It’s been a busy week here at the hennery – no time to sit and think. So here I am on my lunch hour trying to put together a post for you all. Turns out we’ve had 2 local meals this week, but no photos as my camera is sans batteries at the moment. So, I’ll give you a brief description shortly, but won’t blather on about them. I’m finding that planning and cooking our local meals is more fun than writing about them. So instead I thought I’d write a bit about my local farmers’ markets.
I’ve always gone here and there for the last few years, but never with the regularity of this year. This summer I’ve been to at least one almost every week – and some weeks I’ve been to two. For being a smaller county that’s not nearly as “advanced” on the local eating as Seattle is, I’ve been impressed with the local markets and resources I’ve been able to find. So here’s my review of what I’ve discovered so far.
Everett Farmer’s Market: This is the largest market that I go to, tho the Edmonds market on Saturdays is bigger. The Everett market is down at the port on Sundays from 11a – 4p June through September. There’s a great selection of farmers, all from within about 200 miles. You can also get cheese, meats, fish, flowers, spices and honey at the market. In addition, there’s a wide variety of craft vendors with some really unique things to offer. I enjoy the market for the crowd, the committed farmers, the quality of the produce and the chance to enjoy the briny breeze. And it doesn’t hurt that Sunday afternoon is my normal grocery shopping day – I usually go the market first and then hit the co-op or the grocery store for everything else.
Mukilteo Farmer’s Market: The Mukilteo market, Wednesdays from 4p – 7p just up the hill from the ferry landing, is my second favorite local market. It’s much smaller, maybe 30 vendors at most. But you can get everything you need in a low key setting. There’s always live music, my favorite vendor’s from the Everett market also show up on Wednesday, and you don’t have to fight for a parking spot.
Snohomish Farmer’s Market: This one is Thursdays from 4p – 8p in downtown Snohomish. It’s about the same size as the Mukilteo market and pretty much the same vendors, maybe slightly fewer. I liked this market better when it was located at the other end of town. It’s new location makes it difficult to park, and they’ve been working on the road between our house and the market making the 10 mile drive much longer than it should be.
So all that said, what did we eat this week?
OLS 8.1: Ling Cod, broccoli and tomato. This was a simple dinner of fresh Washington ling cod breaded and fried (non local batter from the pantry) accompanied by steamed broccoli and fresh tomato. A very simple dinner that none-the-less hit the spot at the end of a busy day.
- Ling Cod (WA coast, 88 miles)
- Frog’s Song Farm Broccoli (Fir Island, 31 miles)
- Yellow and Red Heirloom Tomato (Yakima, 160 miles)
- Butter (WA, organic)
- Balsamic Vinegar (Italy)
OLS 8.2: London Broil, green beans and tomato. We’ve really been enjoying the fresh tomatoes now that we can get them in quantity – and to me nothing is better than a fresh warm tomato drizzled with vinegar topped with salt and pepper. The London Broil was rubbed with a marinade made from olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh parsley, garlic and kosher salt. Mike cooked on the grill to perfection – it was really spot on medium. The green beans were sauteed with butter and olive oil and the tomato again got the balsamic treatment.
- 3 Sisters London Broil (Oak Harbor, 56 miles + ferry)
- Parsley (front porch, 0 miles)
- Green Beans (Mt. Vernon, 45 miles)
- Yellow and Red Heirloom Tomato (Yakima, 160 miles)
- Butter (WA, organic)
- Balsamic Vinegar (Italy)
- Garlic (fridge, non-local)
This weekend, weather permitting, we’re headed back over to Fish Lake to camp on Saturday night. Whether there or here, we’ll be having an OLS bar-b-que with burgers, corn on the cob and everything else. More on that later!
*****
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