Sunday, October 24th: Puget Sound Keta Salmon, Brussels Sprouts, Black Truffles, Gluten-Free Bread & A Rainbow Of Cauliflower!

Fresh Puget Sound keta salmon from Loki Fish. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Happy Sunday, all! Never mind the calamity you see outside your windows this morning, because your Ballard Farmers Market is about as well stocked as ever with a veritable cornucopia of fall deliciousness normally unheard of this late in the year. Like fresh Puget Sound keta salmon from Loki Fish. Yup. Keta salmon is quite versatile, and in this case, it is the only commercially viable salmon fishery still remaining on Puget Sound. And since you can actually easily walk from the Market to Puget Sound, you’ll agree: it doesn’t get much more local that this.

Concord grapes from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

The grape harvest is very late this year, but here it is — concord grapes from Alm Hill Gardens. These sweet and quintessentially grape-flavored grapes are great as table grapes (complete with seed spitting!), or you can make your own grape juice or wine with them. And did I mention that grapes are loaded with anti-oxidants?

Brussels sprouts from Summer Run. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Brussels sprouts! Oh, happy day!!! How I have missed you, oh, mighty mini cabbages put on this earth to befuddle many and to enthrall those of us who appreciate their inextricable relationship with bacon, shallots and white wine… and Ciscoe Morris, of course. Congratulations to Catherine at Summer Run for winning this fall’s Brussels sprouts sweepstakes by having the first farm at your Ballard Farmers Market to harvest them.

Kohlrabi from Red Barn. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

I was just thinking that during my recent visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin — a great city that has one of the most impressive local food scenes in the United States (Seattle having the most impressive, of course) — I had perfectly cooked local Brussels sprouts to accompany my local, grass-finished beef meatloaf at The Comet Cafe. But being a city of many Eastern Europeans, I also found myself enjoying dishes featuring kohlrabi at the Serbian restaurants I visited. Our farmers around here grow some absolutely magnificent kohlrabi, like that above from Red Barn, which we recently welcomed back to your Ballard Farmers Market with all manner of deliciousness. Perhaps if we could encourage some of our neighbors with great kohlrabi recipes to share them with us, the many of us who are intimidated by this unusual vegetable will give it a chance. If you’ve got a recipe to share, please use the comment field below send it to us. Thanks!

Fall flowers from The Old Farmer. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Our Hmong farmers are famous for the spectacular flower arrangements they make year-round. But I think I like the fall bouquets best of all. There is a vibrance and warmth to these beautiful blooms from The Old Farmer, don’t you think? Now, I know that you are not really thinking you want to bring fall into your home today, but I think one of these lovely bunches of floralrificness on your dining room table would take the edge off our first big storm of the season, don’t you?

Washington black truffles from Foraged & Found Edibles. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

These Washington black truffles from Foraged & Found Edibles pack an enormous amount of flavor in their little fungal bodies. And one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways I’ve eaten them is when Chef Seth Caswell of emmer&rye served them simply shaved over some Pasteria Lucchese pappardelle that had been tossed with butter. Delicious!

Gluten-free breads from Platypus Breads. Photo courtesy Platypus Breads.

Platypus Breads is back at your Ballard Farmers Market today with gluten-free breads worth seeking out. Lindsay took a well deserved break for a couple of weeks, but she’s back and baking up gluten-free breads which are — I will say it again until it sticks — moist and flavorful. Have you been looking for a gluten-free bread to add to your elegant dinner? Here it is!

White, green, cheddar and romanesco cauliflower from Growing Things. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Cauliflower is in the house! (Okay, it’s in the Market. But if you bring it home with you, it will be in the house.) Again, here’s another crop that came to us oh, so late this year, but now that it is here, let’s celebrate it. Especially when it comes in so many varieties from our friends at Growing Things Farm. I’ve captured 4 kinds above — white, green, cheddar & romanesco, which is the only vegetable that actually grows in fractals! So get your cauliflower on, baby!

Herbs de Provence butter from Golden Glen Creamery. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

The ladies up at Golden Glen Creamery got inspired by the recent visit to Seattle by the American Cheese Society, and they’ve started having fun with all sorts of flavors infused into their farmstead butter. They’ve got three new flavors on their table, including: Bittersweet Chocolate & Orange; Northwest Mushroom Trio; and Herbs de Provence (above). Enjoy!

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!

Tags: Ballard, Ballard Farmers Market, black truffles, Brussels sprouts, butter, cauliflower, concord grapes, farmers market, fish, flowers, food, gluten-free bread, keta salmon, kohlrabi, romanesco, salmon, seafood, Seattle