Cross posted at Life of Elle.
My neighbor went out of town for two weeks (please don’t rob his house). Before he left he asked if I could collect his mail and recycle his papers. I agreed since he is a nice guy. If he were an asshole I might steal some of the plants in his yard and replace them with crappy ones. Good thing he doesn’t have very many good plants and that he’s nice. Anyway, he also asked if we could use some fresh produce. Um, yes. We can always use fresh produce (she says as she ignores the 3200 square feet of vegetable garden and that every other week box of organic produce that comes to her doorstep). Why YES! Bring it on. He said that he gets a weekly CSA share from Zestful Gardens and that we are more than welcome to pick it up for the next two weeks. He would let them know that it would be us picking it up and that we would collect it at a church in the North end. The next day he arrives with a note about where to pick up the produce and other things. The note says he gets a full farm share, a greens share and 2 dozen eggs… on Tuesdays. As in every week. We weren’t sure what we were in for and we went to pick up the share and then to the farmer’s market.
The Zestful truck parks in a church parking lot and like any other CSA they put out their wares and a board that says what that week’s share is. You then go through and fill your bags. We walked away with 2 giant bok choi, 2 head of endive, 1 bunch of radishes, 1 bunch of chard, 1 bunch of chives, 1/3 pound of snow peas, 1/2 pound of snap peas, 1/2 pound of salad greens, 1/2 pound of spinach (that was the farm share). We also got a Chinese cabbage (the greens share) and 2 dozen eggs. Needless to say we didn’t buy any vegetables at the farmer’s market.
To add to it we have bunches of spinach (leftover from his last week share and our garden), 3 bunches of radishes (leftover from his last week share and our vegetable box), mustard greens, salad mix (from our vegetable box and the gobs from our own garden), kale, spring onions, spring garlic and carrots.
The question is, what do I do with all of this? I’m going to get another farm share next week and our vegetable box and I have stuff coming ready in my own garden. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but I can only eat so many salads a day. I may have to add a 3rd breakfast salad.
So give me your best suggestions. Given everything in my fridge, give me your best recipes. Help me out here. What would you make with all of this stuff?
The clock says it’s mid-day, but when I look outside I see otherwise. The rain is getting to me. I knew today was going to be dreary so I took full advantage of the highlight of my week yesterday. The 6th avenue farmer’s market opened. I miss the Downtown market since it is on Thursday mornings and I work while it is open. I am generally done with work at 4:00 on Tuesdays so the 6th Ave market is perfect. My husband, son (and dog) picked me up from work and we went to the market.
It threatened to rain, but the weather held the whole time we were there. The face of the market is ever changing. Now in its third year the 6th Avenue market is coming into its own. They are rearranging things a bit and adding a little bit of diversity in the vendors. There are a few more craft type vendors and a few new non-produce vendors.
We browsed our way down the market and purchased our way back. I’m sad that I didn’t have the opportunity to catch the names of all of the booths I purchased from, but I did get some. We purchased Asparagus and spring onions from the wonderful family that sits at the very back of the market. I have been buying amazing produce from them for 4 years now and I still don’t know their names. This year they have a new addition in the form of a 2 month old baby girl. She is just as sweet as her mama and I can’t wait to watch her grow up.
I picked up smoked salmon from Rolf (always a must on a weekly basis) and was happy to hear that he’s on his way up to Alaska to catch more to sell “fresh” (it is flash frozen for transport). Nothing better than fresh salmon on the grill in the summer.
Next we were pleased to see Vallhalla Coffee. This is great because we love their coffee, but for some reason we forget to stop by their shop on 6th Ave to pick up beans. What’s more is that I was tasked with buying good coffee for the nursery and I was going to get Stumptown at Satellite. However, I did better than that.
We picked up dinner at Gateway to India (per our usual 1st day of the market tradition) and CJ greeted us with a giant smile. The food was delicious as always.
I was happy to see that Tahoma Farms had a booth right in a prominent place. This is good so that we can pick up the items offered in the Terra Organics boxes on the off weeks (or at least what Tahoma grows).
My husband is a huge local honey eater. He has had peanut butter and honey toast nearly every morning for the past 7 years (maybe longer). In the off season we purchase our honey at Tacoma Boys or H&L. During the market season we purchase it from whomever is selling it at the time. The last bottle we purchased was at the Proctor market the day before Mother’s Day. It crystalized quickly and I wasn’t impressed. My husband was running out so he was happy to see Sweet As Can Bee Honey at the 6th Ave market. They had samples of all of their offerings and I love it when honey vendors do that. We walked away with a bottle of vanilla honey and a jar of cinnamon creamed honey. It was the only purchase we used our debit card on (typically we only spend $40 in cash at the market. it is our way of not overspending).
