Sunday, March 31st: Happy Easter! Get Your Ham, Wine, Flowers, Greens & Even Hot Crossed Buns!

Freshly smoked hams from Sea Breeze Farm. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Happy Easter! What? You didn’t get your ham yet? Never fear! George tells me he’ll have plenty of these lovely, delicious, freshly smoked hams from Sea Breeze Farm today at your Ballard Farmers Market. No thawing required. And even if you’re not hosting the Easter feast, you should get you some of this ham. Just look at the way it mesmerizes the public in this photo. And it tastes even better than it looks!

Brent Charnley, winemaker at Lopez Island Vineyards, hold the new release of his Wave Crest White table wine. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And let’s just say you’re going to someone else’s feast this afternoon or evening. Don’t show up empty handed! Be an instant hero with a bottle of wine from Lopez Island Vineyards & Winery, made by this guy — Brent Charnley. He holds in his hands his latest release, Wave Crest White Puget Sound Table Wine, and he has a nice selection of award-winning whites and reds running the flavor spectrum. Enjoy!

Tulips from Ia’s Garden. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Don’t you dare show up at Grandma’s house today without some fresh flowers. Your Ballard Farmers Market is awash in spring flowers right now, like these gorgeous tulips from Ia’s Garden. And with all six of our regular flower farmers in now, plus the spring arrival of Choice Bulb Farm, there is no excuse not to celebrate the holiday, or just the fact that it’s spring, sunny and in the 60s, with some beautiful blooms.

Cabbage greens from Stoney Plains Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

How about some spring greens for your Sunday dinner? These cabbage greens from Stoney Plains Organic Farm are a spring treat. See, as the over-wintered cabbage plants start to bolt, they throw out these sweet and tender little leaves. I enjoyed some last night, simply sautéed in olive oil — not even any garlic. Just a little salt to taste. They are just plain lovely.

Spicy salad mix from Colinwood Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of easy, if you are expected to make the salad for tonight’s feast, or any night really, I recommend you grab some of this spicy salad mix from Colinwood Farms. It is a wonderful mixture of mustard greens, mizuna, arugula, kale and a whole bunch of other stuff. It’ll make your body and mouth happy, and everyone will compliment you on the awesome salad you worked so hard to assemble!

Easter fun from Olsen Farms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It’s time for the Easter Spud Bunnies at Olsen Farms to bring you a rainbow of potatoes for your holiday table. It’s an annual tradition at Olsen to make these fun displays at Easter. This one’s from last year. Olsen also has freshly smoked hams ready to go today, too.

Hot Cross Buns for Easter from Grateful Bread Bakery. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hot Cross Buns anyone? These are from Grateful Bread Bakery, and Tall Grass Bakery should have some today, too. They are a traditional European Easter treat — a brioche dough filled with dried berries and such, and capped with the sugary sign of the Cross in honor of the Big Guy. Look for other traditional Easter baked goods at both bakeries, too!

Goat eating pant leg at Twin Oaks Creamery. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Or perhaps you would prefer some pants for dinner. Apparently, this goat at Twin Oaks Creamery thought mine would make a nice snack. You can enjoy the product of this goat’s hard work (when she’s not eating my trouser leg) producing delicious milk in the form of bottled goats milk, goat cheese and goat yogurt, all available right here at your Ballard Farmers Market from Twin Oaks.

Molasses ginger caramels from Jonboy Caramels. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

How about some sweets for the sweet on this spectabulous spring day? Jonboy Caramels are as good as they get, are made right here in Ballard, and are made using many local ingredients! Above are their molasses ginger caramels. Sorry. I know that just made you drool on yourself. It happens. But get down here on the double before you look like a Newfoundland on a hot summer’s day!

Dark Chocolate Torte by House Of The Sun. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And for dessert, how’s about a raw, vegan dark chocolate torte from House of the Sun? Raw? Vegan? How do they do that? How can it be good? Stop asking so many questions and try one… or three. They are really good! Have I ever lied to you? (Okay, this time last year, my entire post was lies for April Fool’s Day, but today, I speak the truth!) Oh, and grabs you some kale chips while you are there. Bam! You can thank me later.

Tacos from Los Chilangos. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Finally, today we welcome our newest vendor, Los Chilangos. This mobile taqueria is the first new prepared food vendor at your Ballard Farmers Market in years. They will offer breakfast and lunch tacos, burritos, tortas and huaraches, made fresh with many ingredients from local farmers. Come check them out today!

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, March 17th: Celebrating St. Paddy’s Day While Planning For Easter & Passover!

