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, November 23rd: Eat Local For Thanksgiving!

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

It’s here, folks! The first really big holiday of the holiday season: Thanksgiving! Or as we call it in my family, “Thanks For The Land Day!” Whatever you and yours call it, this coming Thursday is a day to take a break, take stock, and express our thanks for what we have, and especially for the bounty that reaches our tables. For Thanksgiving, the first American holiday, ultimately commemorates when mighty, advanced indigenous peoples welcomed undocumented foreigners with open arms and saved them from starvation at Plimouth, so that they might make better lives for themselves in a new world.

We in the farmers market community encourage you to Eat Local For Thanksgiving this coming Thursday, and we have pretty much everything you’ll need to do so right here. We then ask you to give thanks for the many local farmers, fishers, ranchers and food artisans who bring you the best food on earth right here at your Ballard Farmers Market every Sunday, year round. This year, the best way you can do that is to make a public comment in opposition to unreasonably high permit fee increases on farmers markets and their vendors proposed for 2015 by Public Health – Seattle & King County. For a great discussion of the issues at hand, and what is at stake, check out this week’s Ballard News-Tribune article, and for more details on how to comment, please see this blog post from last week. And in return, we thank you!

Shallots from Alvarez Organic Farms at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

One of my favorite dishes for Thanksgiving is Brussels sprouts with bacon and shallots. There are plenty of Brussels in your Ballard Farmers Market right now, including those beauties up above from Nash’s Organic Produce. And several farms will have shallots, including this from Alvarez Organic Farms. I caramelize my shallots while browning and rendering out my chunked up bacon in a hot skillet. When the bacon begins to get browned, and the shallots caramelized, I drop in the Brussels, cut in half, and sauté them in the bacon grease until they get bright green and just beginning to get tender. At that point, I deglaze the pan with some white wine. The wine combines with the tasty browned pits, or fond, on the bottom of your skillet, reincorporating them back into the Brussels with delicious results. The Brussels finish cooking in this yummy wine sauce and the wine cooks down. The result is that your Brussels sprouts hating kin will ask for seconds!

And speaking of cooking tips, celebrated James Beard Award winning local chef, Ethan Stowell of Ethan Stowell Restaurants (including Ballard Ave’s Ballard Pizza Company, Chippy’s and Staple & Fancy) will preform an Eat Local For Thanksgiving cooking demonstration at 11 a.m. today.

Bacon from Skagit River Ranch at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

You’ll need some of this amazing bacon from Skagit River Ranch to complete your Brussels sprouts masterpiece this week, but get here early, as it’s sure to sell out. And speaking of things selling out, here are some shopping strategy tips for today’s Market:

• Get here early, if you can.
• Pack patience with you, as crowds will be big.
• Maybe pack a cooler, too.
• Purchase things like eggs, bacon, cranberries and other items likely to sell out early first.
• If you don’t plan on watching any sporting matches today, you may prefer to shop after 1 p.m., when big games will thin out our crowds, though keep in mind that some prime items may be sold out by then.
• If you do plan to watch either the Seahawks or Sounders games, do your shopping first, or during halftime, and watch the games on one of the many TV screens in bars and eateries up and down Ballard Avenue. It will likely be cool enough that, even without a cooler, your Market goodies will keep just fine in your trunk until after the big game!

Here is a list of where you may be able to watch the Sounders playoff game in the neighborhood at 2 p.m. today:

• Bad Albert’s
• Ballard Smoke Shop
• Billy Beach Sushi & Bar
• El Borracho (on Leary)
• Kangaroo & Kiwi (on Market, soccer only)
• Kickin’ Boot
• Lock & Keel
• Loft
• Market Arms (on Market, soccer only)
• Moshi Moshi
• Patxi’s
• The Gerald
• The Noble Fir

Here is a list of where you will be able to watch the Seahawks, in addition to all of the places above:

• Bastille (at the bar)
• Bitterroot (in the bar)
• Hattie’s Hat (at the bar)
• Matador (at the bar)
• Stoneburner (in the bar)

And that’s how you can have your game, and Eat Local For Thanksgiving, too!

Siegerrebe wine nestled in siegerrebe grapes at LIV (Lopez Island Vineyards). Photo courtesy LIV.

Now, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that you use a bottle of Siegerrebe from LIV (Lopez Island Vineyards) to deglaze your pan whilst cooking up those Brussels, but it would be a nice accompaniment to your meal. It, or any of the many other award-winning wines from LIV. And try out their new raspberry dessert wine, too!