Our last stop was at a small booth selling tomato plants and greens. I am fully stocked on tomato plants and I am no longer allowed to even look at them, but greens… I could eat my weight in greens. I have a crisper drawer full of braising mix and kale so I didn’t need that, but this little vendor had a little green which I’d never heard of. I don’t know how to spell it, but is like a raab of some sort although not quite a raab. It can be eaten raw or cooked and tastes delicious.
I was happy with the selection of the market on opening day. I wish there were more people, but with the weather being so bad I’m not surprised. I will continue to support the 6th Ave market as long as it is open. I’ve missed you market season… it’s been a long winter.
When we went to Seattle last Sunday we decided to have lunch at our favorite fast food joint (Dick’s). While there my husband mentioned something about there being a Sunday farmer’s market in Ballard. One of the nurseries we were going to visit was in that area and I do love a farmer’s market so why not stop.
As we entered the market I was ready to put my house up for sale and move to Ballard. My Swedish husband was not opposed to that idea. Don’t worry, we aren’t moving, but if I ever moved to Seattle I’d park my butt on Phinney Ridge and frequent the Ballard area.
The Ballard farmer’s market was amazing. There were plant vendors, vegetable vendors, meat, cheese and food vendors. Soaps, art… everything. If we lived in that area there we would need very little at the supermarket.
The best part about the market is that it is opened year round. There are very few markets in the area that are open in the winter.
We didn’t walk out with anything, but my husband tried to purchase a summer sausage from Skagit River Ranch. Sadly they were out. If we had more money I would have completed my weekly shopping there.
Will I go back? Heavens yes. I would go weekly if I could.
Today is the last day of the Steilacoom Farmer’s Market. Why the market is ending in the height of the produce season is beyond me, but I’m not in charge so that’s beside the point. We thought we would take the time tonight to wander to the waterside market to see what we had been missing the past few weeks. However, when we asked our 4 year old if he wanted to go to the market he politely told us, “no thank you.”
Prior to us making the choice to visit or not my husband took a minute to look the market up on the web. My guess is that he wanted to see what the hours were (and secretly check out their website). He sent me the link to the site so that I might check it out also. Mostly because of my job and partly because we like this sort of thing.
I looked at the website and while the information was fairly easy to navigate something struck me as odd. I noticed the bottom of the page read:
“If you would like to become a vender or you know of any venders or have favorite venders that you would like to see participating in our market, please contact Voraya by phone”
Vender, vender, vender.
Seems to me that vender is spelled vendor. Maybe that’s just me. Often times I have spelled words with random Us. As in colour and flavour. I assure you I am not Canadian (although it is my second language) or Britsh (however I do call it cling film).
As I browsed the site more I saw more “mis”spellings. The whole sidebar said vender. It was nothing if not consistent.
I started to think about the image of this particular market and the face it put forth on the internet. As a graphic designer I know the importance of putting forth your best face for the public. Web media is the largest resource for most people these days. Lord knows I’ve recycled all of my phone books long ago.
The question remains, visit a place that so blatantly spells something wrong or give it a shot? Sadly for us, we did not visit the Steilacoom Farmer’s Market on its last day. The child said, “no thank you,” and that was enough for us.
Would I have gone if he said yes? Probably so.
Moreover, how do you spell it? Vender or Vendor?
My son is from Russia and somehow the little fact has been encoded into his DNA to like any and all Russian food. He’s lived in the US longer than he lived in Russia and what he was fed in Russia was something more akin to dog food rather than some of the wonderful yumminess found in Russian cuisine. However, whenever we make anything that we had in Russia that kid is all over it. Did I mention that he’s only 4?
A favorite in our house is “Purple Soup,” aka Borscht. Sadly, I never had Borscht in Russia made by an actual Russian. We did have a potluck one night and my dear friend Suzanne fixed a lovely Borscht. It was near the end of our stay so I didn’t have the time to taste the rich soup in every restaurant I came in contact with. Had I known it was so good I would have been on a one woman mission to find the best Borscht in Khabarovsk.
