Blackberries

I’ve wanted a Seattle market update for so long. Huge thanks to Aubrey for making it happen.

Aubrey Bach is one of the co-founders of www.yay-today.com, a Seattle-based blog dedicated to sharing the best (and cheapest) things to do, see, buy and eat in the city.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the deals the girls at yay-today are busy finding, visit their blog www.yay-today.com, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @yay_today.

Farmers Market Update: Seattle’s University District

by Aubrey Bach

I am super excited to be representing Seattle for the Summer Tomato Farmer’s Market Update this week! I’ve been an avid reader of Darya’s for well over a year and love her enthusiasm for fresh produce and good food. Luckily, I live in Seattle, where you can find a neighborhood farmer’s market going on nearly every day of the week during the summer months, so I get to indulge in my own veggie voyeurism every week as well.

This Sunday, we headed to the University District Farmer’s Market, the oldest farmer’s market in Seattle (and one that’s been included in Huffington Post’s top 10 list).

Of course, I set out with my handy shopping list–it’s the only way to keep your grocery budget under control.

Blueberries

It hasn’t exactly been a hot couple of months, but the produce certainly looks like summer. The Pacific Northwest has the best berries I’ve ever tasted- blueberries are just barely hanging on, while blackberries are just coming into their own.

Who needs donuts when you have sweet, drippy donut peaches? YUM.

Donut Peaches

These baby carrots are pretty sweet too.

Baby Carrots

You can never have too many big bunches of fresh spinach. Of course, you don’t only have to stick to spinach when you have a variety of greens to choose from.

Greens

Spinach

I’ve been having a major moment with radishes lately. So good in salads and on buttered bread. If you frequent a farmer’s market, you know that green beans don’t always have to be green.

Yellow Wax Beans

Radishes

Of course, you can’t post about Seattle without mentioning salmon. It’s what we’re known for–whether it’s fresh, smoked, or even roe! And it’s freshest (and definitely the best value) when you buy it from fisherman at the farmer’s market.

Smoked Salmon

This week’s haul:

• Fresh and smoked salmon – Loki Fish Co.
• Blueberries – Ernie’s Berries
• Cherry tomatoes – Billy’s Gardens
• Padrona Peppers – Billy’s Gardens
• Donut Peaches – Martin Family Orchards
• Basil – Youa Her & Kaying’s Garden
• Carrots – Alm Hill Gardens
• Green Beans – Alm Hill Gardens
• Radishes – Growing Things
• Spinach – Youa Her & Kaying’s Garden
• Purslane – Stony Plains Organic Farms
• Kale – Stony Plains Organic Farms

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Really good reading this week. I love Marion Nestle’s commentary on meat substitutes, as well a bunch of well-designed studies linking nutrition and the brain. And definitely don’t miss Time magazine calling out the crappy Twitter streams of the culinary glitterati. Ha!

Great news, the new Digg is finally open to the public. That means all of you can now see the stories I’m Digging throughout the week if you visit my profile or follow me: http://digg.com/daryapino. If you’re using the new Digg and are finding cool foodie/healthy/geeky stories, feel free to leave your username in the comments and I’ll check out what you’re up to.

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For a complete reading list join me on the new Digg or StumbleUpon. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Do we need meat substitutes? <<Real meat is better for you than fake meat. If you’re vegetarian, there are many better options. (Food Politics)
• Drinking Water Proven To Help Weight Loss <<This was a popular story online this week. But, for the record, drinking water didn’t help young people (under 50) lose weight. (Discovery News)
• 8 Common Foods (That Are Poisonous) <<BS of the week. Media sensationalism doing what it does best. At least there’s enough humor in this one that I assume they know they’re full of it. (Houston Press)
• A short period of gluttony can have a lasting effect <<Looks like occasionally “letting yourself go” is a really bad idea. So is occasionally dieting, btw. Your body is very adaptable and can absorb an occasional slip up (especially if you exercise), but don’t make it a regular habit. (Los Angeles Times)
• Exercising Restores Sensitivity of Neurons That Make One Feel Full <<This is a really cool finding. Often overweight people have trouble re-adapting to normal eating portions if they’ve been overeating for many years, but this data suggests exercise may help restore normal appetite. Also helps you slim down and look awesome. Win! Win! (ScienceDaily)
• Vit D linked to cancer, autoimmune disease genes <<Scientists discovered that vitamin D interacts with at least 200 different genes, including those linked to cancer and MS. This is a possible mechanism by which it offers benefits, and a reminder that it is really important. (Medline)
• Twitter Streams of the Food Gods: Pretty Thin Soup <<I guess I’m not the only who noticed that the Twitter streams of food celebs totally suck. Ditto health celebs. My favorite people to follow tweet infrequently and are witty, insightful and almost always share useful and/or funny info. I try to hold myself to those standards. (Time)
• Link Between Diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease Strengthened <<This is actually a lot cooler than it sounds. Normally studies do a poor job linking insulin resistance to Alzheimer’s because diagnosing the disease is tricky. To be 100% sure someone has AD you need to perform an autopsy and see plaques in the brain. Otherwise it could be a different kind of dementia. In this study the end measure is plaques. (Medline)
• How berries can help your brain clean house <<Antioxidants called polyphenols apparently activate microglia (the forgotten nerve cells) in the brain. Cool! (The Globe and Mail)
• FDA Approves Salmonella <<This is so right on it’s scary. And hilarious. I <3 The Onion.