Rutabagas from Alm Hill Gardens at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Another favorite of mine this week is steamed rutabagas mashed with lots of good butter. You’ll find these lovely little bagas at Alm Hill Gardens (a.k.a., Growing Washington), right at the bottom of the Market. Nummers!

Winter squash from Boistfort Valley Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Winter squash from Boistfort Valley Farm will help sweeten up your holiday feast. They have many different varieties from which to choose, in many flavors, textures, colors, shapes and sizes. Ask for cooking tips. Roast your seeds. And remember, you can eat the skins on many squash varieties!

Japanese turnips from One Leaf Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Looking to add a little taste of spring to your fall feast? How about some of these beautiful Japanese wax turnips from One Leaf Farm? They come complete with greens, meaning you get two dishes for the price of one! Or, better yet, cook them together! Cut the turnips in half, sauté them in butter or olive oil until tender and a bit browned. Then add the greens and some crushed garlic and toss together until the greens wilt. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Red Lasoda potatoes from Olsen Farms at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

And don’t forget the spuds! Olsen Farms has a couple dozen varieties of potatoes from which to choose, with one perfect for your needs. Some or white, others golden, and others red or blue. Some are waxy and others starchy. Some are better suited to baking, while others like roasting, and still others steaming or frying. Ask questions. Read tags. Have fun with your potatoes.

Parsnips from Oxbow Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

One thing you can do with your potatoes is mash them with some celery root and parsnips from Oxbow Farm. Talk about an elegant mash! You’ll want equal amounts of all three. I also like to cut up my parsnips into small chunks and roast them in a hot oven with some sweet potatoes from Lyall Farms cut into similar-sized pieces. When they’re tender, they’re done… in about 15-20 minutes. Toss them once, midday.

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

With all the meat, potatoes, sugary things, roots and such, you’ll want some roughage. Lucky for us, in spite of the recent cold weather, Colinwood Farm’s greenhouses are still cranking out some righteous spicy salad mix just for you! Slice up some of those turnips like radishes and add them to it.

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

Oh, and add some superfood to your salad, too! This week, we welcome Farmbox Greens to your Ballard Farmers Market with these Seattle-grown microgreens. In their seedling form, they are little nutrient bombs, and they are packed with flavor, too. Garnish your soups, mashes, meats and more with them.

Arkansas Black apples from Tiny’s Organic at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Apples are good for all sorts of dishes, from salads to sauces to pies, during the holidays. I chose this particular photo of Arkansas Black apples from Tiny’s Organic because I recently returned from a trip to Arkansas, and I am here to testify that this apple is, in fact, the apple of Arkansas!

Cirrus cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Cirrus cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery is what they, and I, call a “Northwest camembert.” It is the perfect cheese for any occasion, great on a nice slice of local bread and topped with some ikura from Loki Fish. You’ll need some for your holiday festivities!

Kalamata olive bread from Snohomish Bakery at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

And here is a perfect local bread for that pairing: kalamata olive bread from Snohomish Bakery. It is all chewy and salty and delicious, and it keeps fairly well, so fear not picking it up today for later in the week. And if you are simply a worrier by nature, then pop it in the freezer today, then pop it in the oven around 300 degrees on Thursday for about 20-30 minutes. It’ll be like it just came out of the bakery’s oven!

Fresh Puget Sound Keta salmon fillets from Loki Fish at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Loki Fish will have just a little bit more fresh Puget Sound Keta salmon today in fillet form before the Puget Sound season closes for 2014. They had one more brief opening on Thursday night, so this is super fresh. If you’re just not a turkey eater, or you are looking for something distinctly different for your other meals this week, here you go! But it will sell out early. However, they will have plenty of that aforementioned ikura, freshly cured and ready to pep up that cheese and bread, or your soup or salad.

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie from Deborah’s Homemade Pies at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Why spend the entire day in  your kitchen on Thursday? Give yourself a bit of a break and get one of these amazing pumpkin pies from Deborah’s Homemade Pies, or apple or pecan. Not only will it lower your stress level, it will likely be better than anything anyone you know can bake! And if you are attending a feast at someone else’s house, and you’re supposed to bring dessert… here you go! Just grab a pinch of AP flour out of the cupboard before you leave home and dust yourself a bit. Everyone will believe you baked it yourself.

