Yakima Fruit Market - Fresh Picked News

We're Back! (And a giveaway)

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:18:00 +0000

Sorry for the few days of downtime! Apparently I was never sent a reminder to renew my domain name, and so I either had to give up freshpickednews.com OR pay lots of $$ to get it back. Jerks.

Visit Yakima Fruit Market's Facebook page and become a fan to win a fabulous prize basket!

How to Hook a Hummingbird

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 04:51:00 +0000

No, we're not actually going to "hook" them.

Just draw them nearer to the window to appreciate their amazing physiques.

Jensen is particularly fond of hummingbirds. He's been sitting there all day waiting for one. (No, actually he proudly posing in front of the sign he made. Isn't it nice?)

What plants are best for attracting these fascinating creatures? Here are a few - all of which are available now at the fruit market:

penstemon
phlox
impatiens
salpiglossis
fuchsia
phygellius
geranium
red hot poker
nicotiana
monarda

Good luck!

Easter Weekend at the Market

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:14:00 +0000

California asparagus - our friendly neighbors to the south! This stuff looks fantastic.

Blueberries are still 3 for 6.00

Easter lilies~

Tulips ~

Pullet eggs (perfect size for coloring!)

Slightly cold kids (what's up with this weather?)

And of course, friendly staff.

Happy Easter weekend!

Who's Ready for Easter?

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:33:00 +0000

While you're out enjoying the nursery, don't be surprised if you find your little one trying to scramble over the hyacinths in pursuit of chocolate. (I suppose it's excusable in little kids, but if I see any grown-ups laying in the flowers and licking the bunny, I'm telling.)

As a distraction, the market now has a Bubble Throne! What a great idea! Your kid sits in the throne and blows bubbles while you enjoy the nursery selection. (And this time, I suppose it's ok for grown ups to blow a few bubbles too.)

Then c'mon inside and pick up the best eggs for dyeing. I'm warning you early this year, because I always wait until the Saturday night before Easter, then realize I have not boiled any eggs.

Have a great week!

Pretty in Purple

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Purple is my favorite color. One day a few weeks ago, I had a purple sweater, purple laptop, and purple nail polish. That was a bit much. But is is a nice color, and I love seeing it in the nursery.

Especially when it looks like this:

These little daisies are called Cineraria

Talk about gorgeous!

Rain gets in the way...

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

I had taken all these pictures on sunny Saturday, hoping to entice you in to your gardens on Sunday for some planting. And while Sunday's weather wasn't all that bad, I felt bad about doing a post on the nursery when I looked outside and saw rain this morning.

Good news, the rest of the week is supposed to be a bit nicer. And what a great way to work off the stress of a long day at work - start digging!

This week's featured plant is garlic!

Here's one I hadn't seen before. It's some sort of sedum, and I like how twisty it is.

The nursery is stocked and ready for spring (Happy Spring, by the way!). Are you?

Zucchini Bread Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:54:00 +0000

Anyone have THE PERFECT zucchini bread recipe?

Do you have to have chocolate chips, or are you a zucchini purist?

Is there a quick and easy way to shred up all that zucchini?

Happy St. Patty's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:33:00 +0000

Hope your day is filled with the luck o' the Irish!

Around the Market thru 3/11

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

One of the things I really miss during winter are affordable and high quality bell peppers. Grocery stores selling $1.99/peppers???! Are you kidding me?

Red bells right now are 99 cents each, and they look great.

If you like banana bread as I like banana bread, when you see a box in a corner like this you get a little excited.

Tulips are in season - no excuse not to bring some home for your table. They are gorgeous and a great value at 2 for $5!

People always ask, "what's good right now?" And the answer "right now" is citrus. These are minneola tangerines, which are awesome. But so are the navels, honey tangerines, and mandarins.

Strange Things are Happening

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Little does Alisa know she's being hugged by DAIKON MAN!

That's one of the many uses for this interesting vegetable. Although I'm not quite sure what else to do with one. Any ideas?

(are you following @yakimafruitmkt on Twitter yet?

Craving Sprouts - Brussels Sprouts

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Brussels sprouts! I crave them like no other this time of year. Do you have a favorite way to serve them?

We usually cut them in half and steam them in our steaming basket. Then dip those suckers in lemon butter. (Lemon butter great is for artichokes as well.)

2 containers for $4 at the market!

For the Weekend- Plants

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Thanks to El Nino, we're enjoying a sunny and mild winter. There's no excuse on the weekend to sit inside and complain about your yard. Get out there and get it done! We bought a house last June, so this is our first year to really get our landscaping in order. This will involve some new flower beds, and a huge herb garden in our back yard.

I'm a brand new gardener, so I need some tips. Which flowers are hard to kill, and which herbs are hardy and easy to grow. And oh, have you seen this new Topsy Turvy strawberry pot-thing?

The fruit market already has a great selection of herb starts, seeds, pots and flowers to inspire you. It's March, after all.

Get outside!

Twittering it up

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:50:00 +0000

If you have not already noticed the block to the left of the page with real-time Twitter updates, please let me direct your attention to it now.

I'm aware that some of you have no idea what Twitter is. Maybe some of you tried Twitter and it wasn't your thing. But there are a good many people (including myself) who enjoy the real time focus of this service - from our computers, iPhones and Blackberries, and a gazillion other internet connected devices.

For those of you who are Twitter-minded, follow @yakimafruitmkt for real time updates from the market.

New products, great deals, random fruity thoughts... what are you waiting for?

