Thursday, July 21st: Chef Branden Karow from Staple & Fancy, Blueberries, Blackberries, Cucumbers, Heirloom Tomatoes & Maybe Some Corn!

Blueberries from Sidhu Farms. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Look! Blueberries! From Sidhu Farms. Blueberries are one of those things I live for in summer. And because they are so easy to freeze, I can live with them all winter, too! Just wash and dry them, then spread them out on a cookie sheet or baking dish and pop them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, slide them into a freezer bag. They will remain loose from each other for months, meaning you can use them as your wish. Looking for other great ideas for enjoying the bounty of great local food, direct from the farmers, at your Interbay Farmers Market? Then stop by for another great cooking demonstration at 4 p.m., today by Chef Branden Karow of Staple & Fancy in Ballard.

Blueberry-Mango Salsa from Whitehorse Meadows Farm. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Welcome another blueberry farm, Whitehorse Meadows Farm, from Snohomish County, joining us today for the first time at your Interbay Farmers Market. They will start bringing fresh blueberries next week, but today you can enjoy their blueberry-mango salsa (above), or their blueberry-mango chutney. Delish!

Blackberries from Hayton Berry Farms. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hayton Berry Farms has first-of-the-season blackberries today, too! These are not the same blackberries that grow wild in Discovery Park. These are domesticated, and they’re bred for flavor. And they’re certified organic!

Cucumbers from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

More summer deliciousness: cucumbers from One Leaf Farm. Yay! Of course, One Leaf has all manner of wonderful stuff on their tables right now, and if you get there early enough, you might even find some cherry tomatoes.

Paul Robeson heirloom tomatoes. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of tomatoes, at Billy’s Gardens, they are so well-known for their heirloom tomatoes, the tomatoes themselves are on a first-name basis with you. Meet Paul Robeson, the tomato. Beauty, eh? Awesome, too. And if you are looking for value, and for sauce or juice tomatoes, Billy’s offers their “too ripe” tomatoes at a great price! You won’t find tomatoes this good in an Big Box Store.

Apricots from Martin Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Another new farm to join the vendor ranks at your Interbay Farmers Market is Martin Family Orchards, from Orondo, just north of Wenatchee. They produce all manner of great orchard fruits. Right now, you’ll find bing and Rainier cherries, as well as these juicy and sweet apricots.

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

Alvarez Organic Farms had this sweet corn at our sister Wallingford Farmers Market yesterday, the first harvest of the season. Hopefully, they will have more of it today, as well as maybe some watermelons and pickling cukes, too!

Of course, this is just a highlighting of what you will find today. There is still plenty of other stuff just waiting for you at your Interbay Farmers Market this week. For a full accounting of what you will find, see What’s Fresh Now!

Thursday, June 9th: Opening Day! Sugar Snap Peas, Strawberries, Hard Cider, Local Beef, Pea Vines, Milk, Artisan Breads & Chef Brandon Kirksey of Tavolata! But Wait, There’s More!!!

Chef Brandon Kirksey performing a cooking demonstration last August at Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Woohoo! It’s time! Time for your new and improved Interbay Farmers Market, hosted by Interbay Urban Center at 2001 15th Avenue W, just north of the Magnolia Bridge, in front of the Interbay Whole Foods Market. We’ll miss the spectacular sunsets and the beautiful views of the Seattle skyline and waterfront at the Olympic Sculpture Park we enjoyed last year, but alas, a second season there just did not work out. So we’ve moved a little north.

Visit us this, and every Thursday, from 3-7 p.m., through the end of September, to stock up mid-week on fresh, local deliciousness from great local farmers, ranchers and food artisans. And enjoy cooking demonstrations at 4 p.m. most weeks, kicking off with a demo by Chef Brandon Kirksey from Tavolata in North Belltown. Brandon is always a delight, and he will offer you great ideas of what to do with the local bounty at the Market. Hey, if he can do it under a tent in a parking lot on two butane burners, you can do it at home!

