Farmers Market  
7-27-2008

When people ask me why I live in Seattle ...  I always have the same answer. Farms. Not hip belltown restaurants, not beautiful lakes, not mountains, snowboarding, wine, beer, nice people, or good sushi. Not baseball or football or the space needle…no, farms. The areas around Seattle have some of the coolest little organic farms and you can meet the people who run them when set up shop every week at the local farmers markets around town.

     I love to wander the farmers market and plan menus based on what I see in front of me. If it is in season it is there, if it is not in season you can’t find it. This is how I like to cook and how I like to eat. I feel much better knowing the zucchini I am about serve my family came from just an hour away that morning as opposed to weeks on planes and trucks coming all the way from South America or Mexico. I am so glad eating local is coming into fashion and hopefully the farmers will benefit from it.

    A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to do a cooking demo at the U-District and Lake City Farmers Markets. The great farms donated beautiful produce, bread and cheese and I tried to do it justice on a small stove and table in front of the great people who shop at the market every week. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to do it again. I met some of the people who work hard bringing all their work and love down to the market to sell things the way they should be sold. I admire them.

It feels good to support them. Please go there and shop…today.

Thanks to all the farms that donated.
Willie’s Greens
Loki Salmon
Port Madison Creamery
Alm Hill Gardens
Stoney Plains Organic Farm
Tahuya River Apiaries Honey
Blong’s Garden
Mt. Townsend Creamery
Panzanella
Hayton Farms
Full Circle Farms

Look for them online and get into the CSA programs to get fresh produce delivered to you.

Thanks to Naomi for setting it up and Courtney and Linda for their help.

Also special thanks to Dylan and Heidi Stockman of GreenGo Food.
Really cool people who are doing it right. Find the market they are in and go have an organic hamburger or grilled polenta with veggies. Inspiring and delicious. Fast food with a conscience.

www.greengofood.blogspot.com

And, as always, I give gratitude to Rick and Lora Lea of Quillisascut Farms for inspiring us chefs to think about what we put on our customers plates and where it comes from. 

     www.quillisascut.com

              Life happens at the table.