Wednesday, September 10th: Fresh Peanuts, Medicinal Mushrooms, Westside Sweet Corn, Cannellini Beans, Cookie Dough & More!

Don Hilario Alvarez Organic Farms holding freshly dug peanuts on the farm. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

It is fresh peanut season at your Wallingford Farmers Market again! Yes, our good friends at Alvarez Organic Farms are harvesting peanuts right now from their fields in Mabton, Washington. Still don’t believe peanuts grow here? Then look at this photo I took of Don Hilario Alvarez on the farm two weeks ago! Those are two freshly-harvested peanut bushes in his hands, and behind him is acre after acre of peanuts. Peanuts are not nuts at all, but legumes, and you can see that in the pea-like leaves they have. Love boiled peanuts, or you want to roast your own? Now’s the time!

And speaking of it being now time, only two more market days remain after today in the 2014 season of your Wallingford Farmers Market. Celebrate a season nothing short of epic with us the rest of September, and then visit many of your favorite vendors all winter at our Ballard Farmers Market on Sundays. And if you wonder why we’d end this season while it is still raging? Simple. By the last week of September, the sun sets at 7 p.m., and there are no lights here in Meridian Park. That day, we’ll already be packing up in the dark!

Sweet corn from Alm Hill Gardens at Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Westside sweet corn has finally arrived at your Wallingford Farmers Market, and this year’s crop is amazing! While we’ve been enjoying the blessings of Eastern Washington’s hot weather and earlier corn crops for almost two months now, the corn fields in Western Washington have slowly been growing to maturity. You’ll find big, beautiful, sweet ears of corn from a few of our Westside farms today, including this beautiful specimen from Alm Hill Gardens in Everson.

Here is a tip for chosing corn: instead of pulling open the top to see if it is filled out, simply run your thumb over the outside of the husk. You can easily feel the mature kernels inside. See, when you actually tear the corn open, you are actually ruining it either for yourself or the next person, because the minute you do that, all the delicious sugars in it that make it so sweet begin to turn to starch. So please, never tear open the husk to examine it before you buy it. If you need help choosing the best ears, just ask. Our farmers are more than happy to lend you a hand.

Collard greens from Kirsop Farmat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

I love collard greens. I love them lightly sautéed with some nice bacon and garlic. I love them as a side to a nice steak, or as the centerpiece of my meal. See, most folks think of collard greens like the ones they cook Down South, cooked long with ham hocks. And mind you, them’s so good greens. But ours are different. They are more tender. They are sweeter. They like to be treated more gently. And they reward us for it with amazing flavor and a ton of nutrition! These gorgeous collard greens are waiting for you today from Kirsop Farm.

J.H. Hale peaches from Martin Family Orchardsat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

J.H. Hale peaches from Martin Family Orchards are big, beautiful, sweet and juicy. They are the quintessential peach — the peach’s peach. They are the legendary peach for which Washington is famous. When you look up “peach” in the dictionary, you’ll see these guys. They are a freestone peach, making them easy for canning or making cobblers. And they are in season now!

Chef Brian Gojdics from Tutta Bella performing a cooking demonstrationat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Hey kids! Our buddy, Chef Brian Gojdics, from Tutta Bella, is back again this week for another deliciously informative and inspirational cooking demonstration at 4 p.m. today at your Wallingford Farmers Market! Two weeks ago, he was grilling pizzas topped with Market localiciousness. Today? Who knows? Come see! And guess what else? Our friends at Two If By Seafoods, whose smoked salmon adorned the top of a couple of Brian’s pizzas in August, are also now making both sockeye salmon lox and pink salmon lox! If you tend to favor more of a Northwest style of lox with a bold salmon flavor and pronounced alder smoke, go for the sockeye. If you are more old-school East Coast in your tastes, and are looking for a flavor and texture more like what you’d find in New York, then I recommend the pink. Enjoy!