Sugar snap peas from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It has been a long, cold, wet winter, and many crops have been delayed this year, but now that spring has finally actually arrived, crop growth is beginning to accelerate. Alvarez Organic Farms, for instance, has the first sugar snap peas (above) of the season, as well as snow peas, asparagus, green garlic and onions and more!

Skagit River Ranch brings local meat, poultry, eggs, and grilled-to-order burgers. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Skagit River Ranch is renowned for their great, grass-finished beef, pastured pork, organic chickens and eggs. And this year, they’ll also be slinging freshly grilled hamburgers made with their own beef, served on Tall Grass Bakery buns! You can grab your groceries, and a delicious local snack to tide you over until dinner, too!

First of the season strawberries from Billy's. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Yes! Strawberries!!! Oh, happy day! But these strawberries from Billy’s will likely sell out fast, so get here early. Of course, Billy’s will have some amazing rustic arugula, tomato plants and more… but strawberries…

Pea vines from Lee's Fresh Produce. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Lee’s Fresh Produce is a 30-acre vegetable farm just east of the end of SR 520, on Avondale Road in Redmond. You’ve probably driven past it many times and not even noticed it. Lee’s grows spectacular produce. These pea vines (above) are tender and sweet, perfect tossed quickly in some warm olive oil until wilted, or added to a salad or some soup. They’ve also got baby bok choy, dill, cilantro, green onions, kale and much more!

Bread and pastries from Grateful Bread Bakery. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Grateful Bread Bakery in Wedgewood makes some wonderful artisan breads, pastries, muffins, cookies, and great bagels. Personally, I’m addicted to their chocolate croissants!

Pink Beauty radishes from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Meet King County’s newest farm, One Leaf Farm, from Carnation. For a first-year farm, their produce easily can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any farm in the state. It’s beautiful, fresh and delicious. They offer many interesting heirloom varieties, like these pink beauty radishes, and almost a dozen kinds of lettuce, and they’ve got some of the best salad mix I’ve ever had!

Bottle-fermented, sparkling hard ciders from Finnriver Farm & Cidery. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Finnriver Farm & Cidery makes bottle-fermented, sparkling hard ciders the old-fashioned French way, and the payoff is it the first sip you take. Do you love traditional ciders? Now, you can get it made locally!

Jessie Hopkins from Colinwood Farm on his antique potato planter. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of old-fashioned, check out Jessie Hopkins of Colinwood Farm on his antique potato planter. Colinwood Farm is located in, and I do mean “in”, Port Townsend. The farm is right smack in the middle of town, surrounded by neighborhoods. And yet their farm sports some of the richest, darkest, most fertile soil I have ever seen anywhere. And being located in the “Banana Belt”, that warmer, drier, sunnier swath of the Olympic Peninsula that is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, they have mastered the use of greenhouses and row covers to be able to have crops year-round at our Ballard Farmers Market, and to be the first to offer summer squash, carrots, tomatoes and more! Of course, these things will likely sell out fast today, but they’ve got plenty of gorgeous greens, salad and braising mix, storage spuds and more. So come meet one of the best, old-school farms in the state coming into Seattle to serve us you may never have heard of. After today, you will never forget them!

Gingered rhubarb jam from Deluxe Foods. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

How about jams, jellies and fruit butters made from local ingredients? Deluxe Foods has got you covered. They offer a wonderful variety of great flavors. Your toast will never be the same!

Milk and light cream from Silver Springs Creamery. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Lastly, for today anyway, and certainly not least, meet Silver Springs Creamery from Lynden. They milk jersey cows and goat. Then they bottle some of the best milk and cream, including old-fashioned chocolate milk, you will find anywhere. And that’s not all! They also make goat yogurt, as well as jersey cow yogurt that won “Best Yogurt” at the 2010 American Cheese Society Awards in Seattle last August. And they make great aged and fresh goat and jersey cow cheeses, too!

