Sunday, June 22nd: Happy Summer Solstice! We Bring You Alaskan Salmon, Blueberries, Shunkyo Radishes, 8 Kinds of Summer Squash, A New Bakery & So Much More!

Fresh pink salmon from Loki Fish. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Happy Solstice everyone! Yes, today is the first full day of summer! Woohoo! The sun will be up for 16 hours today, with an additional hour of daylight tacked on either side. It’s these spectacular long days that keep us going all winter long, so let’s celebrate. And to get summer started, Loki Fish began catching wild Alaskan salmon this past week, and they will have lots of fresh salmon today at your Ballard Farmers Market! We expect them to have Sockeye, Coho, Pink and Keta today, and possibly even some King. They’ll have fillets and whole fish for you, ready for the grill or smoker.

Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries & strawberries from Sidhu Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Holy Berry Cobbler, Batman! Sidhu Farms has raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries already, and it is still June! All I can say is, wow. This year continues to amaze. So while we begin our slow, steady, six-month long descent into darkness today, let us remember to enjoy all that these long, sunny, warm days have to offer. And heck… start freezing these berries today! You and yours will enjoy them all winter long!

Collard greens from Growing Things Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Take a gander at these gorgeous collard greens from Growing Things Farm. Do you eat collard greens? No? Why not? Do you associate them with the kind that is cooked to death with ham hocks in the South? Mind you, I enjoy those as much as the next person, but that ain’t how we roll here in the Northwet. Our collards are so sweet and tender, they are best simply sautéed with some garlic, bacon and a little salt and pepper until just wilted. Toss the stems in first, so they get tender. They make a great side dish to a nice grilled steak, or they can be the centerpiece of your meal. And collard greens are one of the most nutrient dense vegetables you’ll find around here!

Pomodoro bread from Snohomish Bakery. Photo courtesy Snohomish Bakery.

As you may have noticed, we’ve been one bakery down since the end of May. Well, not anymore! Please welcome Snohomish Bakery, from — you guessed it — Snohomish. They offer a large variety of great artisan breads, including this Pomodoro loaf, which they describe thusly: “A finishing salt takes the flavor of this already-packed savory bread to a whole other level. Ideal for sun-dried tomato and  rosemary lovers!” They also offer a number of other fun savory baked goods and croissants. We are excited to add them to our vendor lineup!

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

Stoney Plains Organic Farm has great organic strawberries for you this week. And that’s especially good to know, since we’re experiencing a little bit of a dip in our strawberry supply this week. They also have lots and lots of greens available right now.

Fresh spearmint from Children’s Garden. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Summertime means that you need mint! Lots of mint. For desserts, cocktails, salads, proteins… pretty much everything, really. Children’s Gardens grows some beautiful mint, including chocolate mint, and this spearmint. Me? I just like crunching up some of the leaves and putting it in my water glass.

Saskatoon berries from Foraged & Found Edibles. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Look, kids! Even the wild berries are early this year! These are wild Saskatoon berries from Foraged & Found Edibles. Native to the Pacific Northwest, Western Canada, the Rockies and the North Central U.S., they are nutrient-dense and mighty tasty. Oh, and Foraged & Found has lots of grey morel mushrooms today, too!

Fennel from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Fennel has arrived at Alm Hill Gardens. This sweet, licorice-y, bulbous weed is so versatile. Use the leafy fronds in salads or on fish. Grill the bulbs, sauté them or pickle them… even eat them raw. Use it to add flavor to other things, or let it be the star. I hear people telling me, “oh, but I’ve got that growing wild in my backyard.” No, what you have in your backyard is a wild cousin. The cultivated form has been bred for its tender bulbs and its sweet flavor. Enjoy!

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

We are full-on into the grilling season now, folks. The kiddies are out of school, the evenings are long and warm, and so much summer produce is great grilled. Plus, you keep your kitchen cool and your cleanup minimal. And with Independence Day just around the corner, you’ll want to stock up on some of these beef steaks from Skagit River Ranch. Their beef is grass-fed and finished on gorgeous pasture up in Sedro-Woolley, and it is tender and delicious. And can’t you just imagine the smell of them wafting through your house as they sizzle over those hot coals?