Pork belly (left) and jowl (right) bacon from Olsen Farmsat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

This gorgeous bacon is from Olsen Farms. On the left is traditional pork belly bacon, and on the right is pork jowl bacon. And while both are great, the jowl bacon has its own unique, somewhat sweeter, flavor to it that I love for adding to vegetable dishes and pastas.

Fresh cannellini shelling beans from One Leaf Farmat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Ooh, baby. Fresh cannellini beans from One Leaf Farm! These lovely little shelling beans are white when dried, but are green when fresh. And when fresh, their flavor and texture are quite different. I love fresh shelling beans in general. They make for great salads, sides, additions to pastas, spreads… but I especially love them in succotash. Just shuck and boil the fresh beans for 15-20 minutes in well-salted water, until just slightly fork tender. Then toss them into a pan with some rendered bacon or some smoked salmon, add corn freshly cut off the cob, some chopped parsley, some green onion, a bit of crushed garlic and some salt and pepper and give it all a good toss until just warmed through. Don’t overcook it. And enjoy! Remember, too, that you can buy, shuck and freeze fresh shelling beans now, and enjoy them all winter.

Reishi mushrooms from Ascended Groundsat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

This is a block of fresh, young reishi mushrooms that were ground by Cascadia Mushrooms for Ascended Grounds. Ascended Grounds then takes these wonderfully medicinal fungi and makes beverages and tinctures that are both delicious and darn good for you. I’m not sure I am versed well enough to do it justice, but they say, “Ascended Grounds transforms what it means to drink a cup of coffee. Using the ascended health practices of ancient masters, we are awakening your mug and your consciousness to upgrade your health and quality of life. Let us introduce you to the incredible synergy of medicinal mushrooms and coffee. Your ‘morning cup of joe’ will never be generic again!” Stop by today for a taste, and for the whole story, at your Wallingford Farmers Market!

Seasoned red onions from Around The Table Farmat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

As the sun reaches longer on the horizon, sunset comes earlier, and the march toward the autumnal equinox looms just days away now, we continue enjoy what  decades from now we will tell future generations was either, “The Endless Summer of 2014,” or “The True Beginning of local Climate Change.” Whatever the case, and regardless of the fact that it is mid-September, and we’re all still wearing t-shirts and shorts, the fall crops are coming on anyway, and with only two more market days after today in the 2014 season of your Wallingford Farmers Market, it is not only okay, but advisable, to start stocking up on fall and winter storage crops, like these seasoned red onions from Around The Table Farm. By the same token, this is a great year to be canning a bunch of their awesome tomatoes, too!

Concorde pears from Tiny’s Organicat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Big, beautiful and delicious Concorde pears from Tiny’s Organic are in at your Wallingford Farmers Market. These giants of the pear world are the quintessential pear, a cross between the great ancient Conference and Comice varieties, developed in England years ago. They enjoy a superior flavor, texture and a dramatic, classical pear shape. They are only around for a month or two each fall, so enjoy them while you can!

Cookie dough from Pinckney Cookie Caféat Wallingford Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Finally, we all love cookies from Pinckney Cookie Café, but did you know that they offer their cookies in raw cookie dough form? Yup! In other words, you grab one of those containers, take it home, and bake up Michael Pinckney’s cookies fresh, filling your whole kitchen with the aroma. Best of all, the dough comes pre-portioned, meaning that you can grab just a couple servings out to enjoy now, and then pop the rest right back in the freezer to bake later, when you need your next cookie fix!

There is plenty more local deliciousness waiting for you today at your Wallingford Farmers Market. Just check What’s Fresh Now! in the righthand menu for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now.

Please remember to bring your own bags today, and please take note of our new green composting and blue recycling waste receptacles throughout your Wallingford Farmers Market, and please make an effort to use them correctly. Each container has what’s okay to put in it pictured right on the lid. Please do not put the wrong materials in, because that drives up the cost of recycling and composting, and it can result in the entire container being sent instead to a landfill. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

Wednesday, July 30th: Warm, Sunny Weather Returns, As Do Melons, Tomatoes & Sweet Corn!