What inspired you this week?

Yellow Doll Watermelon

I’m extremely excited to welcome the Spinach Tiger herself, Angela Roberts, who is providing a beautiful visual tour of the Franklin Farmers Market in Nashville.

Angela Roberts  is a faux artist turned food blogger.  As an artist, her food has to look good as well as taste good. She always starts with fresh, local ingredients, combining healthy and hearty, which inspired  the tag line, “food a woman will love and a man will marry her for.”

You can follow her on twitter @spinachtiger or become a fan of Spinach Tiger on Facebook.

Farmers Market Update: Nashville

by Angela Roberts

When Darya offered me an opportunity to talk about our own farmer’s market, I got excited for two reasons. Summer Tomato is one of my favorite blogs, and one of the reasons is her weekly highlight of my all time favorite farmer’s market.

Although I live in the Nashville area, I have visited the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market several times. Just like Darya is at the Ferry Plaza every weekend, I can be found every Saturday morning at the Franklin Farmer’s Market, and this might seem a bit odd, but I usually spend a good part of my morning there.

Cherry Tomatoes

Music

The Franklin Farmer’s Market, held in an outdoor pavilion at the Factory in Franklin, has a lot of heart and much to be proud of. We even have music.

Franklin is a small historic town, in cahoots with Nashville, and the market serves all of Williamson County. It’s special for several reasons:

It’s a local only market. All of the meat, herbs and produce come from middle Tennessee. The people selling you the food are the same people growing the food.

It’s dynamic, growing by leaps and bounds, adding new food artisans and farmers every year. In 9 seasons, they have grown from 9 to over 70 vendors.

Watermelon and Tomatoes

Its open year round, and this says a lot about the commitment level of both the farmer’s and the local shoppers. I never knew about muscadine grapes, purple hull peas or yellow doll watermelon. Every week there is something exciting in produce that I’ve never seen before. But, at this time of year, I face the heat to get the season’s best tomatoes.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Green Tomatoes

I love purple foods, not just the health benefits, but the beauty.

Muscadine Grapes

Eggplants

The Produce You Expect to Find: Green Beans, Corn, Squash

Corn

Green Beans

Thai Chilies

Purple Hull Beans, Baby Limas

And, then there are the local food artisans, who seem to work 24 hours a day baking bread, making cheesecakes, jellies, jams, honey.

Local honey can help with seasonal allergies

There is never a Saturday that we don’t buy one of Lucy’s Super Muffins. For those desiring a richer treat, Lucy is known all over town for her cheesecakes. She also sells savory homemade dips and spreads.

My most recent purchases were a chick pea gluten free and yukon potato/truffle oil ravioli.

You can buy excellent quality grass fed meat from local farms, such as West Wind Farms, Bear Creek Farm and Hatcher Family Dairy to name a few.

Hatcher Family Dairy

Alfresco Pasta

I know many of the vendors personally, as I engage with them every week. I have even visited a few of the farms. You might be surprised how open the vendors are to a visit.

Once you meet the goats that bring you Nobel Springs fabulous cheese, you’ll head to market every week to stock up. I am a fan of Hatcher cream and Nobel Springs Goat Farm. I’ve seen first hand how hard they work and the quality of their product.

Nobel Springs Goat Farm

Cooking from the Market

I left the market with a bushel of heirlooms, happily taking home the discarded tomatoes that couldn’t be sold. In two days, I made bruschetta, tomato marmalade and tomato panzanella topped with farm fresh eggs. I also made homemade pasta.

Fresh Pasta

Fresh Eggs

The farmers have had challenges this year with the May flood and then the severe heat. Yet they have managed to do their best and bring food made with care. There are many organic farmers and many farmers who aren’t certified organic but heed exceptional farming practices to bring you the best tasting, healthy food. I am proud to honor them here at Summer Tomato.

