Sunday, May 26th: Strawberries, Cherries, Cucumbers, Pea Vines, Frisee, Green Garlic, Halibut & Sticky Buns, for Starters!

First-of-the-season organic strawberries from Tiny’s Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, Ballard faithful, and that signals the traditional start to summer ’round these parts, if not the actual start, which does not arrive until July 5th. But as we already realize, this year just doesn’t seem to want to be as dreary, cold and wet as the past three, so let’s get this party started right now! To that end, we present the earliest arrival of organic strawberries in recent memory! Yep, Tiny’s Organic Produce began harvesting these beauties this past week, a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Woohoodillydoo!!! And just to assure you I ain’t pullin’ yer leg, I took the above photo on Friday at our Madrona Farmers Market. I also made sure to do a little quality control, and these are about as sweet and delicious as strawberries should be allowed to be by law. Seriously. Go figure. So as long as no bridges between here and East Wenatchee collapse in the next few weeks, we are in the strawberries, baby!

Cucumbers from Colinwood Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Oh, we’re just getting started, people! Yes, these are organic cucumbers, and yes, I did just take this photo in the last week. These cucumbers are from Colinwood Farms over in Port Townsend. Using their location in the Banana Belt — that area shielded from rain and clouds by the Olympic Mountains — and their greenhouses, Colinwood harnesses their bonus sun very effectively, and one of the results is cucumbers in May. (Yes, it is still May!)

First-of-the-season Burlat cherries from Lyall Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Strawberries, check. Cucumbers, check. Cherries?!? Check! These are first-of-the-season Burlat cherries from Lyall Farms. See, they have this orchard over in Prosser in an area that gets earlier and more heat units in the year than anywhere else in the state. Plus, that orchard is loaded with some varieties of cherries that ripen much earlier than most. The result is that Lyall gets a two to three week jump on everyone else in the cherry department. Add to that our milder weather than in recent years, and it’s go time! And again, I took this photo on Friday, and I did quality control, too. These are the real deal, folks! Oh, and it is last call for Lyall’s cured onions and sweet potatoes until fall, so grab the last of them while you can!

Green garlic from Magana Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Oh, don’t give me that sad puppy dog face that says you were expecting to see a photo of tomatoes now instead of this green garlic from Magana Farms. This stuff is pure gold this time of year. With a Market full of tender young greens, asparagus, mushrooms and other deliciousness that pairs well with garlic, green garlic is a magical treat! When farmers thin their garlic fields in the spring, this is what we get. Use the entire thing, from ball to the tips of the stalks. Toss it in where you would garlic, and what you get is not only your garlic flavor, but a sweet, grassy taste of spring unique to green garlic. The only people who know not of what I speak are those who have not tried it. The rest of us are the ones breezing past you to grab a bunch, so we can add it to everything we cook!

Fresh halibut from Wilson Fish. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And what’s this? It’s fresh halibut caught off the coast of Washington by Wilson Fish… just for the halibut. This is the freshest, most delicious halibut you will ever eat. These fish aren’t as big as those caught in Alaska, and the result is a superior flesh. Plus, it comes with no frequent flyer miles, freezer burn or having been trucked “live” in a tanker down the Alaska Highway for four days. (Really. They do that!) Grill a piece tonight, along with some asparagus, green garlic and green onions on the barby, and you will be a very happy camper.

Pea vines from Gaia’s Harmony Farm. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Another spring treat is pea vines, These are from Gaia’s Harmony Farm from up in Snohomish. These are great quickly sauteed with some of that green garlic in olive oil. Gaia’s is also making fresh vegetable juice using their produce, and that of other farms at the market, to make a drink that please your palate and your body!

Ground beef from Skagit River Ranch. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of Memorial Day barbecues, don’t forget to pick up some burger patties or a package of ground beef from Skagit River Ranch today. Or maybe you’d prefer some of their great sausages, steaks or chops on the grill. Grab it today, thaw it in the fridge overnight, and grill it up nicely tomorrow!

Frisee from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Some lovely, wilted frisee from One Leaf Farm tossed with some of Skagit’s bacon and some of Twin Oak’s feta sounds pretty good right now. Bitter plus salty equals divine. One Leaf also has their first harvest of beautiful, tendor collard greens and kale today, too, plus Japanese wax turnips so tasty, you might finish off the bunch before you get home, so please get two!

