxbow Farm. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Cippolini onions are another of those wonderful heirloom Italian crops that so many farmers around here enjoy growing. Cippolini onions, like these from Oxbow Farm, are kinda squat in appearance, more disc-like than bulbous. They caramelize magnificently. Just imagine them on some crostini, or over a nice steak.

San Marzano tomatoes from Pipitone Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Another great Italian crop is San Marzano tomatoes, like these from Pipitone Farms. These are the tomatoes of Naples, growing in the rich volcanic soil of Mt. Vecuvius. They are prized for their rich, thick, meaty flesh that produces what many consider the finest tomato sauce on earth.

Colorful spices from Seattle Spice. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Looking for spices and rubs? Check out Seattle Spice. They offer a huge selection of spices, blends and rubs to accent the Market fresh goodness you’ll take home tonight. Stop by and just enjoy the aroma of the sample tins.

Caroline raspberries from Sidhu Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Sidhu has a fresh wave of raspberries coming on from their fields in Orting. Above are their big, juicy and tangy Caroline raspberries. They also have ever-bearing raspberries now. And they still have plenty of blueberries and blackberries, too.

Many beans from Growing Things. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Just look at all these beans from Growing Things Farm! Green beans. Dragon Tongue beans. Yellow wax beans. Purple beans. I’m thinking pickles. Or casseroles. Maybe sauteed with bacon and pearl onions. How about a nice stir fry with pork or shrimp. Or perhaps a bean salad. Ah, beans!

Ailsa Craig onions from Prana Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Ailsa Craig onions are not only one of my favorite onions to eat, they are also one of my favorites to say — Ailsa Craig! (Say it with your inner Scot.) These beautiful heirloom onions hail from Scotland originally. These are a sweet onion with a wonderful flavor, great sauteed, caramelized, roasted, grilled and raw. Prana Farms grows them for us here, along with many other heirloom crops.

Hot chilis in every color from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Alvarez Organic Farms grows more than 150 varieties of peppers, some of which are varieties they have developed themselves. Above is just a small sampling of the many hot chili peppers they grow, in all their colorful glory. Peppers vary widely in flavor and heat, so experiment with them to find which ones you like the best.

And there is much more waiting for you at your Ballard Farmers Market today. Just check the What’s Fresh Now! listings in the upper right-hand corner of this page for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now!

August 2nd: Familiar Faces, Great Food, Our Favorite Market!

Janelle Stokesberry holding a chicken and a dozen eggs from Stokesberry Sustainable Farms in Olympia. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Stokesberry Sustainable Farms is just one of the many farms represented at Ballard Farmers Market. Janelle Stokesberry, above, holds some of their eggs and chicken that you will find on the menus of many of Seattle’s best restaurants. It is local family farmers and food artisans like Janelle that make Ballard Farmers Market, and the products we find here, so special. It is my favorite farmers market. Is it yours? If so, vote for it now in American Farmland Trust’s America’s Favorite Farmers Market campaign. You have until August 8th to vote, so vote now, and spread the word. Click the link above. Then enter “Ballard” in the search field and click “vote”.

Hey Jose! Nice melons! (Alvarez grows many varieties of melons.) Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Here is Jose from Alvarez Organic Farms holding three different varieties of melons the farm grows. These smaller melons are referred to as “icebox melons,” and many of them are being tried and researched by Dr. Carol Miles of Washington State University.

Hey, by the way, Happy National Farmers Market Week! Yep, August 2-8, 2009 is National Farmers Market Week. Woohoo!

Behind every package of Pete's Perfect Toffee is, well, this guy. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Ballard Farmers Market offers many great products from many great personalities. Take Pete and his Pete’s Perfect Butter Toffee, for instance. If you are one of the few folks who has never tried his toffee, swing by his tent today, and he’ll give you a taste. Mind you, there is no turning back. You will have to buy some. You know, Pete’s is just one small cottage business that has been incubated by Ballard Farmers Market over the years. Many of our vendors have gone from startup to legendary with the Market’s help. Others include Tall Grass Bakery, Veraci Pizza and Anita’s Crepes.