Green Dragon hummus from House of the Sun at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Finally, we’d like to give one last shout out to Adam and House of the Sun Raw & Vegan Foods. Adam is retiring his company as of today’s Market, and he is moving to Portland. Stop by, wish him well, and grab yourself one last container of his awesome Green Dragon hummus for old times’ sake. Thanks, Adam! We’ll miss you!

Don’t forget to check out this week’s midweek blog posts (Tuesday & Thursday) for more information on what you’ll find today at you Ballard Farmers Market. And 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, September 28th: It’s Still Summer, Apparently. And Yet… Hardy Kiwis, Brussels Sprouts & Wreaths Have Arrived!

Hardy kiwis from Green Water Farm. Photo courtesy Green Water Farm.

It is hardy kiwi season at your Ballard Farmers Market, folks! Yessir, kiwis do grow around these parts. They are a small variety, about the size of a cherry tomato, and they are awesome! Green Water Farm grows them over in Port Townsend. We missed them here last year, as it was a rough year on the crop. No such problems this year, and they are rolling in earlier than ever! Yeehaw! (Sorry, I’m listening to The Outlaws while I write this.)

Walt models a Brussels sprout tree from Summer Run Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of earlier than ever, we have never seen Brussels sprouts in September before.. well, before now! In fact, I took this photo a week ago, meaning this is the earliest we’ve ever seen there here by over three weeks! What up?! Summer Run Farm wins this particular record-breaking crop lottery. So bring on fall! We’re ready!

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

As of last Monday, we passed back into the dark side of the calendar. Longer nights mean cooler days, and cooler days mean roasting a chicken indoors is bearable again, and in fact, doing so reduces the need to turn on your heat overnight. So why not stop by Growing Things Farm for one of these gorgeous, and stunningly delicious, pasture-raised chickens today? These are the chickens my family eats for Thanksgiving. And just to clarify… “pasture-raised” means they get to run around all over the place outdoors. (Trust me, I’ve seen them.) It does not mean they’ve been treated with heat to sterilize them. That would be “pasteurized,” and that would make for a rather strange chicken.

Farhad from Tall Grass Bakery at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Today is the final day for Farhad of Tall Grass Bakery at your Ballard Farmers Market… at least in his capacity working for them. Farhad is moving on to other projects after about eight years with Tall Grass. He has always been a delight to work with, and we’ll miss seeing him every Sunday. Stop by for a baguette, olive fougasse or loaf of hominy bread, and wish him well! (Note: Tall Grass Bakery ain’t going anywhere. They started with us over in Fremont about 15 years ago, and we’re pretty much joined at the hip now.)

Cherokee purple tomatoes from One Leaf Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

What an epic year for tomatoes! I’ve been hearing even the lamest of backyard gardeners saying they’ve been rocking the tomato action in their gardens this year. And no one rocks tomatoes quite like One Leaf Farm. These Cherokee Purple tomatoes, for instance, are outstanding right now. So juicy and perfect, begging for a dash of salt and a spoonful of mayo, or to be celebrated in a nice salad or sandwich.

Italian prunes from Booth Canyon Orchard at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Stina from Booth Canyon Orchard tells me that they have tons of these amazing Italian prunes this year. One of my favorite fruits, they are amazing dried, made into jams, chutneys or sauces, used to accent a nice duck or some pork, or just eaten right off of the stone. They are deeply sweet with a wonderful, thick flesh. And I think I’ll have one right now!

Pepper wreaths and strings from Alvarez Organic Farms at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

It has been just over a month since my trip to visit Alvarez Organic Farms to see their acres and acres of pepper fields. They have over 400 varieties of peppers now. And they have a group there that has been crafting them into these spectacular pepper wreaths and pepper strings for years. But this year’s are especially beautiful. They will brighten your home for weeks, they make great gifts, and because they are not treated with anything, the peppers are fully edible after they’ve dried out.

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

Thank you, Devon, for getting me another great recipe (below) from the kitchens of Nash’s Organic Produce. This week’s feature is cabbage, and they have lovely cabbage right now for you! They still have plenty of sweet corn, too, as well as celery root, spinach and basil, for that last dose of pesto. And they’ll have 3-pound bags of rainbow carrots for the next two weeks at a great value!

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Servings: 6

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 head cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups veggie or chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, brown pork in oil over medium high heat until redness is gone. Drain off fat. In a large mixing bowl combine the onion, tomato sauce, cabbage, rice and salt. Add meat and mix all together. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Pour broth over meat mixture and bake in the preheated oven, covered, for 1 hour. Stir, replace cover and bake for another 30 minutes.