Cantaloupe melon from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Cantaloupe in the house! Yeah, baby! Washington produces an amazing diversity and quantity of melons, and our plant researchers and hybridists have developed some of the best melons anywhere. And yet, this humble, downright ancient, cantaloupe from Alvarez Organic Farms still remains a showstopper for flavor and juiciness. They are ripe and ready today for your picnic in the park! (Always remember to give your melons a good rinse before cutting into them.)

Chef Derek Ronspies from Le Petit Cochon. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Chef Derek Ronspies from Le Petit Cochon, Fremont’s delicious new outpost for hardcore lovavores, returns for another great cooking demonstration today at 4 p.m. When he visited in mid-June, he whipped up a great spring succotash. With his love of all things local and his Southern influences combined with today’s summer bounty of marketliciousness, I can’t wait to see what he cooks up today!

Heirloom tomatoes from Around The Table Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Around the Table Farm, from Poulsbo, is cranking out the heirloom tomatoes for you, good people of Wallingford. In this photo, you will find such outstanding varieties as striped cavern, Cherokee purple, vintage wine, brandywine and Wapsinison peach (those are the little yellow ones). Bring a decent tomato knife and some salt with you today for your picnic!

Cranberry shelling beans from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Cranberry shelling beans are in at Alm Hill Gardens a full three weeks earlier than we’ve every seen them before! Now it is proper succotash season! Cook these bad boys up whilst still fresh by boiling them in well-salted water for about 20 minutes, or until just tender. Then drain them and toss them in a skillet with sweet corn freshly cut off the cob, green onions, fresh garlic, parsley and some bacon from Sky Valley Family Farm or Olsen Farms, and just heat it through. No need to cook it to death. Remember to render out the bacon before adding the other ingredients to the pan, and use the bacon fat as your cooking oil, and for flavor, of course!

Salmon Zip Dip from Two If By Seafoods. Photo courtesy Two If By Seafoods.

Shannon Ford of Two If By Seafoods has been busy up in Bristol Bay, Alaska, catching wild salmon for us here at your Wallingford Farmers Market. They catch it, carefully clean it, pack it and blast-freeze it at the peak of its freshness, then ship it down to us to enjoy. With the arrival of the 2014 catch in Seattle, they’ve added a new product to their lineup today: Salmon Zip Dip! Grab a nice baguette and a butter knife or spoon, and you are set!

Sweet onion from Seattle Youth Garden Works. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It’s been a lean year for spring sweet onions around here, which makes this spectacular image of these beautiful sweets from Seattle Youth Garden Works all the more welcome! You’ll find no sweeter onion on earth than our beloved Walla Walla sweets. Of course, we can’t call these that, because they’re not grown within 50 miles of Walla Walla. But it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them just as much!

Sweetheart cherries from Lyall Farms. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

When Lyall Farms starts bringing in the sweetheart cherries, we know that cherry season is beginning to wind down, because they are the latest cherry variety. So if you haven’t taken the opportunity to enjoy the outstanding cherries that 2014 has produced, do so now, while you still have the chance!

Caraflex cabbage from Kirsop Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

I thought Jersey Wakefield cabbages were the Coneheads of cabbages. Then I met these Caraflex cabbages from Kirsop Farm. I look at them, and I can hear Dan Ackroyd and Jane Curtain in my head. (Youngsters, please use your smart phones to look up “Coneheads” and Saturday Night Live, and stop making us feel so old!) This is a very dense, and thus heavy, cabbage, favored by Europeans, though I don’t know if the French love them quite as much as they love the Coneheads themselves. Get your slaw or kraut on with one of these!

Hawaiian Punch pluots from Collins Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hawaiian Punch pluots were actually developed by Collins Family Orchards, which means you will not find this sweet, juicy, brilliantly red-fleshed pluots anywhere else. Try something uniquely delicious today at your Wallingford Farmers Market!