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

These are Shunkyo radishes, a Japanese variety that is my favorite radish. They are long, bright pinkish-red, and right now, they carry a good, spicy kick, which, for my money, every radish should. Stop by One Leaf Farm today, pick some up, and punch up your salad tonight, or simply dip it in some nice butter and maybe some truffle salt for a great pre-dinner snack.

Beef-porcini cappelletti from Pasteria Lucchese. Photo courtesy Pasteria Lucchese.

Look! It’s a bunch of little hats! No, seriously, this is beef-porcini cappelletti from Pasteria Lucchese, and cappelletti means “little hat” in Italian. So these are a bunch of little hats. Delicious little hats. I am just imagining eating some in a nice broth right now. Mmm. Ask them for ideas for preparing them, or any of his many other awesome handmade artisan pastas, today!

Summer squash from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Say what? Yes, this is summer squash from Alvarez Organic Farms. In fact, they already are harvesting at least eight varieties of summer squash over in Mabton… and summer just started! I like to slice them in half, lengthwise, and oil them up, then grill them. How you do like to prepare them? Post your ideas on our Facebook page, or click the comment button, below.

Early bing cherries from Martin Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Martin Family Orchards is the most northern of all of the orchardists here at your Ballard Farmers Market. That means they are usually the last to start harvesting cherries. Well, folks. This is the week! They’ll have these lovely Bing cherries, as well as some nice Rainier cherries today. Now, we get to wait on pins and needles for apricots and peaches!

Salad mix from Colinwood Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Colinwood Farm blesses us with their wonderful salad mix all year round. But this time of year is when it truly shines. Loaded with many kinds of lettuces, hearty and spicy greens and edible flowers, it is a summer delight!

Patty Pan Grill’s market-fresh veggie quesadillas were never sexier. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Da Boyz of Summer are ready to sling you up some serious deliciousness at Patty Pan Grill. Patty Pan embodies farmers market prepared food, being the first to build their menu around what is fresh and local at the market. Their veggies for their quesadillas are all sourced every week from our market farmers, and their tamales are filled with veggies, meats and cheeses from them, as well. And Patty Pan is even a worker-owned cooperative. How cool is that? Enjoy!

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, May 25th: Stuff To Remember, Stuff To Grill, Localicious Stuff… and STRAWBERRIES & CHERRIES!

Fresh smoked king salmon from Wilson Fish. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It is Memorial Day Weekend, a time that is supposed to be set aside for reflection and remembrance, that we never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. But Memorial Day didn’t always have a Weekend. It didn’t used to be on a Monday, so that folks could easily go camping, and stores could easily offer weekend-long sales. No, Memorial Day used to be held on May 30th, regardless of the day of the week, as proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, to recognize all those lost during the Civil War. It was not until the passage by Congress of the National Holiday Act of 1971 that Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday in May. But for me, growing up, I always thought that the big parade down Main Street in New Paltz, New York every May 30th was to celebrate my mom’s birthday. And ever since the holiday was moved to a Monday, I have struggled to remember when my mother’s birthday is. I write this to remind us all why we get Monday off this week, and to remind myself to call my mom on Friday!

Oh, and Wilson Fish has tweaked their smoked king salmon recipe ever-so-slightly, meaning that now, the best smoked king salmon around is even better! Get some… to nibble on while you’re at the parade tomorrow, of course.

Strawberries from Hayton Berry Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

This just in: Hayton Berry Farms returns today for the 2014 season with their first harvest of strawberries! Woohoo!!! Finally, a crop that came on early this year!

Mariah Doty from Nash’s Organic Produce. Photo courtesy Nash’s Organic Produce.

This is Mariah from Nash’s Organic Produce. She’s been selling for them at your Ballard Farmers Market for like a hundred years… or seven. One of those, anyway. Well, tomorrow is her last day. Stop by, bid her adieu, and grab some of their Spinach and some of their own freshly-milled Corn Meal, too!