Of course, this is just a highlighting of what you will find today. There is still plenty of other stuff just waiting for you at your Interbay Farmers Market this week. For a full accounting of what you will find, click on “What’s Fresh Now!” in the upper right-hand corner.

Thursday, August 18th: Chef Ba Culbert from Tilikum Place Cafe & A Look At Our Food Artisans!

Chef Ba Culbert of Tilikum Place Cafe foraging for mushrooms in the Cascades. Photo copyright 2009 by Ashlyn Forshner.

Chef Ba Culbert of Tilikum Place Cafe will be performing a cooking demonstration today at 5:30 p.m. at your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. Ba regularly works with lots of local, seasonal ingredients at her restaurant, making her perfectly suited to give us great ideas on how to work with the fresh, local goodness found throughout the Market.

Sunset August 12, 2010 at Olympic Sculpture Park, with a crescent moon and Venus over the Olympic Mountains. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Though most folks have left the park by sundown, we are still packing up each week, and we get to take in all the glory of the park at dusk. Take this view from just last week, with a red sky silhouetting the Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound, a spectacular crescent moon, and you can just make out Venus at the top of the photo straight up and just to the left of the moon.

Sausages from Skagit River Ranch. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Skagit River Ranch in Sedro-Woolley produces some of the best meat, poultry and eggs you will find anywhere. Find just about any cut you fancy of their pastured pork or grass-finished beef, and get great bacon, ham and an amazing selection of sausages, including my favorite sweet Italian sausage in town.

Fresh, handmade pastas from Pasteria Lucchese. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Pasteria Lucchese makes handmade pastas and amazing desserts and sauces so good, many folks in town, including me, are downright addicted to them. In fact, their Trofie pasta with Norcina sauce, a creamy pork sauce, is on my menu for dinner tonight!

Whoopie Pies from Cupcuke Luv. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of addictive, have you tried a Whoopie Pie, or anything else for that matter, from Cupcake Luv? Holy flippity-flop, they’re good! And they make their goodies using lots of local ingredients, like the flour that comes from Washington’s own Shepherd’s Grain cooperative.

Seastack from Mt. Townsend Creamery. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Mt. Townsend Creamery takes rich, fresh, Olympic Peninsula cows milks and turns it into several varieties of cheeses, from fresh to aged, with one to please every palate. I love their Fromage Blanc on a Grateful Bread bagel with some Loki Fish salmon lox, and their Seastack (above) is nothing short of the stuff of legend.

Honey from Sweet As Can Bee. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Sweet As Can Bee works with numerous organic farmers along the fertile western slopes of Washington’s Cascade Mountains to help pollinate their crops. Their bees then create amazing honey from the pollen they collect. Try out their different flavors and see what you like best. It is said that local honey can help alleviate many allergies.

Jerry Baxter from Got Soup? Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Jerry Baxter, owner of Got Soup?, creates delicious fresh soups every week from local ingredients, most of which he finds at local farmers markets. And don’t think that summer is the wrong time of year for soup. During the hot summer months, Baxter makes a wide variety of wonderful and refreshing cold soups to cool you down. Are you a vegan or gluten sensitive? Got Soup? always has something for you, too.

Josephines and Fruit Pocket Pies from Hot Cakes. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hot Cakes is the brainchild of former Theo Chocolate chocolatier Autumn Martin. She makes these incredible little chocolate cakes in jars you just set in the oven, and a few minutes later, you’ve got molten chocolate deliciousness. She also makes these rich and scrumptious Josephines (above left) and the newly introduced Fruit Pocket Pies. Yummers!

Herbed Chicken Salad Sandwich was last weeks offering by TASTE. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And, of course, there is always our Market partners, TASTE Restaurant & Events, which rolls out a different Market inspired sandwich each week, filled with tasty ingredients from Market vendors.