Last-of-the-season fresh apple cider from Martin Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Just a few weeks left of fresh cider from Martin Family Orchards. Their 2012 apple harvest is running out, and they won’t have cider again until fall. Grab a jug for your Memorial Day picnic, and enjoy one last sweet taste of fall before summer begins in ernest.

A veritable cornucopia of pickliciousness from Purdy Pickle. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Pickles. No, I am not using a term of endearment here, though I suppose I could be, since the humungous variety of pickles made from local ingredients by Purdy Pickle is rather endearing! And you will need a few jars for your Memorial Day picnics — dilly chips for your burgers, asparagus for the fun of it, and carrots to use as swizzle sticks in your cocktail! You can thank me later.

Sticky buns from Tall Grass Bakery. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Get your day started right tomorrow, or finish off dinner tonight, with one or six of these sticky buns, or maybe a cinnamon roll, from Tall Grass Bakery. Of course, Tall Grass has a spectacular selection of fresh artisan breads to round out your barbecues and picnics this weekend, too. Just get here early enough that your favorites aren’t sold out already!

Asparagus from Collins Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

We finish off this week’s Memorial Day Weekend installment with some gorgeous asparagus from Collins Family Orchards in Selah. You will obviously need asparagus for every meal in your immediate future, so grab a bunch of bunches, eh?

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.

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.

Sunday, February 10th: Sweets for the Sweet, And Then Some!

Red and berry wines from Lopez Island Vineyards & Winery. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hey, kids! It is time for the greatest of all Hallmark holidays, but don’t think that using the fact that a greeting card company created it is going to get you off the hook if you fail to be at your charming best this coming Thursday. I recommend that you go simple, yet go large, and by all means, go local! Here’s a recipe for a perfect Valentine’s Day dinner for two you can make at home, courtesy of your Ballard Farmers Market. Start out with a nice bottle wine or two from Lopez Island Vineyards & Winery. They have a great selection of award winning white, red and berry dessert wines.

Beautiful, non-toxic candles from Ascents Candles. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Next step: light some of these beautiful, non-toxic candles from Ascents Candles. Made right here in Ballard, they are made using ingredients that will not, well, kill you. And they come in a wonderful variety of scents made from natural essential oils. Find the one that will set the mood you are aiming for!

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

Next, break out that oyster knife and get shucking! Yes, you need some of Hama Hama Oyster Company’s live, wild-crafted oysters. They are delicious. They are an aphrodisiac. And they contain lots of zinc, so they will help you fend off the various plagues circulating around here right now!

Fresh tulips from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Oh, and you’d better have a stunning bouquet of fresh-cut tulips from Alm Hill Gardens, or all bets are off! I know. You’re thinking, if I get them Sunday, they’ll be done by Thursday. Nope. Alm Hill cut them late Saturday, when they were still a day or so out from blooming. That means that come Thursday, they will be in full, spectacular bloom! As will you… And what the heck. Stack the deck a little. Get two bouquets. One for tonight, and one for Thursday. See, now you’re a genius! (You can thank me later.)

Fresh goat cheese from Twin Oaks Creamery. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Okay, it’s time for a little fresh goat cheese from our newest farm, Twin Oaks Creamery. They have it plain or in any number of delicious flavors you will love. And what is sexier than fresh goat cheese, eh? Well, aside from those oyster, that is.

Baguettes from Tall Grass Bakery. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Don’t forget a nice loaf of artisan bread from Tall Grass Bakery on which to spread that fresh goat cheese. I think these amazing baguettes are the best vehicle for delivering said cheese to your kisser. That said, it probably won’t last until Thursday, for one of two reasons. You’ll either eat it too fast, or it’ll dry out. Solution? Eat one with some cheese tonight, and get another one fresh on Thursday straight from the bakery on 24th. They bake them all day long!

Beef steaks from Skagit River Ranch. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Now that you’ve got things warmed up, how about a delicious steak dinner, featuring steaks from Skagit River Ranch. They’ve got all different delicious cuts of grass-finished, pasture-raised beef, from New Yorks to fillets to ribeyes, and more. And since Thursday’s forecast looks lovely, you can dust off the grill and cook ‘em up right — over fire!