Two years ago I started creating our weekly menu and posting on my personal blog. During the summer we have “market night.” This meant I go to the farmer’s market and pick up a bunch of stuff and make dinner out of it. One week I found beets, carrots, potatoes, onions, dill and ground beef. Hmm, sounded like a certain soup I’d had in Russia. When I got home I searched the internet for recipes that looked easy. I didn’t find any that I particularly cared for so I combined a few and made it up as I went along. What resulted was the best soup I’ve ever made. It was a hit with the (then) two year old crowd.
Ever since my son has begged me to plant beets in the garden so we can make “Purple Soup.” Beets are so easy to grow and I don’t know why I didn’t plant them in years past. What we are finding now is that summertime is a little too warm to be eating hot heavy Borscht. I love the flavors, but the idea of standing over a hot stove when it’s 80 degrees in your house is unimaginable. To make up for that we created a summer version, Borscht Salad. The best part is the whole salad is grown in our garden.
Borscht Salad
Various lettuce (we use oak leaf, red leaf and butter crunch)
Various salad greens (arugula, cress, escarole, whatever is on hand)
3-4 baby beets (I grow Choigga) cubed
2-3 carrots sliced
Dill
blue cheese crumbles (purchased from a local cheese maker at the farmer’s market)
Throw all the salad fixings into a large bowl and top with a balsamic vinaigrette (my husband makes our vinaigrette so you’d have to ask him what is in it).
Perfect salad for a hot summer day.
I’ve been trying to keep track of what I harvest out of my garden. The way I put it to my mother-in-law, I’m trying to figure out how much more expensive it is to grow my own vegetables as opposed to purchasing them. Her response was, “but you don’t get the same satisfaction if you just buy them at the store.” True.
No matter the cost I will always grow something to eat. It may only be herbs, but I love the satisfaction of wandering through the garden and being able to pick a snack on my walk.
We don’t grow enough vegetables to prevent us from purchasing things from the farmer’s market or collecting our vegetable box from Terra Organics, but we grow enough to make a dent. This was very apparent last night as we wandered the 6th Avenue market. I walked out with 2 ears of corn, 1 zucchini, a beautiful arrangement of edible flowers, 2 Walla Walla sweet onions and a loaf of bread. I currently have an over abundance of peas (shelling and snap), lettuce, beets, carrots and herbs. Within the next few weeks I’ll add peppers and tomatoes to the list.
So how do you go about figuring if you are growing $64 tomatoes? The key is to keep track. In the end it is a complicated equation that figures in the cost of water, time, and supplies. I’ll go over that at the end of the summer. In the mean time I simply weigh everything that pick from the garden with a small kitchen scale. When calculating the final total I’ll add 10% to the amount to account for mouth loss (the food I eat as I go).
Yesterday’s totals are as follows:
13 oz snap peas
10 oz shelling peas (still in the shell)
6.5 oz beets
8 oz carrots
8 oz strawberries
This season I’ve collected:
almost 5 pounds strawberries
1.5 pounds snap peas (add 20-30% for what we eat on the spot)
14.5 oz beets
10 oz carrots
2 oz broccoli
lots of lettuce, cress and spinach (I don’t weigh that because we eat it too fast)
I also don’t weigh the herbs, but many an herb has been collected too.
I think we are off to a good start.
I was a huge slacker this year and bagged out on the opening day of the 6th Ave. Farmer’s Market. I spent the evening with family instead. Ok, they bought me dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and my husband was out of town that day so I wasn’t going to pass up a meal I didn’t have to cook. There, now you know.
I more than made up for it this week. In the spirit of “shake the hand that feeds you” we had a fantastic family evening at the market.
I went with a shopping list in mind. I’m trying to pinch every penny and those few that I do give out I’d like to go to my local farmers. I had grand plans of buying a chicken from Cheryl the Pig Lady and that is usually where a good amount of my market money goes when I do buy meat. I was disappointed that she wasn’t there. However, it did free up that portion of my cash on hand to purchase other delights. It’s a good thing too.
To our surprise Mark Gaimster, the proprietor of Il Fiasco, had set up shop in the newly revised food court area. A huge improvement over last year’s set up. Mark and Kristi are members of our church and some of the nicest people in the world. It’s just an added bonus that they have a great restaurant. Mark has devised a clever little plan to bring the market together. Each week he and the kitchen at Il Fiasco phone up the farmers who will be selling that week. They find out what will be available and create a dish specifically for that market on that day (they’ll be doing this for the downtown market also). Then they type up the recipe, put it on a card and then on the back of the card list where you can purchase each item on the list. Everything is available at the market. So there is no excuse not to eat at least one locally grown meal each week.
