2nd Addition: March is National Soup Month: Now Use Fish for a Healthy and Sumptuous Basis for Great Chowders

When he’s not clowning around at Wilson Fish, Tim Davidson is an international disaster relief volunteer for the Red Cross. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

SO WHY NOT TRY A CHOWDER FOR SUNDAY DINNER?

Any variety of smoked salmon you chose will make a fine main ingredient in a chowder that will become one of your favorites with this recipe from bbcgoodfood.com.  We recommend it for the simple ingredients and fabulous flavor. You can click this link to see what you think. It may inspire you to try it.  You might even want to send us a photo or video of you cooking, or eating the soup, or clowning around.  We think it would be fun to see how you do and what you think.

Now, let’s talk Potatoes and Leeks.  Absolutely required, they can be found in abundance from most of our farmers.

First, Leeks:  Try Mee Garden, The Old Farmer, Colinwood Farm, Nash’s Organic Farm, Pa Garden, Ia’s Gardne, Growing Washington, Growing Things, and Stoney Plains.

Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

These shining and delicate flavored vegetables provide just the right touch.  But they always need to be washed thoroughly-they have a reputation for surprising people with globs of mud stuck between their layers of the top 2/3rds of the stalk.

HELPFUL TIP FOR CLEANING LEEKS:  Cut stalks into 2-3 inch pieces and remove the root end; place in a large bowl with cold water; and stir vigorously enough to see the beginnings of separation of the layers.  Allow to sit in the water long enough to begin to see the dirt come free from the layers, and give a good final rinse until you get the pieces clean.  Plan on using the bottom white portion up to the paler green pieces in your soup.  The greenest top parts can be placed in a bag & frozen to add terrific flavor to a clear vegetable broth made later, or you can compost them.

Now, the beloved Potato:  They too are available from your favorite farmer with little exception.  Pick the colors and textures you want.

Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Kirsop Potatoes are still looking good. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

The great news is Potatoes are so good for you.  Even without the skin, 1 medium potato will provide 70% of the Vitamin C you need in a day, 25% of the Potassium, 9% Iron and 8% Protein.  Add to that such nutrients as 30% of your daily need for Vitamin B-6, 18% of dietary fiber and 12% of Magnesium.  And I could go on, but out of courtesy to you, I’ll stop here.

Finally, this recipe calls for heavy cream (BBC calls it double cream), but if you substitute yogurt from Samish Bay Cheese, or sheep yogurt from Glendale Shepherd, you won’t regret it.

Sheep’s milk yogurt from Glendale Shepherd. Photo courtesy Glendale Shepherd.



Jersey cow yogurt from Samish Bay Cheese. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We’d love to see your innovations and how you do.  We are always interested in your experience.

Until then Bon Appetite!

Midweek Update for Thursday, January 29th: Seahawks Eat St. Jude Tuna, Too!

Canned local albacore tuna in a variety of flavors from Fishing Vessel St. Jude at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Did you know that, not only do our beloved Seahawks eat eggs from Stokesberry Sustainable Farm, but they also eat albacore tuna from Fishing Vessel St. Jude, and they are even making a special dish for the Hawks using both ingredients! “We have been selling [tuna] to the Seattle Seahawks this past year,” said Joyce Malley, who owns F/V St Jude with her husband, Joe. “They make a deviled egg (3 halves) with our tuna that contain 19 grams of protein,” which is a perfect protein portion for any Super Bowl champ!

Local albacore tuna loins from Fishing Vessel St. Jude at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons..

This recipe is our Market Master’s version of the Tuna Salad with a Kick developed by F/V St. Jude’s owner.  The ingredients below are those used by the Seahawks’ team chef. Super Bowl Party Devil’d Eggs with Albacore Serves 4-6 Hard boil eggs by placing eggs in pan of cold water. Place the pan on high heat and boil for 3 minutes. Turn heat off, and leave eggs sitting in hot water for 5-8 minutes, depending on size of eggs used (the larger the eggs, the longer the time). Then immediately rinse with cold water to stop cooking, and place in refrigerator until ready to peel and use.

• 4 eggs (2 per person) from Stokesberry Sustainable Farm
• 1 – 6 oz can albacore tuna of Fishing Vessel St. Jude
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Terrapin Ridge Wasabi Lime Mustard (or substitute your favorite mustard)
• 1/4 cup Coarsely chopped water chestnuts
• 1 Tbsp. cracked Black Pepper (or to taste)

Flake albacore into a medium to large bowl. Mix in mayo, water chestnuts, mustard and pepper. until ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. Serve with rice crackers, or roll in rice paper to form spring rolls and slice into serving sizes.

What the tuna infused deviled eggs look like on our undercover camera at the Seahawk’s VMAC training facility in Renton. Photo courtesy Fishing Vessel St. Jude.