Kalamata olive bread from Snohomish Bakery. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Moist, chewy, with little explosions of salty oliveliciousness throughout, you will adore this kalamata olive bread from Snohomish Bakery. It is just one of a dozen or so varieties of artisan breads they bake. Stop by for some to compliment your Wednesday night picnic today!

Tomato Bruschetta from Ethan Stowell Restaurants from June 18, 2014. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Back on June 18th, when Chef “T” of Rione XIII made this Tomato Bruschetta for you at your Wallingford Farmers Market, they sold out by just after 6 p.m. Remember, the chefs of Ethan Stowell Restaurants are taking turns making fresh menus for us every week from Market ingredients. They are rolling with the seasons and throwing down the localiciousness. And we’re the winners! Just don’t get here too late.

Dark chocolate oatmeal cookies from Pinckney Cookie Cafe. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Michael Pinckney is a cookie-making machine. He makes six flavors of cookies in his Pinckney Cookie Cafe, including these awesome dark chocolate oatmeal cookies. He uses flour from Washington’s own Shepherd’s Grain, and with the exception of his oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate is the number one ingredient in all of his cookies. Avoiding gluten? He’s got gluten-free versions of his cookies, too. Wanna bake them fresh at home? He even offers cookie dough that you can take and bake yourself.

A hot day cools for Seattle Pops!. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Seattle Pops has two great new pops loaded with local flavor today at your Wallingford Farmers Market: Blackberry Ginger, featuring organic blackberries from Hayton Farms, and Cherry Chocolate Chunk, featuring Bing cherries from Martin Family Orchard and dark chocolate from Seattle’s own Theo Chocolate. Just in time for the return of the sun and summer warmth!

Summer flavors from Soda Jerk Soda. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Finally, how about some fresh sodas from Soda Jerk Soda. Check out their current selection of flavors, including Tamarind-Ginger, Lemon-Lavender and the oh, so localicious Blueberry-Basil. And remember, their cups and their straws are compostable. When you go to dispose of them, please take a moment to recognize our green composting and blue recycling waste receptacles throughout your Wallingford Farmers Market, and please make an effort to put your cup in the correct receptacle. Each receptacle has what’s okay to put in it pictured right on the lid. Please do not put the wrong materials in, because that drives up the cost of recycling and composting, and it can result in the entire container being sent instead to a landfill. It’s easy. You already do it at home every day. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

There is plenty more local deliciousness waiting for you today at your Wallingford Farmers Market. Just check What’s Fresh Now! in the righthand menu for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now.

Wednesday, July 9th: Corn, Tomatoes, Pluots, Blueberries, Green Beans, Alaskan Salmon & More!

Beefsteak tomatoes from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

We hope you all had a pleasant Independence Day holiday. Now, it’s time to gear up for the real summer in Seattle — lots of warm, sunny days, a festival every three days, and a stunningly diverse rainbow of localiciousness at your Wallingford Farmers Market. Indeed, this particular blog installment is about as colorful as any we’ve ever done. And yes, this is a photo of beefsteak tomatoes taken this year. I took it right here last Wednesday, in fact. These beauties are from Alm Hill Gardens.

Sweet corn from Lyall Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Okay, now we’re talking! Yes, it is time for sweet corn! Lyall Farms will have their first harvest of the season today at your Wallingford Farmers Market. To quote Garrison Keillor, “Sex is good, but not as good as fresh sweet corn.” 

Salmon on ice in Bristol Bay, Alaska from Two If By Seafoods. Photo courtesy Two If By Seafoods.

Shannon is reeling in lots of wonderful, wild Alaskan salmon on the F/V Paul Revere in Bristol Bay, Alaska right now. This is a photo she sent us from this past weekend’s catch. She’s catching it, cleaning it, cutting, vacuum-packing and blast-freezing it all in the same day, then sending it down to us here at your Wallingford Farmers Market! Stop by Two If By Seafoods today, say ‘hi’ to her parents, and pick up some salmon today.