Sam holding some of Zane & Zack's award winning hot sauces. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

One of our true rock star vendors is Sam from Zane & Zack’s World Famous Honey Company. Some people call their businesses “world famous,” though few have heard of them outside of their own neighborhoods. But Zane & Zack’s is, in fact, world famous, having won awards for their sauces and honeys far and wild. Above, Sam holds just three of their award winning products — winning top honors at the Scovie Awards and the Fiery Foods Festival. Another one of our award-winning vendors is Estrella Family Creamery, which has won awards at every major cheese competition on earth.

Gene Panida of Wilson Fish proudly showing of his "Bag-O-Fish." Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Wilson Fish brings to Market big personalities with its salmon and halibut. Why, you ask? Just for the halibut, but you already knew that if you have ever interacted with these guys. Ask them why it takes so long for them to smoke salmon. Ask them how fresh their fish is. Ask them just about anything. Then get ready for a great answer. Oh, and don’t forget to get your fish while you are there.

Communi-Tea Kombucha man, Chris Joyner, riding off from the Ballard Farmers Market with a bicycle trailer full of his display, and... is that a porta-potty? Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Of course, Ballard Farmers Market is full of industrious, eco-minded folks like Communi-Tea Kombucha’s Chris Joyner, who often comes to Market with his full display on his bicycle. But what I love about this photo is that it truly shows just how much he can fit in a small bicycle trailer. Is that a porta-potty? Well, that oughta shame those other vendors with their big trucks, eh?

Ramon Ayala of Ayala Farms in Outlook examined the blossoms on one of his cherry trees in April, 2009. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Ramon Ayala mostly grows asparagus. Lots of asparagus. He has 120 acres of it in Outlook, Washington in the Yakima Valley that he has been wholesaling. But this year, he decided to try his hand at farmers markets, and he started with us right here in Ballard. Above, he is inspecting the flowers on one of his cherry trees during my April visit to his farm.

That is just a small sampling of the many characters of the Ballard Farmers Market. How about you make your way down to the Market today to make the acquaintance of these folks yourself.

Estrella Family Creamery

Estrella's Guapier and Old Apple Tree Tomme (?) cheeses at the Market. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons

Estrella Family Creamery, from Montesano, Washington, not only makes some of the finest cheeses in our state, they make some of the finest in the world. Indeed, at the 2008 World Cheese Awards in Dublin, Ireland, Estrella won three gold medals and two silver. In fact, Estrella has won 14 national or international awards in just the past three years.

Anthony Estrella and crew serving the patient throngs of Estrella cheese fans at Ballard Farmers Market. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons

Kelli Estrella has been making cheese for the better part of 25 years, but it wasn’t until 2001 when she and her husband Anthony Estrella decided to leave the business world and take over an abandoned dairy farm in Grays Harbor County in Southwest Washington that she decided to make a career of it. There, Kelli makes the cheese while Anthony tends to the goats and the cows and the rest of the farm.

Kelli is like a mad scientist of cheese making of sorts. The Estrella website lists 18 different varieties of cheese, many more than most cheese makers make, though any of Kelli’s cheese-loving fans at Ballard Farmers Market will tell you she makes many more. She may have these other varieties in limited production or various forms of develop, not ready to declare them as having reached perfection. And a perfectionists she is, having told me she continues to experiment and put ideas through trials with the constant quest of developing the world’s best cheeses.

 

Estrella Black Creek Buttery. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons

While she may not be comfortable offering these test-cheeses to many cheese mongers and chefs who demand absolute consistency, Kelli revels in unleashing them upon the farmers market public, where she embraces her fans and friends alike with the knowledge that they are open to trying whatever she brings, happy to participate in the grand experiment while invariably thrilled to sample whatever the Estrellas have to offer. And Kelli gets immediate feedback from them, meaning market shoppers are helping her craft her increasingly world renowned cheeses.