Stop by your Ballard Farmers Market this Sunday before the big game and pick up tuna and eggs to make this dish. Heck, you can even get mustard seeds from Nash’s Organic Produce and make your own mustard for this dish in time for the Big Game. Go Hawks!

Sunday, January 11th: Tulips, Honey, Hazelnuts, Microgreens,

First-of-the-year fresh tulips from Alm HIll Gardens at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

It’s January 11th, and that means it’s tulip season at your Ballard Farmers Market, of course! Yes, Alm Hill Gardens has harvested the first fresh tulips of the year from their greenhouses up in Everson, just south of the Canadian border. It may not feel like spring outside, but you can bring some spring into your home with some of these beauties!

Brussels sprouts from Nash’s Organic Produce at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Nash’s Organic Produce is featuring both carrots and Brussels sprouts this week at your Ballard Farmers Market, and to that end, Patty has sent us this great recipe to enjoy them both together!

Glazed Carrot/Brussels Sprouts Sauté

• 1 lb. carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 lb. cleaned Brussels sprouts
• 3/4 cup chicken or veggie broth
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper

Blanch carrots in salted water for about 4 minutes. Remove and cool. Blanch sprouts for about 5 minutes. Drain and hold separately. Refrigerate if making ahead.

Bring stock, butter, brown sugar, vinegar and salt to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is reduced to about half. Add carrots and shake pan to coat them. Cook for about 6 minutes. Add the sprouts and pepper and cook 4 minutes more, stirring or shaking until all is coated thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Washington honey from Brookfield Farms at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Please welcome back one of our old friends, Brookfield Farms, returning after a hiatus of several years. Brookfield offers local honey from their own hives, as well as the hives of some friends. They also offer lovely wool products, too!

Got Soup?’s Jerry Baxter stirring a steaming caldron of soupliciounsess. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Earlier this past week, I pulled a quart of Manhattan clam chowder from Got Soup? out of my freezer. It was the best of its ilk I have ever tasted. With a deep, rich flavor, thick with nice chunks of veggies and clams, it was nothing like the thin, watery versions I’m used to, and amen to that! Perfect on a bleak, foggy January day. Here is what Got Soup? is featuring this week at your Ballard Farmers Market:

Orange & Cumin Sweet Potato-Vegan: Vegetable stock (water, onion, carrot, celery, tomato, parsley) sweet potato, onion, celery, oranges, cumin, cilantro, jalapeno.

Cassoulet: Chicken stock (chicken, onion, carrot, celery, tomato, parsley) onion, white beans, carrot, celery, tomatoes, pork shoulder, garlic sausage, garlic, white wine, bay leaves, parsley, thyme.

Northwest Chowder: Fish/clam stock, onion, potatoes, celery, leeks, red pepper, salmon, clams, milk, butter, GF flour, parsley, chervil, chive, thyme, peppercorns.

Thai Style Pumpkin & Coconut-Vegan: Vegetable stock (onion, celery, carrot, tomato, parsley) Pumpkin, coconut milk (water, coconut extract) onions, cilantro, ginger, red curry, tamarind, coriander.

Corn and Mushroom-Vegan: Vegetable stock (onion, carrot, celery, tomato, parsley) corn, onion, mushroom, red pepper, coconut milk, spinach, cilantro, thai chilis, tamarind.

Farmbox Greens’ vertical farm in West Seattle. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Get a big boost of nutrient dense deliciousness in the new year with microgreens from Farmbox Greens. Grown in their vertical farm in West Seattle, Farmbox offers a variety of microgreens, from radish to arugula to broccoli and more! And because microgreens are the tiniest of baby vegetable plants, they are packed with nutrients to help them grow and mature. Juice them. Use them as a garnish for salads, soups, sandwiches and proteins. Eat them right out of the container. Nummers.

Preserves from V Smiley Preserves at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Have you met our newest maker of preserves and spreads? V Smiley Preserves takes wonderful local ingredients and honey, adds a few exotic flavors and a lot of love, and you get amazing toast! Stop by for a taste today!

Fresh eggs from Growing Things Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We expected the return of Growing Things Farm, with their amazing pasture-raised chicken and eggs, last week. And then it rained over Saturday night. It rained, and it rained, and by the time they arrived at your Ballard Farmers Market last Sunday morning, they got word that both the Tolt and Snoqualmie Rivers were rising fast. See, the farm is located between the two rivers, right where they meet each other, and that spells trouble when we get a warm, heavy rain in the mountains in January. The result was one of the largest floods in the history of the Snoqualmie Valley. The good news is, Growing Things Farm raised its farmhouse last year (with your help, I might add), and they built and critter and equipment pad, so all the animals — chickens, goats, humans, etc. — and tractors managed to stay high and dry. And now, they’ve got an extra week’s worth of eggs to sell! But they always go fast. Get here early.

