Sunday, April 21st: Happy Earth Day Tomorrow! Let’s See What Lessons We Can Learn From Our Vendors About Respecting Mother Earth!

Oysters on the half-shell, on the beach at Hama Hama Oyster Company. Photo courtesy Hama Hama Oyster Company.

Happy Earth Day! Most of us have a sense about your Ballard Farmers Market helping us tread a little lighter on our Mother Earth, but today, let’s take a look at many of the ways the Market’s vendors teach us about living more in harmony with our environment. Take oysters from Hama Hama Oyster Company, for instance. Oyster farming in our local waters requires clean water, and as such, this industry actually encourages us to keep Puget Sound cleaner. But did you know that our environmental sins from years ago, and seemingly unrelated to water pollution, are actually threatening our beloved bivalves today? You see, all that carbon we are pumping into the atmosphere from our coal power plants, our cars and our furnaces has to come down somewhere, and a lot of it is being absorbed into our oceans, where is settles to the bottom in an acidic soup. Now, the North Pacific currents are pushing all that acidic water right up into Puget Sound and Hood Canal, where it is beginning to dissolve oyster larvae and other shelled species before they can even get settled in the mud. It is called Ocean Acidification, and we all need to learn about it, change our habits — drive less, get more efficient cars, switch to electric heat pumps, etc. — and we need to Stop The Coal Trains from shipping more coal to China, where it will just make matters worse. If it isn’t good to burn here, we shouldn’t be giving it to them to burn there!

Terry Meyer of Stoney Plains Organic Farm stands alongside garden starts. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Plant a garden with local, organic veggie starts from Stoney Plains Organic Farm. Sure, we want you to visit us every Sunday all summer long for the best fresh, local produce anywhere, but if you are planning to plant your own garden, get your veggies starts here, too. That way, you’ll know how they were raised, and using what kind of seed. And the more food we can grow right here in Puget Sound, the less we have to import from other parts of the country and world!

Nash’s cover crop seed blend returns nutrients to your garden’s soil naturally, without the need for harsh chemical fertilzers. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Skip the nitrogen chemicals in synthetic fertilizers, and enrich your soil naturally with nitrogen-fixing cover crops. Nash’s Organic Produce offers a nice cover crop seed mix that you can toss about your garden to help draw the nitrogen your veggies will need right out of the air and ground. Then, when you turn it into the soil before your planting, it will breakdown, leaving all those nutrients right there in your garden to feed all your plants!

Pink Beauty radishes from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

One Leaf Farm will have these lovely Pink Beauty radishes today, as well as Tom Thumb & Little Gem lettuce, at your Ballard Farmers Market. Did you know that One Leaf is only in its third year of operations? Yup. We are adding farms to King County — they are located in Carnation, for instance — and that means less need to import. During the WTO protests in Seattle back in 1999, visiting farmers from around the world taught me that the best thing we can do to help them in their countries is to buy local food here. That’s because when we buy imported produce, we are supporting a system of corporate agribusiness that takes over local farmland in other countries to grow large amounts of mono-cropped foods for the U.S. market. In the process, they force the local farmers, who are growing culturally relevant and organic foods for their local communities off of their land, resulting in lost crop diversity and food insecurity in regions of the world with very fertile farmland. So, Think Globally. Eat Locally!

Wild morel mushrooms from Foraged & Found Edibles. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Eat wild foods! Before European settlers came to Puget Sound, local Indian tribes practiced a form of agriculture that would be almost invisible to us today. They managed the native, wild edible plant and animal species on a grand scale, so that come berry season, mushroom seasons or time for a clam bake, they knew right where to find dinner. In that spirit, folks like Foraged & Found Edibles today try to protect their harvesting grounds, as their livelihoods also depend on them. So enjoy some wild morel mushrooms, stinging nettles or fern fiddleheads this week from your Ballard Farmers Market, and get back in touch with your wild side!