Flavorosa Pluots from Tiny’s Organic. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Tiny’s Organic has the first pluots of the year today. Pluots are a cross between plums and apricots — genetically 70% plum and 30% apricot. As such, they tend to favor plums in appearance, texture and taste, but they are sturdier and surprisingly diverse in flavor and appearance in and of themselves. These are Flavorosa pluots, the earliest variety.

Treviso radicchio from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

This Treviso radicchio, from One Leaf Farm, is one of the most beautiful vegetables on earth, hands down. It is also one of my favorite vegetables. It is a chicory, so like all chicories, it tends to be bitter. But it has a sweetness to it, too. And when you cook it, those dramatic white cores of its leaves sweeten up a bit. There are many ways to enjoy it. Two of my favorites are grilling it and sautéing it with bacon. For grilling it, just cut it in half, lengthwise, oil it down, and plop it on the grill until wilted. It’s okay if it gets a little char. That adds depth to the flavor. Then finish it with a nice finishing salt, some fresh ground pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. To sauté it, cut it up crosswise, with about one inch wide cuts. Use a nice bacon, like Olsen Farms‘ jowl bacon, or Cora’s Favorite bacon from Sky Valley Family Farm. Chunk it up into smallish pieces and render out the fat over medium heat in a skillet, then drop in the Treviso with the bacon and fat, and toss together until the Treviso is just wilted. Salt and pepper to taste, and if the bacon hasn’t effectively sweetened it, add a drizzle of balsamic.

Organic blueberries from Whitehorse Meadows Blueberry Farm. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

We welcome the return of Whitehorse Meadows Blueberry Farm from northern Snohomish County today. They grow some extraordinary organic blueberries, including Spartans, Jerseys and Rubels, a close cousin to the wild mountain blueberries on Northern New England and Maritime Canada. Whitehorse Meadows is actually located several miles east of Oso, on the far side of the slide zone on SR 530, which recently reopened. We imagine they’ll be thrilled to be able to get out and see us again, so let’s give them a big welcome back today!

Spiced bacon from Sky Valley Family Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

About 30 miles due south of Whitehorse Meadows, on Hwy 2 in Startup, you’ll find Sky Valley Family Farm. They produce chicken and duck eggs, meat chickens and hogs, from which they offer sausages, fresh cuts and bacon, like this delicious spiced bacon known as “Cora’s Favorite.”

Organic red & salmon raspberries from Gaia’s Harmony Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

I know I wrote of organic salmon raspberries from Gaia’s Harmony Farm just last week. But when I saw this spectacular checkerboard of berries on their tables at your Wallingford Farmers Market last Wednesday, I just had to share it.

Rainbow chard from Seattle Youth Garden Works. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Rainbow chard is not only wonderful to eat, it is just plain gorgeous to look at, and I love to photograph it. This rainbow chard is from the kids at Seattle Youth Garden Works. When purchasing chard, look for fresh, clean stem cuts that show little, if any, browning. That tells you it was harvested mere hours ago.

Green beans from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And look! Green beans from Alvarez Organic Farms! Yup, green beans are now arriving at your Wallingford Farmers Market this week from several farms. Try doing a quick sauté on them, maybe with some bacon and some pearl onions, if you can find them. Or get pickling!

The wines of Bainbridge Island Vineyards. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

There are more than 800 licensed wineries in Washington, making it second in wine production only to California. But when Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery was founded back in 1977, they were among a handful of pioneering winemakers in the new craft winery movement here. Their diverse lineup of wines includes estate wines, meaning they are made from fruit grown by them, using grape varieties of the Puget Sound Appellation, one of 13 distinct wine grape growing regions in Washington. The Puget Sound Appellation is the coolest, dampest region, lending itself to many German white varieties and some hearty, robust French reds. Stop by and try them out, and find the ones you like!

