Chef George de Pasquale of The Essential Baking Company performing a cooking demonstration to a riveted crowd in 2008. Photo copyright 2008 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Remember when The Essential Baking Company was right down on N. 34th Street, just west of Wallingford Avenue? Well, they moved to Georgetown about this time last year, but their café is still there. Chef George dePasquele of The Essential Baking Company returns to Wallingford, and your Wallingford Farmers Market, for one of his great cooking demonstrations today at 4 p.m.
San Marzano tomatoes from Pipitone Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
If you’ve ever eaten pizza at Tutta Bella on Stone Way, you know how they sing the praises of San Marzano tomatoes, the tomato of Naples, Italy that grows in their rich, volcanic soil. These are amazing saucing tomatoes — rich and thick fleshed. Right now, Pipitone Farms has these prized tomatoes for you, which they grew in the rich, volcanic soil of the Wenatchee River Valley. Make some great sauce for yourself.
Celery from Full Circle Farm. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Fresh, local celery. Full Circle Farm has it right now. Crisp and ready for summer dips and for making stocks and seasoning roasts.
Fresh rye berries from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Finally, we have some local grain here at your Wallingford Farmers Market. Grain growing is something more and more farms are doing on a localized level, sowing heirloom grains selected for their flavor and nutritional profiles, and selling direct to us their grains and freshly milled flours. Alm Hill Gardens just began harvesting its first rye, and you can grab a bag of rye berries from them, perfect for cooking and baking.
Beautiful chard from Summer Run. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
No braising greens at the Big Box Store will ever be as fresh, delicious and nutrient dense at the greens you’ll find at your Wallingford Farmers Market. You can tell just by looking at the stem where they were cut to measure their freshness. How brown is it? The stems of this rainbow chard from Summer Run is so fresh, the cuts on the stems have not discolored at all. Now, that’s fresh!
Bags of spuds from Olsen Farmers. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Olsen Farms is harvesting many varieties of potatoes now, and it is a great time to get these lovely, small roasting potatoes. Tiny, tender and full of flavor, wrap them in a foil pouch with butter and herbs and roast them right on the grill alongside of your other food.
Sweet corn from Stoney Plains. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
More Westside sweet corn is in! This round is from Stoney Plains, in Tenino. They grow some great heirloom sweet corn varieties that are super fresh. Eat it tonight, or cut it off the cob and freeze it tonight and enjoy it in winter.
Of course, this is just a highlighting of what you will find today for your weekend festivities, and for the rest of the week. There is still plenty of other stuff just waiting for you at your Wallingford 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.
Tags: celery, chard, chef, cooking demonstration, corn, farmers market, food, George dePasquele, potatoes, rye, rye berries, San Marzano tomatoes, Seattle, tomatoes, Wallingford, Wallingford Farmers Market