The Loki Special breakfast hash from Loki Fish at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Loki Fish is mixing it up a bit at their grill, adding breakfast and chowder to their lineup of salmon sliders. Pictured above, The Loki Special is a potato hash that features a fried Skagit River Ranch egg, smoked Loki coho salmon, Skagit bacon, and Market veggies. It’ll cure what ails you!

Natural hazelnuts from Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

And don’t forget these amazing local DuChilly hazelnuts from Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards. Indeed, this particular variety of hazelnut, native to Washington, it on its way to extinction. There is a virus killing the trees. And that actually explains why you’ll see “Product of Canada” on some of the bags. See, while Holmquist is replanting their Lynden orchards with a European variety of hazelnut that is not vulnerable to this virus, they are needing to supplement their harvest, which is now down over 90% from its peak, with DuChilly hazelnuts from a handful of orchards just over the border in British Columbia. These orchards are within 30 miles of Holmquist, south of the Frasier River, and they are also infected and in decline. Holmquist is helping those orchardists out by taking their entire harvest as Holmquist waits for its new trees to mature. So enjoy our native hazelnuts while you can. They are the best in the world, and we will miss them when they are finally gone.

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 4th: Honor Your Eat Healthy Resolution At Your Ballard Farmers Market!

Organic Carrots from Kirsop Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Okay, who here resolved to eat healthier in 2015? Come on. Get those hands up high in the air. Wait, keep them up. I’m still counting! Wow, that’s a lot. And I am assuming the rest of you, if you are reading this post, already think you eat healthy enough, or you don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions. Whatever the case, your Ballard Farmers Market is here to serve you! We’ve got plenty of fresh, locally-grown, and offered to you direct from the farm, nutritious produce, even this time of year. Like these gorgeous carrots from Kirsop Farm, our newest year-round farm at your Ballard Farmers Market.

Braising mix from Colinwood Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Starting off the new year with some roughage will make your body happy, and will please your palate in the process. Stop by Colinwood Farm for some of their lovely braising mix for said purpose!

Rutabagas from Nash’s Organic Produce at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Nash’s Organic Produce is rocking the rutabagas right now. One of my favorite roots, I love them simply steamed and mashed with good Irish butter. But Patty sent along another great way to enjoy them, and here’s the recipe:

Golden Rutabaga Sunset

Yield: 5 to 6 servings

• 1 large rutabaga, coarsely shredded
• 1 medium yam, about coarsely shredded
• 1 medium onion, sliced vertically into half moons
• 1 large leaf kale, rib discarded, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Pinch cayenne, salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp. chopped green onions for garnish
• 1 sprig fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil) for garnish

Combine the rutabaga, yam, onion, and kale in a large, deep skillet. Add the water and cook, stirring over high heat for 4 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add 1 or more tablespoons of water as needed to cook the vegetables and prevent burning. Add the raisins and cayenne, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the green onions and herbs. Recipe adapted from http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch4.html.

Whole pastured chicken from Growing Things Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Perhaps a nice, local pasture-raised chicken from Growing Things Farm will warm your soul and be a nice change of pace from heavier holiday foods. And hey… you could make some chicken soup with it, which is always a good boost to the old immune system, especially when you add…

Shiitake mushrooms from Sno-Valley Mushrooms at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Shiitake mushrooms from Sno-Valley Mushrooms. Considered both a culinary and a medicinal mushroom, these babies with cure what ails you while adding a big boost of flavor to any dish!

Siberian garlic from Jarvis Family Garlic Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

And there is no such thing as too much garlic! This Siberian garlic from Jarvis Family Garlic Farm will ward off colds and vampires (and perhaps a few unworthy friends who don’t appreciate your garlic breath), and it packs some powerfully delicious flavor, too!

Local albacore tuna loins from Fishing Vessel St. Jude at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons..

Fishing Vessel St. Jude makes it’s monthly visit to your Ballard Farmers Market today. Come get some of their most excellent local albacore tuna, full of beneficial omega-fatty acids, which your doctor (or your PBS guru) will tell you is very, very good for you!

Sunchokes from Alm Hill Gardens (Growing Washington) at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Sunchokes are sometimes called Jerusalem artichokes, but sunchokes have no relation to artichokes whatsoever. They are, in fact, a tuberous vegetable produced by a member of the sunflower family, and they are native to North America. Sunchokes, like this from Alm Hill Gardens (Growing Washington) are loaded with nutrients, and while they can be prepared any way a potato is, they actually have the opposite effect on your blood sugar, which makes them great for diabetics!

Golden Russet apples from Booth Canyon Orchard at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

And, of course, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? So stock up on apples from Booth Canyon Orchard, like these super yummy, if not super attractive, Golden Russet apples.

Freshly shucked oysters on the half shell from Hama Hama Oysters at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Lauren McCool.

Finally, as we welcome back Hama Hama Oysters from their holiday hiatus, let us not forget that oysters are loaded with zinc, which can help you ward off those winter colds. And rumor has it that oysters are good for other healthy things, too, but this is a family show.

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.