Golden and Detroit red beets from Kirsop Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Beets, a very close cousin of chard, are also quite stunningly beautiful. Just take a gander at these golden beets and Detroit red beets from Kirsop Farm, for instance. And what’s great about beets is, you essentially get two veggies for the price of one. See, you get the root part, plus you get the greens, which are basically like chard.

Gruyere bread from Snohomish Bakery. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Have you tried the Gruyere bread from our newest bakery, Snohomish Bakery? It is nothing short of addictive. It has that wonderful, cheesy, Gruyere funkiness, and lovely, moist, chewy bread. Follow it up with one of their chocolate croissants, and you’re pretty much set!

Marg+Rita pizza from Zaw Artisan Bake At Home Pizza. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And in case you didn’t notice last week, our friends from Zaw Pizza have returned to your Wallingford Farmers Market. With their freshly made, at the Market, take-and-bake pizzas featuring local, and often Market, ingredients, you can grab one for a quick dinner when you get home tonight, and enjoy the rest of your Market goodies tomorrow. And ask them for instructions on how to grill your pizza, so you can enjoy it without heating up your kitchen on a warm summer evening.

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 Wallingford Farmers Market this week. For a full accounting of what you will find, check out What’s Fresh Now!

Wednesday, June 25th: Happy Summer! Salmon, Blueberries, Radicchio, Apricots, Romanesco, Fennel, Cherries & More!

Skipper Shannon Ford of Two If By Seafoods aboard the F/V Paul Revere in Alaska. Photo courtesy Two If By Seafoods.

Happy Summer, everyone! Meet Shannon Ford of Two If By SeaFoods. Shannon is a fourth generation Salmon fisher, following in the footsteps of her father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Above, she’s on her boat, the Fishing Vessel Paul Revere, up in Bristol Bay, Alaska, catching Salmon for you… right now! Then she cleans it, fillets it and blast freezes it at the peak of freshness the day it is caught, and ships it down here to your Wallingford Farmers Market for you to enjoy. Stop by, introduce yourself to her mom & dad, and grab some for dinner tonight, for the weekend, and for the 4th!

Berry-palooza from Sidhu Farms. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Holy Berry Cobbler, Batman! Sidhu Farms has raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries already, and it is still June! All I can say is, wow. This year continues to amaze. So while we begin our slow, steady, six-month long descent into darkness, let us remember to enjoy all that these long, sunny, warm days have to offer. And heck… start freezing these berries today! You and yours will enjoy them all winter long!

Romanesco from Kirsop Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

This is Romanesco from Kirsop Farm. For my money, this is the coolest looking vegetable on earth. Italian in origin (bet you wouldn’t have guessed that from the name, eh?), this cousin of broccoli and cauliflower is the only vegetable to grow out into perfect fractals. It has a nice, sweet flavor, and it holds its crunch better than cauliflower when cooked. That means in doesn’t get mushy as fast when you quickly steam it, then add it to other dishes, or just enjoy it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese over it. It is also great roasted in a hot oven, sautéed with some crushed red chile pepper and tossed with some pasta, or even grilled!

Tomcot apricots from Collins Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Apricot season has arrived. Woohoo!!!! This ties the earliest we’ve ever seen them, which was set last year. These are Tomcot apricots from Collins Family Orchards. They are sweet, juicy, and packed with that perfectly rich, deep apricot flavor that makes them so special. What a wonderful welcome to summer, eh?

Variegato di Lusia radicchio from One Leaf Farm. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

One Leaf Farm is famous for their fine chicories, and those chicories are beginning to come into season. Last week, we welcomed their escarole. This week, it is this gorgeous Variegato di Lusia radicchio, another glorious vegetative gift from Italy. Like all chicories, it has a distinct bitter flavor that sweetens a bit when cooked. It can be finished with a little balsamic vinegar to sweeten it up, and it also likes being prepared, either raw or cooked, with something nice and salty, like bacon, anchovies, a salty, dry cheese, or just a nice finishing salt. When cooking, try oiling it up, grilling it, then hitting it with salt and balsamic. Yummers!