Andrew Your Knife Sharpening Guy. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Keep your knives and tools sharpened and healthy, so they last longer, all while supporting an ancient artisan trade that does not required electricity! Your Knife Sharpening Guy will put a fresh edge on your kitchen knives, garden sheers, shovels and even your reel lawnmowers, all with a zero carbon footprint. There is no need for you to buy new stuff. Your old stuff can be made new again!

Ikura from Loki Fish. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Support your local fishery! Washington does a very good job managing its commercial fisheries. So you know, when it’s caught in Washington waters, it is done so sustainably. Loki Fish catches Keta salmon, from which comes this Ikura, right here in Puget Sound. And this summer, they will also catch Pink Salmon here, too. Wilson Fish catches King Salmon along the Washington Coast. Your support of these local fishing vessels at your Ballard Farmers Market ensures their ability to keep catching the best fish around, and keep family traditions — and wages — alive, as well!

Wines from Lopez Island Vineyards & Winery. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Support Puget Sound Appellation wineries, like Lopez Island Vineyards & Winery. Most folks think all the wine grapes in Washington grow east of the Cascades, but the truth is that there is a robust grape-growing region right here in Puget Sound! Lopez produces three certified-organic estate wines from their island-grown grapes, including Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe and Wave Crest White. These wines win many awards, and we are lucky to have them right here at your Ballard Farmers Market!

Fresh kombucha from CommuniTea. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Cleanse your body, rejuvenate your soul, and reuse your bottle! Communi-Tea Kombucha let’s you do all three! This fermented tea beverage will give you a boost of energy, cure what ails you, and when you are ready for your next bottle, they will even take your old bottle back, wash it, and reuse it! Unfamiliar with kombucha? Try one of these handle 250 ml. bottles. This is the finest, freshest kombucha you will find anywhere!

Sunshine rings from Itali Lambertini. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Reuse your gold… or someone else’s, at least. That’s what Port Townsend jeweler Itali Lambertini does. Gold mining around the world is very toxic and destructive, and many of us are familiar with the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, that threatens to destroy the largest wild salmon spawning grounds left on earth — home to more than half of the planet’s remaining wild salmon. And yet, there is plenty of gold already in circulation, mined decades and even centuries ago. So why go to some generic jewelry store in a mall to get a ring made of virgin gold that is the same as a thousand other rings, when you can get a unique ring, made with recycled gold, made by a local artist, right here at your Ballard Farmers Market? I mean, it’s not just the thought that counts. The materials and craftsmanship count, too!

Pea vines from Oxbow Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Oxbow Farm & Education Center is another King County farm, and besides bringing us amazing local veggies, like these pea vines, in season now, they also operate an educational program that teaches children and adults alike all about organic farming and its benefits, right in Duvall! Of course, supporting them also means you are keeping your dollars recirculating in our local economy, thus creating local, living-wage jobs, instead of exporting your dollars to another state or country. Your support of local jobs means that local farmers are able to support you right back, as they, too, support local businesses. You see, a rising tide floats all boats. We all succeed together… or the alternative.

Kale, zucchini & collard chips from House of the Sun. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Eat lower on the food chain! House of the Sun produces delicious, nutritious raw and vegan foods, like these awesome kale chips! They get their ingredients from Market farmers. They have a smaller carbon footprint, because they aren’t heating things to cook them. Not cooking foods preserves many nutrients that can be destroyed by cooking them. And you can get your savory and sweet snack on without having to go to the Big Box store to buys some over-packaged “food” made who knows where with who knows what!

Golden Harvest Bee Ranch. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Eat local honey! Local honey, like from our own Golden Harvest Bee Ranch, supports to protection of local bees, which do a lot of the heavy lifting around here, pollinating most of the crops we know and love here at your Ballard Farmers Market. But did you know that the bees themselves are in trouble? And if they are in trouble, we are in trouble. There’s a thing called Colony Collapse Disorder that has devastated honey bee populations far and wide. So remember, while supporting your local bee can help you will allergies and sweeten your tea, you should also learn more about CCD and what you can do to stop it.