Pie pumpkins and blue hubbard winter squash from Colinwood Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We finish off with some gorgeous gourds from Colinwood Farm. These are blue hubbard winter squash and sugar pie pumpkins. Hubbards make for great soups and stews, are great roasted, and are large enough to feed a small army. And the pumpkins make for great pies, custards and breads. Yes, it is warm and sunny again today, but it is fall, folks. Let’s enjoy it!

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, February 16th: Loki’s Salmon Sliders, Britt’s Pickles, Sheep’s Yogurt & Nash’s Last Best Carrots & Sprouts!

Salmon sliders from Loki Fish. Photo courtesy Loki Fish.

Hey, kids! Check this out! Our buddies at Loki Fish are developing a hot-food menu around their wild Alaskan and Puget Sound salmon, and they are going to give it a test-drive today, right here at your Ballard Farmers Market! Woohoo! They are making three different preparations of salmon sliders:

• Apple aioli, bacon and arugula
• Fennel, carrot and jalapeno slaw with shoyu glazed patty
• Lemon aioli with charred radicchio and feta 

Besides using their own salmon, Loki is sourcing many of its other ingredients from local folks like Skagit River Ranch, Samish Bay Cheese, Columbia City Bakery and Rockridge Orchards. Stop by and try one… or six… today, and let Loki, and us, know what you think!

“Initial Pickle Offering” from Britt’s Pickles. Photo courtesy Britt’s Pickles.

More newness! And I am going to let Britt’s Pickles do the talking, literally:

“Britt’s Live Culture Foods are handmade in Washington on Whidbey Island. The unique process of fermenting vegetables using lactic acid bacteria allows Britt’s Pickles, Kimchi and Kraut to retain the rich rewards of the natural enzymes and vitamins in vegetables. Fermentation is a simple and natural process used by many cultures throughout history to preserve food, promote good digestion, and to improve health.”

Britt’s is joining the lineup of your Ballard Farmers Market today with a wide variety of  pickles, kimchis and krauts. Stop by for a sample or three!

Fresh sheep’s milk yogurt incubating at Glendale Shepherd. Photo courtesy Glendale Shepherd.

The hits just keep on coming! And you know what that means? Spring is just around the corner. Well, that explains the arrival of fresh sheep’s milk yogurt from Glendale Shepherd. See, little baby lambs began popping out of their mommies up on Whidbey Island this past week, and that means the ewes have begun producing their prized milk again. Fresh milk means yogurt! Enjoy!

Brussels sprouts from Nash’s Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Last call for Nash’s Organic Produce Brussels sprouts and carrots! Yes, it’s getting to be that time of year when we are beginning to transition from winter crops over to spring crops, but unfortunately, spring is running a bit late this year. At least you can take advantage of one last opportunity to enjoy Nash’s amazing winter carrots and Brussels.

Pink Lady apples from Collins Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Collins Family Orchards is still rocking their fall harvest of killer apples. I am a particular fan of these Pink Lady apples. A bit sweet and a bit tart, they are as good an eating apple as they are a cooking apple, and because they store very well, they are still great this time of year!

Shiitake mushrooms from Sno-Valley Mushrooms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Shiitake mushrooms are great any time of year, but they may be best in winter. That’s because they are not only delicious, but they are full of all manner of healthful goodness that’ll give your cranky immune system a boost, right when you need it the most. Stop by and grab a pint or two from SnoValley Mushrooms right here at your Ballard Farmers Market!

Collard greens from Stoney Plains Organic Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

The cold last week may have dealt another little setback to our quest for winter greens, but not enough to stop Stoney Plains Organic Farm from harvesting some of their great collard greens this week. And speaking of giving your immune system a boost, collard greens are one of the most nutrient-dense greens around, and they’re great with bacon, too!

Succulents from Phocas Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Meanwhile, since winter cannot last forever, maybe it is time to start thinking about spring and summer gardens. Now, maybe you’ve noticed that its gotten kinda dry around here in recent years. Not so much today, but in general, it’s dry. Well, these gorgeous succulents from Phocas Farms are drought tolerant, and to make them even more so, now is the perfect time to plant them in your yard. They will get their roots set while it is still damp, and then, come summer, they will frolic along merrily, without you worrying about watering them all the time!

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.