Red Russian kale from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

One Leaf Farm has lots of lovely, tender spring greens coming on right now, from pac choi to broccolini raab, with a flavor akin to turnip greens, to this gorgeous red Russian kale that is great raw, or just barely wilted, maybe tossed with some sautéed green garlic. Mmm.

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

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Lyall Farms will have the first cherries of the season today at your Ballard Farmers Market! These early Burlat cherries are the first cherry to ripen, and Lyall’s orchards in Prosser are perfectly located to produce the first of these cherries each year!

Salad mix from Growing Things Farm. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Meet salad mix from Growing Things Farm. It is a lovely, delicate mix of a variety of greens, all harvested very young. It makes for a wonderful, and simple, salad for any day of the week.

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

Looking for some yummy sausages to grill up tomorrow? Skagit River Ranch has a great selection of them for you to enjoy, from bratwurst to hot dogs to hot Italian to a sweet Italian sausage link that will please any ex-pat New Yorker!

Green onions from Children’s Garden. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Mea culpa. I forgot to include Children’s Garden in last week’s tribute to the many Ballard Farmers Market vendors who contributed ingredients to our May 13th Fresh Bucks fundraiser. They provided their beautiful herbs, including cilantro, chives and these gorgeous green onions, great for so many applications. Try grilling them, for instance!

Organic asparagus from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Organic asparagus from Alvarez Organic Farms is great grilled, too. Nuff said.

Red radishes from Oxbow Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Oxbow Farm rejoined us earlier this month for the 2014 season. They’ve got lots of their great tomato plants right now, ready for your garden, as well as lovage, oregano, these red radishes and much more!

Fresh sheep’s milk yogurt from Glendale Shepherd. Photo courtesy Glendale Shepherd.

Some fresh sheep’s milk yogurt from Glendale Shepherd is a nice compliment to some of those Hayton strawberries, incorporated into any number of recipes, or just on its own, as I like to enjoy it.

Hand-forged blue steele pans from Blu Skillet. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

One more vendor from your Ballard Farmers Market that contributed to our Fresh Bucks fundraiser is Blu Skillet Ironware, which donated one of their beautiful forged iron pans to the live auction… a pan won by Farmer George of Skagit River Ranch! You know, I use one of their 10″ skillets as my go-to pan. It is amazing, gorgeous, competitively priced for the quality that you get, and it is made in Ballard!

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, April 27th: Not A Holiday! Just Another Day Of Great Localiciousness!

Chef Jason Stoneburner of Stoneburner Restaurant. Photo courtesy Stoneburner Restaurant.

Have you gotten your ticket to the best party this spring? If not, hurry, cuz supplies are limited. And dinner alone is worth the price of admission! I’m talking about the Farmers Market Dinner & Auction to Support Fresh Bucks, and it is happening in the Rooftop Pavilion of Hotel Ballard on Tuesday, May 13th. Chef Jason Stoneburner and his crew will be laying out a fabulous spread using ingredients from your Ballard Farmers Market, and the auction will feature food experiences, getaways, fine dining and art, and more, from places like Ray’s Boathouse, the NW Chocolate Festival, Taylor Shellfish, Cedarbrook Lodge, and even three nights in a beautiful house on Fresh Water Bay, west of Port Angeles! All to support our Fresh Bucks program. You get fun, deliciousness and goodies. Local families of limited means get greater access to the same great local food we enjoy here at your Ballard Farmers Market every Sunday! Buy your tickets now, or simply donate, if you cannot attend.

Tom Thumb lettuce from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

We start our tour of what’s fresh this week under the heading of “Friggin’ Adorable Produce.” This is Tom Thumb lettuce from One Leaf Farm. One Leaf grows a wonderful variety of heirloom lettuces. This one is a tiny variety of butterhead lettuce that is about the size of a baseball when mature. A single head is perfect for one salad. So stop by One Leaf, and get your lettuce on, cuz lettuce is back, baby!