Pumpkin bread from d:floured gluten-free bakery. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Eat gluten-free! More and more Americans are finding they have gluten sensitivity. But that is no longer a life-sentence of really crappy baked goods. Not at your Ballard Farmers Market, at least. That’s because we have d:floured gluten-free bakery, makers of all manner of sweet and savory gluten-free deliciousness that does not skimp on flavor in its pursuit of gluten-free goodies. Take this pumpkin bread, for instance. I beseech thee to find another pumpkin bread around that is better than this! Quite simply, whether or not you are avoiding gluten, you will love everything on d:floured’s tables.

Julianna from Ascents Candles. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Detox your home! Ascents Candles makes their candles with natural oils, not petroleum products, which means you are not filling your home with toxic fumes when you burn them. Plus, they are scented with various natural essential oils that will help set the mood, whatever mood you are aiming for. And if you’re eating dinner and want no scent at all from your candles, they’ve got them, too. Because after all, Earth Day ultimately starts at home!

One more way to celebrate Earth Day every Sunday is to remember bring your own bags every Sunday, as Seattle’s single-use plastic bag ban is now in effect. Also, please take note of our new green composting and blue recycling waste receptacles throughout your Ballard Farmers Market, and please make an effort to use them correctly. Each container has what’s okay to put in it pictured right on the lid. Please do not put the wrong materials in, because that drives up the cost of recycling and composting, and it can result in the entire container being sent instead to a landfill. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

There is plenty more local deliciousness waiting for you today at your Ballard Farmers Market. Just check What’s Fresh Now! for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now.

Sunday, November 25th: Happy Buy Local, Direct From The Producer At Your Ballard Farmers Market Sunday!

Sunshine rings from Itali Lambertini. Photo courtesy Itali Lambertini.

It is now officially the Holiday Season, and folks are in a frenzy of gift buying and partying around Ballard. We love that yesterday, when it came time for the talking heads on the TV news to talk about Small Business Saturday, they brought their cameras here to Ballard. Why? Because our entire neighborhood is full of great, locally-owned small shops and boutiques full unique gifts. And it is no coincidence that these merchants surround your Ballard Farmers Market. Many of them set up shop here because of Ballard Farmers Market. After all, where else in Seattle would they find thousands of people like you and I who are committed to buying local flocking to one neighborhood — indeed, one block — religiously, every week? (BTW, check out this stunning ring set from Itali Lambertini at your Ballard Farmers Market. They make their heirloom-quality jewelry from recycled gold, so not only is it magnificent, it is also better for the environment, and it reduces the need for more destructive gold mines, like the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska.)

Carrots from Gaia’s Natural Goods. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Today is what we have deemed, Buy Local, Direct From The Producer At Ballard Farmers Market Sunday, and that means you can make the local economic impact of your holiday shopping go even further. You see, when you spend your dollars at a locally-owned store, they recirculate in our local economy with about three times the impact of dollars spent at some national or international chain. But when you spend your dollars buying something locally-made directly from the producer of that product, that impact doubles to about six times. Plus, you get the satisfaction of being able to meet and support the producer, and thus directly support good, local jobs. (Besides great gifts, we still have plenty of local deliciousness available now, too, like these beautiful, sweet carrots from Gaia’s Natural Goods. They are extra sweet this time of year, after they’ve been kissed by just a little frost!)

Non-toxic scented candles from Ascents Candles. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Your Ballard Farmers Market, with your support, continues to incubate new, local businesses. One we are quite proud of is Ascents Candles, which is dedicated to making non-toxic candles scented with natural essential oils. This time of year, when it’s cold and damp outside, it is difficult enough to keep the air inside your home clean without adding to the indoor air quality problems by lighting some nasty, imported candle made with petroleum products. Why not make the mood even more romantic with a beautiful, fragrant candle that won’t shorten your mate’s life?! And they’ve got gorgeous, scent-free candles for use at dinnertime, too!