Sweet potatoes from Lyall Farms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

A perfect accompaniment to your perfectly grilled steaks will be some of these sweet potatoes from Lyall Farms. Sweets for the sweet, as it were. And these sweets are awesome! Roast them whole in the oven, or cut them up and roast them under high heat with olive oil and salt, and they will soften and crisp up and be, well, awesome-er. Or you could go Oaxacan on them, and steam them, then mash them with garlic, chipotles and adobe sauce.

Brussels sprouts from Nash’s Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

As your other accompaniment, I recommend these Brussels sprouts from Nash’s Organic Produce. Cut them in half, and then pan-roast them with bacon and shallots. Start with the bacon and shallots, rendering out and browning the former while you sweat and brown the latter. Then toss in your sprouts, letting them get browned in all that bacon-shallot deliciousness. When the sprouts get bright green and just start to get a bit tender, deglaze the pan with some white wine. As the wine cooks down, it also will loosen all the tasty brown bits stuck to the pan, and they will soak into and coat your sprouts. Salt and pepper to taste, and BOOM! You have just blown your sweetie away.

Bacon from Crazy Farmer George at Sea Breeze Farm. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Of course, that means you will need bacon. To the end, head on over to Sea Breeze Farm and load up on some of their amazing, freshly-smoked bacon from their own forest-raised pigs out on Vashon Island. And don’t fear Farmer George while you are there. His bark is worse than his bite… most of the time!

D’Anjou Pears from Martin Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

For a sexy dessert, how about something with these D’Anjou pears from Martin Family Orchards? You could wine-poach them, or you could bake them. Hmm. You could stuff them with some goat cheese, I suppose. Get creative. The fact that you tried something different will make as big an impression as anything else during your romantic dinner. Besides, you will have a backup plan, right?

Chocolates from Trevani Truffles. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Just in case… or just because, you should load up on these stunningly decadent confections from Trevani Truffles. Made by hand using many local ingredients, these artisan chocolates are truly spectacular, and if you don’t hit a home run with these, that nut was not for cracking! So have fun with it, and here’s hoping you have a lovely evening.

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 4th: Meat, Seafood, Poultry, Dairy: Local, Sustainable & Humanely-Raised Animal Protein!

Fresh ducks from Stokesberry Organic Poultry. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

This week, we pay tribute to the many farmers, fishers and ranchers at your Ballard Farmers Market who produce animal products. And we start with a farm that epitomizes why we all love to get our meat and poultry here: Stokesberry Sustainable Farm. See, they put it right in their name: sustainable. And it is important to note that sustainable is about more than just the environment. It is about how the animals are treated, what impact their meat will have on your health, how the farm and its animals impact the land they are on and the communities they are in, whether the business, and your support of it, are contributing positively to the local economy, and even the relationship one has with the farm… in this case, a direct one. It matters that the people who grow our food have real, actual faces. They are real, actual people. We come to know them over weeks and months and years, and we trust them like we would our doctor, lawyer or mechanic. All of this is part of sustainable. And part of your Ballard Farmers Market. Just some food for thought as you pick up a dozen eggs, a duck and some chicken fat today from Stokesberry.

Smoked holiday hams from Olsen Farms. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Olsen Farms travels farther than any other farm in the state to sell at farmers markets. They hail from the tiny town of Aladdin, so far up in the northeast corner of the state, it is almost in Alberta. Olsen may be best known for the 20+ varieties of potatoes they grow, but they also produce beef, pork and lamb. They’ll have these gorgeous holiday hams soon, and fall tends to be a good time to get sheep skins from them, too. And, of course, they make a nice selection of sausages, as well.

Tarantella, or belly tuna, from Fishing Vessel St. Jude. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Fishing Vessel St. Jude, based at Ballard’s own Fishermen’s Terminal, catches adolescent albacore tuna off the coast of Washington as it swims south from the North Pacific, where it spends its first year of life. Because it is still young, and because those cold northern waters are a little cleaner, they are very low in heavy metals. And that cold water also means they are higher in fat content, and thus rich in beneficial omega fatty acids. And the fattiest part of the fish is its belly. That’s what this Tarantella comes from. Canned tuna doesn’t get much more amazing than this!

