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.