Savoy cabbage from Nash’s Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Stunning fall crops, like this Savoy cabbage from Nash’s Organic Farm, are still abundant at your Ballard Farmers Market, and frankly, they are at their peak of quality and flavor now, too! Local fall crops thrive on lots of rain, cold nights and minimal daylight, and they are sweeter and tastier, and even more nutritious, for it. Remember, your Ballard Farmers Market is your year-round, locally-grown grocery store. And what you get here is so fresh that it is often fresher come the following Saturday, after sitting in your fridge since the previous Sunday, than what you can get at the Big Box stores. So comfortably stock up for the entire week. Plus, many fall storage crops can be held simply in a cool, dark storage room, or your garage, meaning you don’t need to have a huge fridge to hold it all for the week.

Color-accented cups from Daily Bird Pottery. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

These color-aceented clay cups from Port Townsend’s Daily Bird Pottery are more than just a beautiful way to enjoy your morning cup of joe or your evening tea. The unglazed cups actually reduce the bitterness in the flavor of your beverages. It is a type of chemical reaction between the clay itself and whatever you put in the cup, and it is a form of culinary technology that people from India to Mexico have been using for centuries. These cups are fired very hot, and they are as strong and durable as any pottery you’ve encountered — perhaps stronger. And these particular cups are extra cool in that the lovely, colorful accent of glaze around the rim also provides a more pleasant mouth-feel as you drink out of them. Swing by and pick up a couple of cups to try out this week. You’ll be amazed by them! And once you are, you’ll want to get them for everyone on your list.

Porchetta from Sea Breeze Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

I find that I often make George, Liz, Rose and the gang at Sea Breeze Farm blush when I comment on what a beautiful piece of meat they are, err, I mean have. Exhibit A: this spectacular porchetta from last Sunday’s Market. I took home about a pound of it and ate it for dinner a couple of nights. And they, err, I mean it is as delicious as it is beautiful. Best of all, it is not just cooked on Vashon Island, but the pigs are forest-raised on Vashon Island, just up the hill from the Fauntleroy Ferry dock. Of course, what they’ve got in their refer case varies from week-to-week, based on what they harvested that week, so stop by today to check out their sexy meat selection for this week!

Shaving kit from Brown Butterfly. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Dad’s are difficult to shop for, right? They don’t want lots of shiny things, unless it’s a new sports car, and unless you live in Medina, you probably have neither the money nor the space under the tree for giving dad a new sports car for Christmas, as much as Lexus would like you to believe everyone is giving $50,000+ cars as gifts this year. One thing Gillette won’t let you forget this holiday season, however, is that dad’s shave, and that you can buy dad shaving gear. But how personal and special is a can of Foamy and a Mach III razor from Bartell’s, eh? Why not get dad one of these lovely shaving kits from Brown Butterfly that will make dad feel like the real man that he is! Let him reconnect with his Wild West cowboy roots, shaving with a brush, mug and soap with a nice sharp razor. Brown Butterfly’s shaving soap will leave his face smooth and soft, like a baby’s bum, it smells nice and manly, and it comes with the added benefit of not coming out of an aerosol can that cannot be easily recycled, too!

Salad mix from Colinwood Farms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

After this past week of overindulgent eating, you just really want a nice salad, am I right? Well, this spicy salad mix from Colinwood Farms makes it a breeze! Just fill up your bowl, add some of those Gaia’s carrots… maybe some radishes — Colinwood has some nice daikon radishes still — dress, and you’re done. Your body will thank you, and it will reward you with the loss of the 2-3 pounds you put on this past week in short order. Seriously.

Hemp fabric clothing from Texture. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Texture, from Bellingham, makes gorgeous, comfortable, durable and fashionable clothing from hemp fabric, with pieces to suit your every mood and situation. From formal and office to out on the town, you will look fabulous in Texture’s garments, and you’ll know you are wearing unique, local creations, direct from the designer, and made with environmentally-responsible fabrics. And talk about a gift that will be appreciated every time she’s wears it!

