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

Tags: Seattle

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.

Tags: Nashville

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)

Tags: beets, chamomile, eggplant, escarole, Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, grapes, green beans, iPhone, onions, pickling, prunes, San Francisco, summer squash

Bicolor Corn

You’re probably sick of hearing about how sick I am. Trust me, so am I.

On Tuesday I was diagnosed with pneumonia. Fortunately antibiotics are a miracle and I’m definitely getting better. But I still would have stayed home from the farmers market this weekend to rest up if the wonderful lady that was scheduled to cover the Farmers Market Update this week hadn’t come down with strep throat. Seriously, what’s up with all the summer illness?!

Flavor Grenade Pluots

Flavor King Pluots

Though my energy was low, a couple things were notable from the market this week. We are definitely seeing the transition into late summer. The flavor king pluots at Frog Hollow Farm have arrived. These are magical fruits. If you’re in SF you absolutely must find a way to try one in the next few weeks. I promise you won’t regret it.

We are also in the midst of melon season. I’ve only tried a few, but so far they are sweet and flavorful. Next weekend I’m getting a watermelon for sure.

White & Yellow Nectarines

Summer Melons

I was also surprised to see grapes appearing already. Though I love grapes, this makes me kind of sad. Grapes remind me of fall, and it has been so cold this summer in SF the idea of skipping the rest of the season is heartbreaking. Fingers crossed for a warm September.

Gravenstein Apples

First Grapes

Seeing these apples would have made me sad as well, but I recently learned (thanks Pim!) that Gravenstein apples are summer apples. I don’t bake pies, but apparently they work nicely for baking.

I hope the rest of you are healthy and happy, and having a wonderful weekend.

Today’s purchases:

• Passport melon (The Peach Farm)
• Cherry and sungold tomatoes (The Peach Farm)
• Heirloom tomatoes (The Peach Farm)
• Armenian cucumber (Payne Farm)
• Flavor king pluot (Frog Hollow Farm)
• Summer lady peach (Frog Hollow Farm)
• Rainbow chard (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Baby leeks (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Cilantro (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Zephyr squash (Lucero Organic Farms)
• Bicolor corn (G&S Farm)
• Sweet pepper (Happy Quail Farms)
• Poblano pepper (Happy Quail Farms)
• Mediterranean cucumbers (Happy Quail Farms)
• Collard greens (Green Gulch Farm)
• Tea bouquet (Green Gulch Farm)

Tags: corn, Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Frog Hollow Farm, melons, pluots, San Francisco

Star Squash

“And, most dear actors, eat no onions or garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I do not doubt but to hear them say, it is a sweet comedy.”

- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Act 4, Scene 2), William Shakespeare

It is hard to imagine having anything but sweet breath after leaving the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market this weekend. I must have tried at least a dozen different varieties of pluots, and at least as many peaches and nectarines (my favorite this week).

Organic Yellow Peaches

Nectarines

There were strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Apricots and figs. Melons and tomatoes. All sweet as can be.

Organic Raspberries

Even the greens looked tender and sweet. I couldn’t help but get some of this red kale from Green Gulch Farm. There is something amazing about fresh picked greens grown with care. They look so soft, yet crisp and nutritious.

Beautiful Collards

Red Kale

I would have bought some of the beautiful collards as well if I had been able to resist the beautiful chioggia beets, whose greens came attached for free (here’s my favorite beet recipe). I also grabbed one of their tea bouquets. Yes, we have some seriously sweet breath up in here.

Fresh Tea Bouquet

Chioggia Beets

I’m very excited to see that midsummer is in full swing and the eggplants are finally worth noticing. And being the chiliphile that I am, I was delighted to find that the peppers are starting to heat up.

Green Hot Chili Peppers

Rosa Bianca Eggplants

I noticed fresh green beans have appeared too (no wax beans yet).

And lastly, does anyone know what glacier lettuce is??

Glacier Lettuce

Fresh Green Beans

Today’s purchases:

• Rooted basil (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Romanesco (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Poblano pepper (Happy Quail Farms)
• Pimientos de Padrón (Happy Quail Farms)
• Charentais melon (The Peach Farm)
• Assorted heirloom tomatoes (The Peach Farm)
• Arctic jay nectarine (Kashiwase Farm)
• Honey crisp nectarine (Kashiwase Farm
• Cioggia beets (Green Gulch Farm)
• Tea bouquet (Green Gulch Farm)
• Red kale (Green Gulch Farm)
• Eggs (Marin Sun Farms)
• Yirgacheffe Oromia (Blue Bottle Coffee)

What did summer bring you this week?

Tags: beets, collard greens, eggplant, Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, glacier lettuce, green beans, kale, nectarines, peaches, raspberries, San Francisco, summer squash, tea