Farmer Jessie Hopkins of Colinwood Farms holding baby zucchini with blossoms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And speaking of adorable produce, how’s about these tiny baby summer squash from Colinwood Farm. That’s them, right there, in Jessie’s hands. They come with blossoms attached this time of year, and they are perfect for a quick sauté or tossed into a salad. How many months has it been since you had your last local summer squash? Nuff said.

Fresh Hood Canal Spot Prawns from Hama Hama Oyster Company. Photo courtesy Hama Hama Oyster Company.

Once a year, if we’re lucky, Hood Canal is opened for spot prawns.  This is that time! Today, at your Ballard Farmers market, Hama Hama Oyster Company will have a limited supply of the finest shrimp on earth, our own native spot prawns (which, BTW, are not prawns, but shrimp). Come get them while you can, but get here early, as they will go very, very quickly!

Spring onions from Magana Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hopefully, we will see some of these wonderful spring sweet onions from Magana Farms today. As of last week, they were apparently right on the brink of readiness for market, so let’s hope so. They are great grilled or roasted with some of Magana’s asparagus!

Radishes from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

More radishes! As you know, I heart radishes. The more, the merrier. The promise of radishes come spring keeps me going all winter long. These beautiful radishes are from Alm Hill Gardens, up in Everson, in Whatcom County. You can actually see Canada from the farm. (Which is more than I can say for one being able to see Russian from their backyard in Alaska!)

Andrey is psyched to enjoy his Loki Fish salmon sliders. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Andrey is psyched. And can you blame him? He’s got a plate of Loki Fish Salmon Sliders hot off the grill. Booyah! Made using Loki’s own fish, rolls made with Washington flour, and local veggies and bacon for toppings, they are like one adorable, delicious bite of the Market, yo! But they keep running out of them early each week, despite bringing more and more, so get them early.

Gary Howell leading the goats out into the pasture at Twin Oaks Creamery in Chehalis. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And we finish this week’s tale of all things (or at least several things) adorable at your Ballard Farmers Market with this photo of adorable dairy goats following Gary out of the barn and onto the pasture at Twin Oaks Creamery. These hardworking, and rambunctious, critters eat well, play well, live well, and produce amazing milk that Twin Oaks bottles, and makes into chevre, feta, aged cheeses, yogurt and more! Yeah, baby!

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, April 20th: Farmers Market Dinner & Auction, and More Farmers Return!

 

Tickets are on sale now for our Farmers Market Dinner & Live Auction to support our Fresh Bucks Program on May 13th in the Hotel Ballard Rooftop Pavilion! Chef Jason Stoneburner of neighboring Stoneburner Restaurant and his kitchen crew will expertly prepare a amazing menu built around fresh ingredients from your Ballard Farmers Market, and Jason T. Haynes, who many of you know from Alm Hill Gardens, will perform a live auction as only that good ole Kentucky boy can! All proceeds benefit our Fresh Bucks Program that extends the benefits of those on Food Stamps when they use them here at the market, as well as nutritional and cooking classes for kids. Buy tickets now, or simply make a donation, at Brown Paper Tickets. Looking for more details about Fresh Bucks, and the Farmers Market Dinner & Auction? Click here! (And if you’d like to post one of our posters in your business or office, or you just think it’s pretty, click on it to download it.)

Radishes from Stoney Plains Organic Farm. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Well, after a winter of Sundays dominated by either bad weather or Seahawks games, we welcome the fifth straight Sunday in a row of lovely spring weather at your Ballard Farmers Market. And with this gorgeousness comes more and more spring produce. Like more radishes from Stoney Plains Organic Farm! I have been going radish crazy for the last couple of weeks, after months living without them. And hey, maybe your Easter egg hunt got rained out yesterday, but today, you can enjoy some wonderful Easter egg radishes (top left of photo, above). Enjoy!

It’s asparagus time again! Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And more asparagus! Yes, our friends at Magana Farms return today after their winter hiatus, meaning we now have three farms with asparagus at your Ballard Farmers Market. I suspect they may also bring with them some spring onions, too, if they are true to past history.