Early bing cherries from Martin Family Orchards. Photo copyright 2012 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Martin Family Orchards is the most northern of all of the orchardists here at your Wallingford Farmers Market. That means they are usually the last to start harvesting cherries. Well, folks. This is the week! They’ll have these lovely Bing cherries, as well as some nice Rainier cherries today. Now, we get to wait on pins and needles for their apricots and peaches!

Fennel from Alm Hill Gardens. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Fennel has arrived at Alm Hill Gardens. This sweet, licorice-y, bulbous weed is so versatile. Use the leafy fronds in salads or on fish. Grill the bulbs, sauté them or pickle them… even eat them raw. Use it to add flavor to other things, or let it be the star. I hear people telling me, “oh, but I’ve got that growing wild in my backyard.” No, what you have in your backyard is a wild cousin. The cultivated form has been bred for its tender bulbs and its sweet flavor. Enjoy!

Pork chops from Olsen Farms. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It is time to gear up for Independence Day! July 4th is next week, and whether you will be firing up the barby and watching the fireworks from your rooftop deck, or fleeing the neighborhood in favor of camping in some peaceful forest, you’ll want some of these incredible pork chops from Olsen Farms for the grill. These are likely the best pork chops you have ever tasted — beautifully marbled and full of flavor. In fact, they are featured on the menus of restaurants all over town, like Le Petit Cochon on Fremont Avenue. Of course, they’ve got beef steaks, sausages and other goodies for the grill, too.

English shelling peas from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Ah, English shelling peas, from Alvarez Organic Farms. This time of year, I get lots and lots of them, shuck them, then freeze them for use in the winter. No blanching required. Just sturdy one-pint freezer bags, which I then put inside a larger one-gallon freezer bag, for extra protection. Of course, I do need to get extras, so I can enjoy them now. I like to sit on my deck in my Adirondack chair with a bag of them, eating them right out of the pod. But one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is to toss them with some pappardelle from Pasteria Lucchese and some smoked salmon from Two If By Seafoods, garnished with just a bit of freshly-grated Romano cheese. The trick is to drop the peas in the pot with the pasta about 30 seconds before it is done, then drain both, and then toss them with the smoked salmon and some olive oil in a warm skillet. As Samuelle Lucchese would say, “Done!”

Gluten-free sandwich breads from nuflours gluten-free bakery. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Looking for great sandwich bread, but you are allergic to gluten? Never fear! nuflours gluten-free bakery has you covered! This stuff is moist, chewing, slices well, and it is delicious. It will make you fall in love with bread all over again.

Golden turnips from Seattle Youth Garden Works. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

I loves me some golden turnips, but not many farms grow them around here. Lucky for us, Seattle Youth Gardens Works does! Golden turnips are what I might call the turnipiest flavor of all turnips, and they are a little more dense, too. That makes them ideal for roasting, though you can enjoy them raw as well. And don’t forget to eat the greens!

Folks lined up for vittles from Chef Joe Ritchie from Ethan Stowell’s Mkt. Restaurant. Photo copyright 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Chef Joe Ritchie from Tangletown’s Mkt. Restaurant is the featured chef today for the Ethan Stowell Restaurant’s booth. And you’d better get done here and get in this line early, cuz they’ve sold out every week! Today’s offerings include BLTs, O-Rings, and Strawberry Shortcake, featuring these market-fresh ingredients: Olsen Farms Bacon, Alm Hill Gardens lettuce, Tall Grass Bakery Brioche, Stoney Plains Organic Farm onions, and Sidhu Farms strawberries.