Please remember bring your own bags every Sunday, as Seattle’s single-use plastic bag ban is now in effect. Also, please take note of our new green composting and blue recycling waste receptacles throughout your Ballard Farmers Market, and please make an effort to use them correctly. Each container has what’s okay to put in it pictured right on the lid. Please do not put the wrong materials in, because that drives up the cost of recycling and composting, and it can result in the entire container being sent instead to a landfill. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

There is plenty more local deliciousness waiting for you today at your Ballard Farmers Market. Just check What’s Fresh Now! for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now.

Sunday, November 11th: Eating Local For Thanksgiving Begins With Your Ballard Farmers Market!

Chef Jason Stonerburner of Bastille at his 2011 Eat Local For Thanksgiving cooking demonstration at Ballard Farmers Market. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Thanksgiving, or “Thanks for the Land Day,” as I like to think of it sometimes, is less than two weeks away, or put more simply, there are only two Market days before it. Yes, it is very early this year — November 22nd! Time to get planning your menu and to stock up on local deliciousness from your Ballard Farmers Market. It is time again to Eat Local For Thanksgiving. And with all the amazing ingredients available from local farmers, fishers, ranchers and food artisans right here, not only have you no excuse to not build your holiday menu around local food, you’d be foolhardy not to. Besides, what better way to give thanks for our great local food producers than to serve their products for Thanksgiving dinner? But perhaps you are still a little nervous. To help you relax a bit, we have brought back our annual tradition of Eat Local For Thanksgiving Cooking Demonstrations for the next two weeks. This week, we feature Ballard’s own Chef Jason Stoneburner of Bastille from 12-1 p.m. Bastille was intentionally built next to, and around, Ballard Farmers Market. It has a garden on its roof. And Chef Jason not only builds his menu around what is available from Market vendors, but he actually used to be one of them! Who better to give you some tips on cooking simple deliciousness from local goodness. (Next week, look for Chef Dustin Ronspies of Art of the Table.)

Fresh, local cranberries from Bloom Creek Cranberry Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

This is the year to stop talking about making fresh cranberry sauce and actually make fresh cranberry sauce! And Bloom Creek Cranberry Farm has fresh, local cranberries ready for you for just that purpose. Available for just a few weeks each year, they are hoping to have them through next week. But they are not sure. So if this is, in fact, your year, get those cranberries today!

Rutabagas from Boistfort Valley Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

My Thanksgiving dinner table wouldn’t be complete without some Boistfort Valley Farm rutabagas steamed and mashed with Golden Glen Creamery butter. Simple, delicious, and oh, so complimentary to everything else on the menu, and for me, it is a lovely reminder of my Irish roots. (Did you see what I did there?) Of course, Scandinavians here in the Peoples Republic of Ballard will feel kinship to them, as well.

Red Sunchokes from Stoney Plains Organic Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

This week, we celebrate the return of another perennial fall and winter favorite, sunchokes, a.k.a., Jerusalem artichokes. Neither from Jerusalem, nor an artichoke, sunchokes are a member of the sunflower family, and native to North America. They were cultivated and used by native peoples long before the first arrivals of Europeans. Sunchokes make for great soups, sauces, root roasts, home fries and much, much more. These tubers are delicious, nutritious, and will sustain you throughout the cold, dark, wet months. Stoney Plains Organic Farm just started harvesting these red sunchokes (above). In the spirit of the original Thanksgiving feast, when Indians kept the Pilgrims alive and made them feel welcome with the local bounty, why not add sunchokes to your Thanksgiving menu, much like them may have been 500 years ago.

Porcelain Doll Winter Squash from Oxbow Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Oxbow Farm has an amazing variety of heirloom winter squash and pumpkins right now, like these really cool looking, and tasty, Porcelain Doll winter squash. Squash is a necessity for your holiday table, and how about making this year’s pumpkin pie from scratch, too, eh?