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

Mmm. Fresh sausages. Fresh from George and the gang out at Vashon Island’s Sea Breeze Farm. Sea Breeze raises cattle, pigs, lamb, veal calves, chickens, ducks, the odd goat, and other tasty animals. They sell their meat from their refrigerated cases at your Ballard Farmers Market, and lovely charcuterie made at their Vashon butcher shop, as well as the aforementioned sausages, bacon, ham, and even raw milk products, cheese and wine.

Lard from Samish Bay Farm. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Lard is making a comeback, especially when it comes to fresh lard straight from the farm from happy, healthy, pastured pigs. This ain’t 1970s lard. And with the holidays will come baking season, and for the fluffiest biscuits and the flakiest pie crust, you will need lard. Well, Samish Bay Farm, perhaps best known for its cheese, also raises pigs and cattle. That means they offer pork, beef, yogurt, and yes, lard. Now, go make the best apple pie ever!

Pickled salmon from Loki Fish. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

For a real fall treat, try out some pickled keta salmon from Loki Fish. Loki is also based out of Fishermen’s Terminal, and the Knutsen’s fish for all five Pacific salmon species in Alaska by summer, and in the fall, they fish for keta and pink in Puget Sound. In fact, they have fresh Puget Sound keta salmon available right now! And they have the other species available flash frozen, smoked, canned, loxed, in burgers and sausages, and more! Oh, but the pickled keta. Yummers. Bring this to a holiday party, and you will be the hero of the day.

Fresh, local butter from Golden Glen Creamery. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

There is just something special about good butter, am I right? And this time of year, so many things just scream out for butter — from spuds to toast to hearty breads. Lucky for us, we’ve got really good butter — indeed, farmstead butter — right here at your Ballard Farmers Market from Golden Glen Creamery. They have it plain (salted and unsalted), as well as in a variety of fun flavors, from savory to sweet. Of course, they’ve also got plenty of great cheese still, too.

Beef steaks from Skagit River Ranch. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Sometimes, you just need a good steak. So how’s about one of these beauties from Skagit River Ranch? They’re grass-finished and raised on lush, natural pastures, and they never see grain in their diets nor the inside of a truck. Skagit River Ranch also raises pigs and chickens and turkeys and more… all on their happy ranch along the Skagit River in Sedro-Woolley. It is worth the trip up there to see it, if you can. In the meantime, enjoy the delicious products of their hard and passionate work right here at your Ballard Farmers Market! (And don’t forget to order your holiday turkeys and hams now!)

Smoked whole sides of white king salmon from Wilson Fish. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

The season may be over for fresh Washington coastal, troll-caught king salmon from Wilson Fish, but they still have plenty of it smoked and frozen. And if you haven’t tried their smoked king salmon, you do yourself a disservice. It is so rich and delicious, and frankly, unsurpassed. Imagine your holiday party with a side of smoked king like this on a platter in the middle of the table. Your guests will think you a god. Oh, and Wilson will likely have other local fresh fish, like rockfish, ling cod, true cod and others on and off through the winter!

Seastack cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Mt. Townsend Creamery, from Port Townsend, makes about a dozen different kinds of amazing cheeses. Just ask the American Cheese Society, with whom several of Mt. Townsend’s cheeses placed first, second or third in America in recent years. You can try them for yourself, right here, at your Ballard Farmers Market, because they will let you sample most of their cheeses. And you’re going to need lots of cheese over the next few months, right? Just don’t get here too late in the day, as many varieties will sell out before 3 p.m.

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

Now is a great time of year for fresh oysters, be they raw on the half shell (above), jarred for frying or making oyster stew, smoked or pickled. And Hama Hama Oyster Company has you covered for all your oyster needs. Plus, they’ve got Manila clams, Dungeness crab, crab cakes and more!

Whole pastured chicken from Growing Things Farm. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Let’s finish our stroll through all things animalicious this week with one of the most delectable chickens you will ever taste. Heck, my family eats these instead of turkey for Thanksgiving! Seriously. If you are still buying factory farmed chickens at the Big Box stores because they’re cheap, and you didn’t know that “free range” just means they get a little more room to move around inside a cage in a building for their entire lives, then you owe it to yourself to spend a little extra money for a real chicken from Growing Things Farm. Trust me. There really is a huge difference, and once you try one, you will never buy a Big Box store chicken again!