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

Happy St. Paddy’s Day from your Ballard Farmers Market! It is said that everyone claims a bit of Irish blood every year at this time, but truth is that there are plenty of us mixed in amongst the Scandinavians and Amazon.comians here in Ballard. And while the streets may run green with beer of questionable origins in other communities today, we Ballardites are more likely to cozy up this evening to a fine microbrew or snifter of Irish whiskey. Whatever your poison, get your day going right at your Ballard Farmers Market, perhaps with some of these shamrock cookies from Grateful Bread Baking, or get your greens on at any number of farms in the Market, as we are surprisingly greens-rich for this early in the year!

Smoked ham from Skagit River Ranch. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And in a year in which seemingly every Sunday has been some sort of holiday, in two weeks comes Easter Sunday. Your Ballard Farmers Market will be open for you that day, but you might want to lay claim to one of these hams from Skagit River Ranch today, as they are sure to be sold out two weeks from today. Now, if you prefer lamb, they may still have some today, too, and if you are planning for Passover, which begins next Monday at sundown, perhaps you are in the market for a chicken or a nice brisket. Skagit River Ranch has that covered, too!

Desiree potatoes from Olsen Farms. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

You will need potatoes to go with your corned beef tonight, or your holiday meals in the coming weeks, and Olsen Farms has that covered and then some. For corned beef, I prefer these desiree potatoes, as they hold up well in the pot with the other ingredients, and they absorb the flavors nicely. However, with lamb, ham or chicken, you might have your own favorite. They’ve got many varieties, so you will be sure to find what you need. And Olsen, too, has lamb, beef roasts and hams for Easter.

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

I also like to add rutabagas to my pot with my corned beef, like these from Nash’s Organic Produce. In Ireland, they call these “turnips” or “Swedes”, harkening back to their introduction to the Emerald Isle by the Vikings centuries ago before the Brits took over and ruled it with an iron fist for 700 years. Of course, I say this in the context of this day in which we celebrate St. Patrick, the patron saint of, well, Catholicism in Ireland who supposedly drove the “snakes” out of Ireland even before the Vikings showed up, though the only snakes in Ireland at the time were actually the Druids, who used the image of a snake in much of their symbolism. But I digress. I put my bagas in the pot up to an hour before its time to serve dinner. Because they are very dense, they cook slowly, but they beautifully absorb all to flavors and spices of your corned beef, and they become perfectly tender as they do.

Gaosheng from Gaia’s Natural Goods holding (clockwise, from bottom left) kailan, a golden beet, kale, chard and mustard greens. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Of course, your Ballard Farmers Market is full of greens for St. Paddy’s Day. This is Gaosheng from Gaia’s Natural Goods, and she holds in her arms several kinds of greens her family is currently harvesting up in Snohomish. In the lower lefthand corner, those flowery, light-green greens are kailan, an Asian green popular in China and Southeast Asian. Then there is kale, chard and mustard greens on the lower right, as well as a golden beet peaking out in front of her right shoulder. Greens are coming on earlier this year than the past few, and that is worthy of holiday celebrations in and of itself, if you ask me.

Kids play at Twin Oaks Creamery. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Just kidding. That’s what this kid is doing. Yup, this is one of the many adorable baby goats Gil and I got to meet last week on our visit to Twin Oaks Creamery in Chehalis. These kids have a good life, romping and roughhousing with each other in their playhouse. Meanwhile, their moms are producing wonderful goat milk which Twin Oaks is bottling, as well as making cheese and yogurt with it.

KaYing, a.k.a., The Old Farmer. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

KaYing, a.k.a., The Old Farmer, returns this week with her beautiful flower bouquets. Also returning this week are Mee Gardens, Pa Gardens and Ia’s Garden. What this means for you is that, if you return home this evening without a bouquet of beautiful, fresh flowers from one of the six farms selling them at your Ballard Farmers Market, you might as well get yourself acquainted with your couch, cuz that’s where you will be sleeping tonight!

Mixed radish starts from Stoney Plains Organic Farm. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

You know it’s pretty darn near spring when the veggie starts show up at Stoney Plains Organic Farm. This is a flat of mixed radishes, ready for you to get your early spring garden going. After all, spring does start this coming week, right? And ain’t it about time? Of course, we now get to spend the next couple of weeks having to drive directly into the setting sun that is due west in the evening, but I think we’ll survive. Besides, odds are we won’t be able to see it anyway!

Sharon & Gary McCool from Rosecrest Farm. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Rosecrest Farm returns to your Ballard Farmers Market with lots of their lovely Swiss cheeses today, after a one-week hiatus. Gil and I also visited Rosecrest last week during our trip to Chehalis. This is a photo of Sharon & Gary McCool in front of their Cheese Haus, which is housed in a very old shop adjacent to their 99-year-old historic barn. Gary manages the cows while Sharon makes the cheese. And did you know that their cheese is made from certified organic milk? Yup. In fact, whatever doesn’t go into making cheese ends up going in cartons from Organic Valley, to whom they sell some of the milk they produce. And you might wonder how Swiss Cheese factors into our holiday theme today. Well, I’m glad you asked! You may be surprised to learn that much of “Swiss” cheese in American deli cases — you know, that squared block of cheese with the big holes in it that is probably banned in Switzerland — is made by Kerrygold in Ireland! That’s right! Americans by the millions are making reuben sandwiches with Irish ”Swiss” cheese. Seriously, you gotta love that!