This is also a great way for you to get to know your local farmers. Simply go around to the booths and ask for what is on the card. You would be amazed at how easy it is to strike up a conversation with people with a little piece of paper. I also purchased items that I wouldn’t normally buy.
In our travels from booth to booth we had the pleasure of meeting a young couple and their son. They are a new vendor this year and are eager to make sure you get your green fix each and every week. I will have to say that normally I’m a very shy person when it comes to meeting strangers. I like to do my business and get on my way. Somehow Aaron, Andrea and Drew, of Vittles de Vine, made me feel very comfortable so we struck up a conversation. It all started with a mention of one of my readers. Amazing how pizza dough can be a great equalizer… or maybe it’s beer. Either way I wish I had purchased something from them. Unfortunately, they were out of the two things that we needed. There is always next week.
My overall view of the market was great. I missed a few things that were available last year. Cheryl for one. Rolf the smoked salmon guy wasn’t there, but this was just an off week for him. I also was hoping for Estrella cheeses. 6th Ave. is a great place for produce. It was last year and it looks as if it will be again this year. Since not everything is in one place I can still take my trips to the downtown market. This way I spread the wealth. I’ll post the recipe I got from Il Fiasco after I make it. I tasted it there, but things always seem to taste a little different at home.
Today has been marked on my calender as a special occasion for months. Today the Downtown Tacoma Farmer’s Market opened. Last year my son and I made it a weekly excursion. We would ride the “train,” wander through the market, pick up lunch and mini donuts and head home. By mid season my arms would get tired from carrying my basket it was so heavy with treasures I would find.
Our market isn’t the biggest in the world, but it is growing. When we lived in downtown Tacoma it was a seldom visited little market with more craft vendors than actual produce. Today it is over flowing with the bounty of spring. Sure there are a few handmade goods to be found, but there is more food.
When I told my son that today was market day is first response was, “can we get some fish?” He is referring to Rolf’s Smoked Salmon. We indulged and purchased a package that will likely be consumed mostly by me (only because I hoard it).
In addition to our fish we picked up a few herbs (including 2 cinnamon basil plants), Walla Walla Sweet spring onions, asparagus, 2 kinds of cheese (from 2 different vendors), baby lettuce and a bowl of West African Peanut Soup (for my lunch). My son opted to not have lunch at the market, but was sad when I didn’t get him soup. Next week baby.
I was quite excited to see the variety in the produce available. There were more plant vendors than usual and the choices in prepared foods has grown as well. My favorite Indian place (Gateway to India) even has a booth.
To make life easier we were gifted a beautiful new wagon over the winter. This will make hauling my produce from the market to the car much easier. I apologize if I run over any toes.
Our local community hosts a variety of Farmer’s Markets. The most popular being the one in downtown Tacoma on Thursdays. Unfortunately the Thursday market doesn’t start until late May making it nearly impossible for us to get some of the yummy early produce that is so prolific in Washington State. The really good Rhubarb comes from my Grandmother’s garden (and on tiny little crop from my own). Local Asparagus can be found at our vegetable store, but you often pay a bit of a premium for it. I have to wait until May for delicious salad greens, fresh snap peas and a host of other tasty treats that either grow in my own garden or that are available at the market.
This year is a little different. The fine folks at Proctor Farmers Market decided that it would be beneficial to close the market late last year and open it a little early this year. Or so it seems to me. Proctor (or N. 27th Street actually) opened it’s doors a few weeks ago to the tune of rave reviews. Last year we visited the market on opening day and were sorely disappointed. Not this year. It took us a few weeks to find the time to make it down to the market, but wow, were we surprised. This year we saw an increase of vendors selling none other than… food. We aren’t talking just prepared food (although there are more of those and that’s great for that after hockey practice lunch). We mean produce; meat, veg and cheese. In our (reuseable canvas) bag we brought home breakfast sausage links and ground beef from Cheryl the Pig Lady, fingerling potatoes and a wonderful little cookbook from Leftfoot Organics, Valley Girl Tomme from River Valley Cheese and asparagus from a vendor that I cannot recall the name of.
The asparagus was on the menu for that night’s dinner. The cheese topped my husband’s salad the next day for lunch and the rest… well it will we made into fine lunches and dinners for my family.
I have to say I was so impressed with the Proctor Market. It is a great family activity for a Saturday morning or early afternoon and best of all, I got to shake the hand of those who fed me. Doesn’t get better than that.
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