Remember, this blog is your source for all things Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. You will learn about what’s in season; the people and businesses that produce it; what chefs will be performing cooking demonstrations from week-to-week; recipes from those demos and our vendors; and so much more. Each week during the Market season, one or more articles will be posted here, and each week the What’s Fresh Now!pages in the upper right-hand margin will be updated to let you know what all you can expect to find this week at the Market. So check back often, subscribe to the RSS feed, and then come visit us at your new Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market

Thursday, July 22nd: Space Needle Chef Jeff Maxfield, Sweet Corn, Wild Alaskan Salmon, Artisan Bread, Tomatoes & More!

Chef Jeff Maxfield (on right) of SkyCity at the Needle. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Chef Jeff Maxfield of SkyCity at the Needle will help us launch Week 2 of your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. Jeff will perform a cooking demonstration at 5:30 p.m. under the red demo tent at the north end of the Market, next to The Eagle. Come learn great ideas for cooking up local deliciousness from the chef who’s office has the best view in Seattle.

Just a sampling of what Loki Fish has to offer. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

We welcome Loki Fish to your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market this week. Loki is based at Ballard’s Fishermen’s Terminal, and they fish in the cold waters of Alaska and Puget Sound for some the best salmon you will find. They catch all five major species of Pacific salmon, and they offer it up in all sorts of ways, from fresh-frozen fillets to smoked to jerky to spreads, patties and sausages, and even Ikura, or Keta Salmon Roe, the Northwest’s own native caviar.

Sweet corn from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Alvarez Organic Farms is located in Mabton, near Sunnyside, in the Yakima Valley. It is the hottest area in Washington in the summer, and the result is great, hot-weather crops, like this first-of-the-season sweet corn. They also have some of the first eggplant of the year this week, too, and don’t forget that they offer Washington’s only fresh, local peanuts — the best you’ve ever tasted.

Chef Lucy Damkoehler cooks for an attentive crowd, with Elliott Bay in the background. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

If you missed opening day festivities last Thursday, you missed scenes like this, and I don’t just mean the stellar cooking demonstration by Pastry Chef Lucy Damkoehler from TASTE Restaurant. I mean the scene in the background — Elliott Bay! Yes, your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market is surrounded by spectacular views, and it is filled with brilliant art. And now we’ve added a fantastic Thursday Market to the mix. And the best part is, if you did miss opening day, we’re going to repeat it all again today, and every Thursday! How sweet is that?

Beautiful artisan bread from Grateful Bread Bakery. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Grateful Bread offers up wonderful artisan breads, like these above, as well as delicious pastries, cookies, bagels, scones and more. But last week, they sold out fast, so make sure you get there early to pickup your loaf for dinner, and a bagel or scone for breakfast tomorrow, too!

Belltown's own farmers market. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Yes, this is Belltown’s own farmers market. And just look at this incredible scene, with all the farmer tents in the foreground, lining the Park’s Z-Path, and all the high-rise residential buildings of North Belltown in the background. If you go back and  look at the very first post to this blog in February, you will see a photo taken from this same vantage point, just sans Market. Wow, isn’t it amazing how much the Market adds to this seen?

Sungold cherry tomatoes from Stoney Plains. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Tomatoes are coming into season all over Washington now. Like these incredibly sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes from Stoney Plains. One of the quickest tomatoes to bear fruit, Sungolds are one of my favorite tomatoes. I can eat them like candy. Very sweet, low acid, they will never last long enough for you to get them into a salad, unless you buy a second pint, and even then I bet you’ll eat them all right out of the container.

A mix of six different berries from Jessie's Berries. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Berry season is just plain off the hook right now. And the proof is in this basket of berries from Jessie’s Berries. Currently, they are harvesting blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, loganberries, marionberries and strawberries. Wow! Pickup a pint of cream from Golden Glen Creamery, and you’ve got dessert. Put in a little more effort with some flour from Finnriver Farm, some eggs from Skagit River Ranch and some butter from Golden Glen, and I can see a pie or a crisp in your future!