An “Irish” marion berry pie from Deborah’s Homemade Pies. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Let us finish this week’s epistolic tribute to St. Patrick, the Irish, and holidaze to come, with a shamrock-adorned marion berry pie from Deborah’s Homemade Pies. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again — Deborah quite simply makes the best pies on earth. But let’s face it. There’s a lot more fun going on here than just her pieliciousness. There is the shamrock itself, and then there is that fact that we just celebrated Universal Pie Day on March 14th. And my personal favorite is getting to make silly references to troubled Mayor Marion Barry of Washington, D.C. But in the end, what is most entertaining about this pie is eating it. Enjoy!

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, January 13th: Go Ballard Farmers Market! Go Seahawks!

Signed 12th Man flag. Photo courtesy Seattle Seahawks.

It’s a cold, sunny January day today, and while many will be glued to the boob tube… the one-eyed god… the idiot box… the nearest television, watching the Seahawks take on Atlanta for another shot at the 49ers and the Super Bowl, your Ballard Farmers Market will be open as it always is, come rain or shine, snow, wind or cold, more reliable than the Post Office, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., just like it is every Sunday, year-round. But we understand that many a faithful Ballard Farmers Marketeer is going to be torn between the two events, or maybe you come from a house divided — between Market camp and Game camp (What, did you think I meant Seattle and Atlanta camps? As if…) — or maybe you are one that wants to figure out how to do both.

Good news! At least a dozen venues within one block of your Ballard Farmers Market, up and down Ballard Ave, will be airing the Game today. You can come down, have breakfast while watching the game, and shop the Market during halftime or after the Game. Or you can drop your Game crew at one of these venues, and you can enjoy the Market, and all the other neighboring shops, in peace! Because here in Ballard, we are all about inclusiveness, and that means accommodating Seahawks and Market fans alike. Venues showing the game include Ballard Smoke Shop Bar, Ballard Station Public House, Bastille, Conor Byrne, Flying Squirrel Pizza at Sunset Tavern, Hattie’s Hat, Kickin’ Boot, Lock & Keel, Matador, Shiku and Zayda Buddy’s. Many are opening early today.

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

I loves me some rutabagas from Nash’s Organic Produce. A.k.a., Swedes, or as the Irish call them, turnips. These turnip cousins are much denser and have a deeper flavor, both sweet and earthy. They hold up in stews and soups where turnips turn to mush. They are great steamed and mashed with butter. They are a great addition to your long-braised meats, like brisket or corned beef. They make a nice addition to your root roast. Heck, they are even wonderful as veggie chips, fried or baked.

Taylor’s Gold Pears from Booth Canyon Orchards. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Booth Canyon Orchards still has lots of beautiful pears from this past fall’s harvest. They grow some stunning heirloom tree fruit in the beautiful Methow Valley, including these Taylor’s Gold pears, available now. Don’t let the cold air fool you. There is still plenty of great, local, nutritious deliciousness available at your Ballard Farmers Market!

Freshly harvested cultivated mushrooms from Sno-Valley Mushrooms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Have you checked out our newest farm at your Ballard Farmers Market? Yup. Them’s mushrooms, alright. From Sno-Valley Mushrooms over in Duvall. Over the last year, they shifted from a very small producer to acquiring a state-of-the-art growing facility, and now they are producing these gorgeous shiitake, lion’s mane and blue oyster mushrooms fresh for us every week. Mushrooms like a controlled environment for optimum production, and that is exactly what they’ve got at Sno-Valley. Enjoy!

Potatoes from Colinwood Farms. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Colinwood Farms is another of those farms located in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains on the North Peninsula, a.k.a., the Banana Belt. That makes this their high season, while most farms are on winter hiatus. Sure, they’ve got lots of these lovely potatoes, but don’t let that limit your imagination. They also still have salad mix and braising mix, winter squash and lots of other goodies!

Pepper beet jelly from Gaia’s Natural Goods. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Do you like your jelly with a kick? Try Gaia’s Natural Goods pepper beet jelly. It is sweetened by their beets, with a nice kick of hot peppers — a perfect accompaniment to cheese and crackers, or as an accent to pork or other meats. They also have a nice variety of berry jams made from this past summer’s berry harvest, as well as their famous pickled beets, and the new addition, pickled carrots!