Fresh Herbs de Provence & Garlic-Parsley Chevre in new packaging from Twin Oaks Creamery. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Twin Oaks Creamery from Chehalis returns today with all sorts of cow’s milk and goat’s milk deliciousness. You’ll find fresh, pasteurized, bottled cow’s milk, fresh chevre (goat cheese), cheese curds (cow cheese), goat yogurt, goat feta and likely some aged raw milk cheeses. Woohoo!

Over-Wintered Cauliflower in the field in Sequim from Nash’s Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Over-wintered cauliflower is in the house! Go Nash’s! It’s your birthday! Go Nash’s! It’s your birthday! (Sorry. Lost it a bit there.) This image is, in fact, cauliflower in the field at Nash’s Organic Produce. And when it’s made it through a tough winter, it is oh, so sweet now! They’ve also got a bunch of over-wintered leeks today, too. And I hear they are sending me a recipe to make some awesome soup with the two, so stay tuned.

Camelina oil from Ole World Oils. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Camelina oil is back today at your Ballard Farmers Market. Produced by Ole World Oils on their farm yonder in Ritzville, this is your local cooking oil. It has a very high smoke point (475 degrees), is high in beneficial omega-fatty acids, with a perfect 2:1 omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, and it is stable, so you don’t need to refrigerate it. It has a wonderful, nutty flavor great for both cooking and as a finishing oil. And I love tossing cauliflower in it and roasting it in a 425 degree oven until just fork tender. The flavors compliment each other well. And best of all, it is priced competitively with olive oil.

Early spring rhubarb from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

There is still plenty of time to crank out your first rhubarb crumble of the season before the rest of the family shows up for Easter supper. Just grab some of this fresh rhubarb from Alm Hill Gardens today, and go home and get your crumble on! Just get here early, both because it will sell out, and because it will lower your stress level whilst making your holiday feast.

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

Looking for that last-minute Easter ham? Stop by Sea Breeze Farm! They will have plenty today… depending on your definition of “plenty.” Of course, if you are the slacker that rolls in after 2 p.m. today looking for it, you might find that our definition of plenty and yours are at odds. Oh, they will have some fresh lamb today, too!

Belgian-style ales from Propolis Brewing. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

When you think about Belgian ales, you think of monks, right? And besides making great beer, what else do Belgian monks do? That’s right! They practice Catholicism. And since this is Easter Sunday, it only follows that you should grab a bottle or three of this holy beverage from our newest vendor, and our first-ever brewery, Propolis Brewing, from Port Townsend. Using malted Washington grains and many local, seasonal ingredients to give each variety its unique flavor, this is the first brewery to qualify to sell at your Ballard Farmers Market, because we actually require all of our alcoholic beverage producers to use at least 95% Washington-grown ingredients. Enjoy!

Easter kugelhopf from Tall Grass Bakery. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

This is Easter kugelhopf from Tall Grass Bakery. “This rich buttery flavored golden coffee cake with a rich, buttery flavor is named after the pan with which it is made-kugelhopf pan,” says iFood.tv on its list of the top 10 Easter breads. (Who knew?) It is a German specialty bread, and our friends at Tall Grass Bakery make it extra special. Plus, they will have some hot cross buns (#2 on the list. Kugelhopf is #1.) today, too, and maybe a few other surprises to round out your Easter festivities.

A happy child at Whidbey Island Ice Cream. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hey, kids (young and old)! Whidbey Island Ice Cream is back at your Ballard Farmers Market! Boy Howdy!!! 2013 was kind of a roller coaster for them, but they’ve settled into their new production facility, and it is time again to get our ice cream on, folks. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

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

We’ll finish this week’s epistle — not a Papal epistle, but a farmers market epistle — with this lovely image of Easter’s past from our buddies at Olsen Farms. These are their Easter potato bunnies surrounded by Easter potato eggs. And if you need spuds still for today’s Easter feast, they’ve got those, too. As well as a bunch of freshly smoked hams!

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.