Purchases:

• Eggplant from Rocky Glade Farm, Eagleville
• Carrots from Beaverdam Creek Farm, Centerville
• Green Beans from Kirkview Farm, College Grove
• Poblano and Serrano Peppers from Triple Springs Organic Produce
• Heirloom Tomatoes, Yellow Doll Watermelon from Rainbow Hill Farm, McMinnville
• Fresh Eggs – Gardner Grove, Lewisburg
• Chevre Goat Cheese from Noble Springs Dairy, Franklin
• Cream, Hatcher Dairy Farm, College Grove
• Super Muffins from Lucy’s Kitchen
• Purple Hull Peas from See Sun Vu Farms, Toone
• Corn on the Cob from Delvin Farms, College Grove

If you’d like to share your local farmers market with Summer Tomato readers, use the contact form to drop me an email.

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Lots of fascinating food news this week. If 380 MILLION poison eggs doesn’t convince you to stop eating the industrial kind, I don’t know what will. There’s also some interesting new data on red meat and heart disease, as well as an inspiring story of doctors prescribing farmers market vegetables.

Another quick note: I tweeted yesterday about this cool farmers market backpack (yes I want one) and Betabrand wrote back saying my readers get $15 off anything on the site. Pretty awesome. Use the code: tomato

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For a complete reading list join me on the new Digg or StumbleUpon. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Choosing healthier protein-rich foods instead of red and processed meats may reduce heart disease risk in women <<Atkins defenders often argue that there is no evidence linking meat consumption to heart disease, saying that cholesterol levels aren’t a good measure. In this study the endpoint is heart attacks, not cholesterol. Worth thinking about. (American Heart Association)
• 20 Salads Worse Than a Whopper <<I still don’t think you should eat Whoppers (there are way better burgers), but don’t assume that salads are gonna help you lose weight. (Men’s Health)
• A ‘habitual offender’ unleashes nearly half a billion salmonella-tainted eggs <<BS of the week. You know those 380 million poison eggs that have already sickened 50,000 people? Well they guy who makes them has a history of not caring about you or your family. Be outraged. (Grist)
• Eat an Apple (Doctor’s Orders) <<How freaking cool is this?!?! (New York Times)
• Add diet soda to the list of things to avoid while pregnant <<Maybe Diet Coke isn’t as harmless as you think. (Los Angeles Times)
• Baking Ingredients and Substitutions <<I don’t bake often, but I do like to swap out sugar and occasionally other ingredients when I do. But sacrificing taste is completely unacceptable to me. This is an incredibly informative post from a world renowned pastry chef. (David Lebovitz)
• B Vitamins and the Aging Brain Examined <<I love the brain. I love nutrition. I found this interesting. (ScienceDaily)
• Tomatoes, Eggs and Sweet Habaneros <<Tomatoes for breakfast? Hell yes! (Local Lemons)
• Egg Cage Match! Local Cage Free Vs. Conventional Eggs <<Speaking of good eggs and bad eggs, here’s a fun video explaining the difference. (Big Wheel Provisions)

Summer Squash

It was a beautiful day today in San Francisco. I’m feeling much better and was super excited to hit up the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and snap some photos.

Apparently though, I’m still not quite in top form. When I tried to take a picture of these beautiful grapes, my camera smugly informed me that it did not contain its memory card. PhotoFAIL. Luckily, I had my trusty iPhone 4.

Lovely Grapes

I was curious how the new iPhone would perform at the farmers market, and today it had it’s chance to prove itself. I still think I prefer my regular Canon SD900, but overall I was pretty impressed with my pocket phone. What do you think?

Not too much has changed at the market from last week. The late summer produce is beautiful, especially the eggplants, peppers, peaches and plums.

French Prunes

Rosa Bianca Eggplants

The beets have been marvelous (and impressive!), as are the summer squash.

Magda Cousa Squash

Impressive Beetroot

I’m happy to see green bean season is starting to take off. We are experimenting with pickling some beans this weekend. Recipe on its way.

Pickled Blue Lake Beans

Don’t forget the greens and onions either, they are all amazing this time of year.

Spanish Onions

Escarole

Fresh chamomile was nice to find today as well.

Seedless Grapes

Chamomile

Today’s purchases:

• Flavor king pluots (Frog Hollow Farm)
• Peaches (Frog Hollow Farm)
• Watermelon (Capay Organics)
• Blue lake beans (Iacopi Farm)
• Blackberries (Glashoff Farms)
• French prunes (Glashoff Farms)
• Piquillo peppers (Happy Quail Farms)
• Thyme (Star Route Farms)
• Chamomile plant (Orangewood Farm)
• Ham (Marin Sun Farms)
• Eggs (Marin Sun Farms)
• Whole wheat bread (Acme)