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

Kombucha is made from brewing green tea, and then fermenting it using a “mother” of yeast and bacteria, much like how vinegar is made. It is thought to be healthful, and it is refreshing, with a lovely effervescence. It is also ever-so-slightly alcoholic from the fermenting process, so it is sold like beer, to those 21 and older. CommuniTea Kombucha, born right here in Ballard, makes some of the finest kombucha anywhere, or, if you want to try your own hand at making it, they’ll sell you a “mother” of your own.

The sampler gift box from Tiny’s Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Tiny’s Organic Produce has lots of great apples and pears available from fall’s harvest, including gala, honey crisp, pink lady and Mt. Fuji apples and D’Anjou pears, all organically-grown in their orchards in East Wenatchee. But did you know they also make preserves, dried fruit and applesauce, too? Yessir. Just down the hill from their farm is the little community of Rock Island, home of Pipitone Farms, and Tiny’s uses Pipitone’s kitchen to process their fruit at the peak of flavor and ripeness at harvest time, so that you can enjoy them on toast, in your lunch bag or with cottage cheese all winter long! You can get a nice sampling of them in one of these gift boxes (above).

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.

Saturday, October 28th: A Tribute To Essential Fall Crops!

Winter Luxury pumpkins from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hey, kids. It’s pumpkin pie season. And you can’t get much better for pie making than these Winter Luxury pumpkins from One Leaf Farm. They are not only beautiful, they are delicious! Indeed, they are aptly named. Stop by One Leaf for a couple of these cool looking gourds, and perhaps some lovely radicchio, too.

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

Nothing like sweet potatoes fresh out of the oven on a cool, fall night. They fill you with warmth while stoking your energy and pleasing your palate. And while they are a perfect side dish to so many proteins, try adding them to a simple or downright busy root roast. I love cutting them up and roasting them with parsnips, or with beets, carrots, parsnips and sunchokes. Or you can mash them with garlic, some chipotles in adobo sauce, and a touch of maple syrup. Yeah, baby. These Beauregard (left) and O’Henry sweet potatoes (above) are from Lyall Farms.

Golden Nugget squash from Stoney Plains Organic Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

These Golden Nugget winter squash from Stoney Plains Organic Farm have a sweet flesh with a wonderfully smooth texture that’ll just make you purr. And isn’t that what you want from fall foods? It’s cold. It’s wet. It’s dark. Give us comfort food! This is comfort food.

Yellow storage onions from Nature’s Last Stand. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

What doesn’t call for onions in the recipe this time of year. And while the onslaught of October rains may quickly be making our record warm and dry stretch this summer a distant memory, the truth is that that weather made for an epic onion harvest. They loved the sun, and then they were able to dry and cure without getting wet and moldy. That means we’ve got more storage onions, like these yellow onions from Nature’s Last Stand, than we’ve had in years at your Ballard Farmers Market. Enjoy!

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

This also seems to be a stellar year for celery, too. It is bigger, crunchier, even sweeter than in years past. And again, every recipe seems to call for it, from roasts to soups to stuffings. Nash’s Organic Produce has some lovely celery right now at your Ballard Farmers Market.

Viking purple potatoes from Olsen Farms. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

These Viking Purple potatoes from Olsen Farms are one of my favorites, and not just because they are gorgeous and have a really cool, Ballard-friendly kind of name. They have this amazingly fluffy, snow-white flesh when they are steamed that just begs for a big dollop of your favorite butter. Mmm.

Shallots from Summer Run Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Shallots also find their way into many a fall recipe. One of my faves is to caramelize them in the same pan with some nice chunky bacon, then toss in some Brussels sprouts, and cook them until they just start to get tender. Then deglaze the pan with some white wine, which will finish cooking the sprouts while it reduces. The shallots above are from Summer Run Farm.

Purple Goddess pears from Jerzy Boyz. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Fall is an excellent time to enjoy pears, like these Purple Goddess pears from Jerzy Boyz. So great in salads, baked, in pies and tarts, or just on their own, eaten right off the core. Right now, there is a great selection of pears at your Ballard Farmers Market, so do enjoy them while you can!

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

Let us not forget the formidable carrot, whose own ubiquitous presence can be found on almost any fall recipe page. Carrots are sweeter this time of year, due to cooler whether, making them great for any application, or just plain munching on their own. The lovely specimens (above) are from Gaia’s Natural Goods.

Spanish red garlic from Jarvis Family Garlic Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And perhaps no ingredient from your Ballard Farmers Market is more called for in your fall cooking than garlic, and lucky for us, Jarvis Family Garlic Farm from out of Sequim joined us this year with a bunch of amazing heirloom varieties of garlic for you to enjoy. After all. there is no such thing as too much garlic!

Fresh cranberries from Bloom Creek Cranberry Farm. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Let’s finish off this week’s installment with one of the most quintessentially fall crops — cranberries. Bloom Creek Cranberry Farm returned last week with their gorgeous cranberries, so there’s no excuse for you not to bring fresh cranberry sauce with you to grandma’s house on Thanksgiving, is there?

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.