And when you are done with your picnic in the park today, please remember to use the correct waste receptacles. Our prepared food vendors use only recyclable or compostable plates, cups, napkins and utensils. Please place your waste after your meal either in our green composting or blue recycling waste receptacles throughout your Wallingford Farmers Market. Each receptacle has what’s okay to put in it pictured right on the lid. Please do not put the wrong materials in, because that drives up the cost of recycling and composting, and it can result in the entire container being sent instead to a landfill. Your understanding and cooperation are appreciated.

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 Wallingford Farmers Market this week. For a full accounting of what you will find, check out What’s Fresh Now!

Wednesday, June 8th: Chef Jason Brzozowy, Sugar Snap Peas, Washington Wine, Bagels, Gluten-Free Goodies, Local Salmon & Pea Vines

Opening day at your new & improved Wallingford Farmers Market. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It was an amazing, if not a little damp, opening day for your new and improved Wallingford Farmers Market at Meridian Park, behind Good Shepherd Center, along Meridian Avenue North. We had great music, great vendors, a great cooking demonstration, and the rain even took a break between 4-7 p.m.! If you missed it, come see us today from 3:30-7:00 p.m. Not only will you find your Wallingford Farmers Market having more vendors than past years, but you will find our new location to be spectacularly beautiful, easily accessible, relaxing, charming, and hey, there’s even a playground to keep the kids occupied and places to sit with a snack and enjoy the afternoon.

Chef Jason Brzozowy of Tilth. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

This week, we’ll have another great cooking demonstration at 4 p.m., featuring Chef Jason Brzozowy of Maria Hines’s celebrated Tilth Restaurant on N 45th Street. Mason, as his buds call him, is always a pleasure, as he crafts deliciousness from stuff he finds at the Market. And hey, if he can do it in a park, under a tent, on two portable butane burners, you can do it at home!

Sugar snap peas - first of the season - from Alvarez Organic Farms. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Your eyes do not deceive you! These are fresh sugar snap peas, the first of the season, from Alvarez Organic Farms in Mabton. Eddie tells me they will likely also have snow peas and fresh beets today, to add to their asparagus, green garlic, green sweet, red and white onions, radishes and dried beans!

Washington wines from Tefft Cellars. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And yes, that is wine. We have wine and hard cider at your Wallingford Farmers Market this year. Meet our Washington winemaker, Tefft Cellars, from Outlook, Washington, in the Yakima Valley. They produce an impressive, high-quality, line of wines you will love. Pick up a bottle to enjoy with dinner tonight!

Fresh bagels from Grateful Bread Bakery. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Grateful Bread Bakery is back this season with great artisan breads, as well as pastries, cookies, muffins, and these awesome bagels, which go great with some smoked salmon from Wilson Fish!

Spring carrots from Stoney Plains. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And how about the first carrots of the season? Check out these beauties from Stoney Plains! They’re sweet and crunchy, and they will brighten up your salads, if you don’t eat them all right off the bunch first.

Pistachio puffs from Dolce Lou. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Hey kids, these pistachio puffs from Dolce Lou are gluten-free! Gluten-free, you ask? Yep! And yet, you want to reach into your computer screen and pop one in your mouth right now, don’t you? Phebe’s goodies have that effect on people. So stop by to see all that she’s got with her today!

Fresh, wild, Washington coastal king salmon from Wilson Fish. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Speaking of Wilson Fish, how about some fresh king salmon caught just off the coast of Washington. No frequent flyer miles here, folks. When you buy some today, it was likely swimming yesterday! As David likes to say, “this fish is so fresh, it’s from the future.”

Tender, spring pea vines from Lee's Fresh Produce. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Meet one of our new farms this year at your Wallingford Farmers Market: Lee’s Fresh Produce. If you ever drive out SR 520 to its end, where it becomes Avondale Road in Redmond, you have likely driven right past Lee’s without even knowing it! They grow a lot of beautiful produce on their farm, which they are in mid-process to have certified organic. Just look at these lovely, tender pea vines. I enjoyed some last week, and they were nothing short of perfect! So tender and sweet. So check them out today!

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 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.