Brussels sprouts from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Another must on my Thanksgiving menu is Brussels sprouts, like these beauties from One Leaf Farm. Normally, I like them sauteed with Sea Breeze bacon and some Alvarez shallots, and finished off with some white wine. But since my folks don’t eat pig these days, these still are plenty good without the bacon. And a good substitute for shallots is cippolini onions…

Cippolini onions from Colinwood Farms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And your source for those aforementioned cippolini onions is Port Townsend’s own Colinwood Farms. Cippolinis caramelize beautifully, coming out sweet and silky, and making for a perfect accent to many meat and poultry dishes, and Brussels sprouts, of course. They also fry perfectly for shoestring onions to top a chicory salad.

Fresh, whole, Puget Sound Keta salmon from Loki Fish. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Today is the last day for fresh Puget Sound Keta salmon from Loki Fish, as the season has come to a close. Swing by Loki for fillets or whole fish. They also have fish trim, like bones, collars and wings, for making stocks or smoking, and even skeines, ready for curing into ikura. But fresh only this week! After that, it’ll still be available frozen, cured, smoked, etc. Enjoy!

Root Vegetable Crackers with Kim Chee from House of the Sun. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

House of the Sun raw and vegan foods has introduced another great cracker to its delicious lineup – Root Vegetable Crackers with Kim Chee. Loaded with beet goodness, they are packed full of flavor and nutrients. Try them with one of their great spreads!

Bread & Butter pickles from Purdy Pickle. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Please welcome the newest vendor to your Ballard Farmers Market, Purdy Pickle. Purdy Pickle makes an amazing array of pickliciousness from great, local ingredients direct from our local farms, like these Bread & Butter pickles, above. Purdy Pickle is one of our mainstay vendors at our weekday markets in Wallingford and Madrona over the summer season. Now, they bring their goodness to Ballard. Woohoo!

A variety of truffles from Trevani Truffles. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Another recent addition to your Ballard Farmers Market is Trevani Truffles from Renton. Trevani’s confections are made using lots of local ingredients, too, and they will add elegance to many a holiday gathering, be it large or small. Or just treat yourself on your way through the Market!

Finally, another reminder to please bring your own bags every Sunday, as Seattle’s single-use plastic bag ban is now in effect. Also, please take note of our new green composting and blue recycling waste receptacles throughout your Ballard Farmers Market, and please make an effort to use them correctly. Each container has what’s okay to put in it pictured right on the lid. Please do not put the wrong materials in, because that drives up the cost of recycling and composting, and it can result in the entire container being sent instead to a landfill. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

There is plenty more local deliciousness waiting for you today at your Ballard Farmers Market. Just check What’s Fresh Now! for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now.

Sunday, August 12th: Yes, We Can! And Pickle! And Freeze! And Dry!

Packing pickle jars. Photo copyright 2005 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Yes, we can! Food, that is. That’s right. It is time for us to get in touch with our inner squirrel and put up summer deliciousness to be enjoyed in the cold, dark wet months that will be here sooner than we want to believe. It is simple to enjoy the tastes of summer all year round with just a little effort. Can it. Pickle it. Freeze it. Dry it. Make a family activity out of it. Make enough to give it as gifts come the holiday season. And save money! Think about it. You pay $2 for a bag of frozen organic corn at the Big Box store, right? Well, for $2, you can get three ears of organic corn at your Ballard Farmers Market, cut it off the cob as soon as you get home today, and fill two pint freezer bags to put in your freezer for winter. That’s two bags for what you’d pay for one later. And it’ll be better tasting, support local farmers, and you’ll know exactly where it came from.

Pickling cucumbers from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Wanna make pickles? Get some of these great organic pickling cucumbers from Alm Hill Gardens. And you’ll find pickling dill and lots of garlic throughout the Market, too, for your pickling needs. Then, all you need is salt, vinegar and spices, and you’ve got garlic dill pickles to bring to parties in December!

Roma tomatoes from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Want to enjoy local tomato goodness come winter? Then can or freeze some of these roma tomatoes from Alvarez Organic Farms now. Frankly, you can can, sauce and freeze many kinds of tomatoes, but romas have that thick flesh and deep, rich flavor when cooked, and they are easy to prep, with minimal seeds. Add some garlic, basil or cilantro and some salt, and you’ve got sauce ready to go!