Certified organic chickens from Skagit River Ranch. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of Skagit River Ranch, they’ve got plenty of certified organic, pasture raised beef, pork and chicken (above) for your dining pleasure. Can’t you just smell it cooking of your grill on your deck right now? Of course, when your neighbors all ask you where you got that amazing smelling meat or chicken, you tell them, “at our Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market, every Thursday from 3:30-7:30 p.m.!”

And remember, this blog is your source for all things Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. You will learn about what’s in season; the people and businesses that produce it; what chefs will be performing cooking demonstrations from week-to-week; recipes from those demos and our vendors; and so much more. Each week during the Market season, one or more articles will be posted here, and each week the What’s Fresh Now! pages in the upper right-hand margin will be updated to let you know what all you can expect to find this week at the Market. So check back often, subscribe to the RSS feed, and then come visit us at your new Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market!

Wine Tasting & Jazz during the OSP Farmers Market

TASTE's Liquid Lounge hopping on Opening Day. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market is not merely the best new place to get great local food direct from the producer.  We’ve got lots of other great stuff going on to make your Thursday nights this summer the best ever. For instance, at TASTE Restaurant & Evetns’ Liquid Lounge, in PACCAR Pavilion, you can grab a flight of Washington wines, or a specialty cocktail inspired by, and infused with, fresh, local ingredients, pull up a chair in the sun (or shade), and watch the Market action while enjoying a break from it. Plus, you get the best view of the Park, Elliott Bay, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains bathed in warm summer sun as it slowly descends on the western horizon.

Live jazz Opening Day in the OSP Amphitheater. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And you can grab a snack and pull up some grass in the sun in the OSP Amphitheater and enjoy live music and dancing every week, sponsored by the Seattle Art Museum. And don’t forget our great lineup of top Seattle chefs who will be performing cooking demonstrations under the red tent at the north end of the Market, next to The Eagle, every Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. So head on down to your new Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market this week for an evening that will nourish the body and the soul.

Welcome to the Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market!

Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park will host Seattle's newest, and most elegant farmers market. (In foreground, Eagle, 1971, painted steel, Alexander Calder, American, 1898-1976, 465 x 390 x 390in., estimated weight 6 tons, Gift of Jon and Mary Shirley, 2000.69 , © 2006 Estate of Alexander Calder / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.) Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Welcome to Seattle’s newest, and most elegant, farmers market: the Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. Seattle Art Museum has partnered with Seattle Farmers Market Association to produce a unique farmers market that will combine fine food and fine art to nourish both the body and the soul.

The red line shows where the farmers market will be staged. Map courtesy Seattle Art Museum.

The Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market will be held every Thursday evening, 3:30-7:30 p.m., from July 15th to September 9th in 2010. It will be staged along the park’s “Z Path” in the eastern section of the park, streaming gently down the hill from the PACCAR Pavilion.

Olympic Sculpture Park is surrounded by dozens of high-rise residential buildings within an easy walking distance of the park and market. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

An easy stroll from the many residential buildings in north Belltown, the Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market will feature more than 30 of the best local farmers, food artisans, street food vendors and artists. It will also include weekly cooking demonstrations with top local chefs and wine tastings by TASTE Restaurant. And as part of its Get Out! Summer At SAM series of events, the Seattle Art Museum is planning a full lineup of music and other special activities at the Olympic Sculpture Park in conjunction with the farmers market all season long.

Olympic Sculpture Park on a postcard perfect afternoon, much like we will enjoy all summer. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Come on down this summer and experience the most beautifully situated farmers market in Seattle. Enjoy great food, art and music. Stock up on groceries for the week. Relax and watch the ferries glide by on Elliott Bay with the Olympic Mountains in the background. Or just do your best Mary Tyler Moore twirl and take in the spectacular Seattle cityscape from the park. You are not going to find a better way to spend a summer evening in Seattle. We’ll see you on July 15th!