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, March 11th: Spring Forward With Shamrock Cookies, Goat Milk, Stinging Nettles, Filler-Free Burgers & Garden Starts

Shamrock cookies from Grateful Bread Baking. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

The Ides of March approacheth, and that means Daylight Savings Time is here — that annoying, archaic leftover from the Industrial Revolution that was meant to save energy and make us more productive, but that really ends up scrambling all of our brains for a week or two every March, resulting in billions of dollars in lost productivity. (I love you, Ben Franklin, but was this really necessary?) Of course, it also means St. Paddy’s Day is upon us. Time for everyone to dress up in kelly green, pretend to be Irish, eat corned beef, drink green beer, and party in blissful ignorance that St. Patrick was the guy credited with crushing the last remaining Pagans of Ireland under the weight of the Roman Catholic Church way back in the 5th Century. (See, there were no snakes in Ireland. The snakes Patrick drove out actually refers to the Pagans.) But hey, like so many other holidays that I enjoy more for their tradition than their true origins, I do enjoy reveling in my own Irish roots with some corned beef made from Skagit River Ranch beef, some cabbage from Nash’s, some potatoes from Olsen Farms and some rutabagas from Boistfort Valley Farm… all washed down with a little Rockridge hooch. And why not finish it all off with some of these lovely shamrock cookies from Grateful Bread?

Fresh goat milk from Silver Springs Creamery. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Up at Silver Springs Creamery in Lynden, just south of the Canadian Border, the goats have been kidding now for a few weeks, and that means that goat milk, fresh chevre and goat yogurt are back, baby! No kidding! (Sorry.) So if you’ve been suffering woe these past two months without your goat dairy products, while the girls up in Whatcom County were taking their winter break, suffer no more!

Wild stinging nettles from Foraged & Found Edibles. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Go ahead. Stick your hand into these leaves. I dare you! (Okay, not really. Cuz your hands will hurt for hours.) Yup, its wild stinging nettles season again, boys and girls, and Foraged & Found Edibles has ‘em for you today. Make tea, pesto, sauté them, do that voodoo that you do with them. Just de-sting them, first!

Rhubarb plants from Stoney Plains. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It is time to start thinking about gardening again, and Stoney Plains Organic Farm already has garden starts for you — stuff you can plant right now that’ll make you so happy in May! Like these lovely rhubarb plants. Mmm. Homemade rhubarb crumble, strawberry-rhubarb jam, rhubarb ice cream.

Ground beef from Skagit River Ranch. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

At your Ballard Farmers Market, we offer you access to grass-finished beef direct from the farmer, like this ground beef from Skagit River Ranch. You will never find any “pink slime” added to their meat. Live life free of “pink slime”. Eat real meat from local farms at your Ballard Farmers Market!

Someone asked over on our Facebook page what “grass-finished” means. Sometimes you will see the term “grass-fed” associated with beef. However, use of the term “grass-fed” does not guarantee that the cattle were never fed a grain diet. In fact, much “grass-fed” beef is “finished” on grain in order to increase marbling. However, feeding cattle grain also increases cholesterol, saturated fat and the acidity in their stomachs, which in turn increases the likelihood of the presence of dangerous forms of E-coli in their digestive tracts. “Grass-finished” beef is from cattle that eat a diet of grasses and other leafy forage their entire lives. Their meat is lower in cholesterol and saturated fats, higher in beneficial omega-fatty acids, and as their digestive tracts stay in their natural alkaline state, they are less able to pass along to most dangerous forms of E-coli that thrive in an acidic environment, which includes human stomachs. Eat Wild is a great source for more info on the benefits of raising beef on natural grasses.

Baby leeks from Colinwood Farms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And just because they are so gosh-darned cute, let’s finish off this week with these baby leeks from Colinwood Farms. I mean, don’t you just want to give them a hug? Okay, maybe not, but they are delicious. And Colinwood has got all sorts of goodies coming out of their greenhouses right now. Stop by for a taste of the Banana Belt!

Hey, there is plenty of 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.