Shelling peas from Stoney Plains Organic Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

English shelling peas from Stoney Plains Organic Farm are sweet and crunchy now, and they are ridiculously easy to freeze, so you can enjoy them all winter long. Buy a big bag of them, and then put on your favorite music or TV show, get out a big bowl, and shuck the peas into that bowl until you’ve exhausted the entire bag. Then, pack the loose peas into pint freezer bags, as they are closest in size to what you’ll find in the Big Box store freezer isle, which is a very convenient size. You do not need to blanch peas first. And I recommend that you pack the pint bags inside a larger gallon freezer bag just to give them extra protection, and so you don’t have dozens of little bags sliding around in your freezer. Then, in January, when you need to add peas to soup, fried rice or a pasta dish, just pull a pint bag out and pour them in. They’ll cook fast, and it is easy to reseal the zipper lock freezer bag if you don’t use them all.

Early Italian prunes from Lyall Farms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

These are Early Italian Prunes from Lyall Farms. Not plums. Prunes. Yes, there is a difference, regardless of what some PR spin doctors in California would like you to believe. For my money, this is the king of all stone fruits — deeply sweet with a toothsome flesh, great for sauces, drying, ice cream, or just eating right off of the stone. For drying, just cut them in half right off the stone and place them in your dehydrator, skin side down. Easy peasy. Once dried, they will keep in your cabinet for months!

Spanish roja & rocambok garlic from Summer Run Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

You’ll need garlic. Lots of garlic. Like this garlic from Summer Run Farm. Garlic for your tomatoes. Garlic for your pickles. Heck, pickle some garlic! And, of course, it stores well itself. Ask your farmer which varieties keep longest and which should be used sooner. There are many varieties of garlic, too, and their strengths and flavor profiles vary, so find one the fits your purposes and your palate.

Wild elderberries from Foraged & Found Edibles. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

These are wild elderberries harvested by Foraged & Found Edibles. Sure, you can make jam out of them. But how’s about making homemade elderberry wine with them? That’ll be lovely at Thanksgiving dinner, don’t you think? And you can justify this effort knowing that elderberries are a superfood, with more beneficial flavonoids than most other berries.

Fresh basil from Pa Garden. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And basil. Like this basil from Pa Garden. You’ll not only need basil for those canned tomatoes, but did you know that you can make fresh basil pesto, put it into an ice cube tray and into the freezer, and when it’s frozen, you can pop the cubes into a freezer bag for later use. Then, when you want to add some pesto to your pasta or any other dish, just pull out the appropriate number of cubes, and you’re ready for action with fresh pesto in February!

Blueberries from Jessie’s Berries. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Let’s finish off today’s epistle with blueberries from Jessie’s Berries. A superfood in their own right, they are also absurdly easy to freeze. Buy a flat of them, bring them home, and give them a rinse in your colander. Line a glass baking dish or metal cookie sheet with some paper towels. Pour your rinsed berries onto the paper towels and roll them around to get most of the water off of them. Then, remove the paper towels and put the baking dish in the freezer with the berries one layer deep. They’ll be frozen enough in one hour to be poured into a gallon freezer bag for storage. Repeat this process until all berries are washed and frozen, or when you run out of space in your freezer bag. Now, you got delicious, local blueberries to enjoy all winter long in your oatmeal, muffins, pies, sauces, whatever. They should stay loose, so it’ll be easy to take out as few or as many as you need!

Finally, another reminder to please bring your own bags today, and every Sunday, as Seattle’s single-use plastic bag ban is now in effect. Also, please take note of our new green composting and blue recycling waste receptacles throughout your Ballard Farmers Market, and please make an effort to use them correctly. Each container has what’s okay to put in it pictured right on the lid. Please do not put the wrong materials in, because that drives up the cost of recycling and composting, and it can result in the entire container being sent instead to a landfill. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

There is plenty more local deliciousness waiting for you today at your Ballard Farmers Market. Just check What’s Fresh Now! for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now.