C'mon In

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

We're OPEN! C'mon in.

The shelves have gone from bare and lonely

To full of color and life!

We're back! You've missed us, haven't you?

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

One More Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:17:00 +0000

They're putting the final touches on the market as we speak. Produce getting piled high and ready for the first customers tomorrow morning. The nursery is in budding, the cash registers are (almost!) ready to go, and be sure to compliment the awesome new checkout tables. They look really sharp.

Tomorrow is the day when we start eating healthy again and transitioning from our hearty winter menu to the colorful, light menu of spring and summer. Sharpen your chopping knives and get out your favorite cutting boards; it's time!

What's good in March?

It's early for many of the feature crops yet, but one of the first things I'll probably bring home will be asparagus. Probably not local yet, but still very good. I checked with Dale yesterday, and he says it's too early to give his pick of the early March "best bet". I bet Karin could chime in the comment section and tell us more.

Hope to see you all tomorrow! Come show your support for an awesome local business.

Open March 3!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:15:00 +0000

Yakima Fruit Market re-opens this Wednesday, March 3rd!!!!

(Are you as excited as I am?)

Welcome Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Hello YFM friends! Believe it or not, the Yakima Fruit Market re-opening is just a few weeks away. After a nice month off, Dale and the crew headed back to work this morning to begin the annual set-up process. I just realized last night how much I missed having fresh produce around - and how horribly we eat during the winter months! We're craving melon for breakfast, berries over ice cream, homemade pico de gallo, grilled zucchini, steamed asparagus and tender brussels sprouts.

Soon.... soon!

(In the meantime, here is a picture of our newest family member, "General Patton the Catton". You can blame Dale for the name.)

Open for Trees - Black Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:07:00 +0000

If you're like me, you can't wait for Black Friday. Not for the shopping. Nope.

What then?

The annual opening of The Christmas Box! The box I don't open all year long until the Friday after Thanksgiving. The box my kids know they are not allowed to touch during any other part of the year. November 27th, 2009 will be when the decorations come out, I start humming "Jingle Bells" (to the dismay of Dale) and the kids have an entire month to annoy me with the singing snowman decoration. I love Black Friday.

Also on Black Friday, the Yakima Fruit Market will re-open for Christmas trees. Get your bargain shopping out of the way, put on a good pair of shoes, and stop by to grab a tree. Santa's elves* will be ready to assist you!

*Elves: Median age of twenty-something strong young men and women who brave the cold and the sap and the needles to make sure your trees are securely tied to your roof.

JP Patches Day 2009 - Recap!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:44:00 +0000

Did you visit us on JP Patches Day? Did you wait in line for your picture?

Maybe your children left tatooed. Don't worry, its washable. However, not all of Katie's tattoo art is washable, she's actually quite skilled with ink.

Every year the kids get these great balloon animals by Monica. They usually pop them before we get back to the car, and it's always such a surprise to them. Mom! My balloon popped! (insert tears here) But anyhow, watching Monica do these balloon creations is so cool.

Spencer was in charge of pumpkin bowling. We like Spencer.

Eventually we made our way over to JP. I wonder how long it takes him to get dressed every morning. Just imagine having to take off all those pins before doing laundry.

For once, the kids weren't too shy to stand for a picture. This was a big moment; a breakthrough. Maybe we'll get a succesful Santa picture this year too.

I can always hope.

Pumpkin Patch Party! 10/17 1:00 PM - J.P. Patches!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Saturday, October 17th, 2009. 1PM.

You are all invited to the Yakima Fruit Market & Nursery's annual...

PUMPKIN PATCH PARTY!!

Featuring...

J.P. Patches!!!

For autographs and pictures.

Also featuring Monica, the amazing and talented balloon artist extraordinaire.

Games and crafts for the kiddos.

Thousands of pumpkins, all shapes and sizes. Your perfect pumpkin is HERE. Come find it.

Here's a couple pics from last year to refresh your memories. See you there!

Inevitably They Always End Up Asking...

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:58:00 +0000

Where do apples come from?

Well OK, they come from trees. From farmers. From right here in Washington this time of year. But then what?

At the Yakima Fruit Market, they do something unique to other area stores. First, the apples arrive in very large bins, like this one:

Now remember all of those nice stackable boxes you possibly bought some boxed fruit in? The fruit market saves those up all year long, for apple season. Look how many they have!

And then, one or two lucky employees goes to work, carefully boxing the apples. The bin starts full,

And sooner or later,

About the time you start coming up with new and corny apple jokes,

The bin is empty and you have a nice stack of boxed apples!

Then in to the cooler they go, (and of course, Karin is always smiling as she does it!)

And from there, out in to the market for us to EAT!

Happy Apple Season!

October One!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Happy First Day of October!

School is in full swing, and I have been thinking mainly about Geography and Shakespeare since my quarter at Shoreline started 2 weeks ago. But I have also been thinking about Fall, and pumpkins, and planning my Halloween costume.

I've also been thinking about the pumpkins Dale and I love to buy for the kids' classes. Kids love little pumpkins, and the fruit market sells cool party packs of them. These are packed by hand, by the way. Not by corporate pumpkin elves.

(You know how we hate corporate elves.)

(Thanks to Bridget for taking all the pics here today!)

Of course, if your a GO BIG kind of person, there are opportunities for that as well. Notice the small pumpkin shown for scale.

Not in to orange? How about a creepy white?

Maybe you're not in to pumpkins at all. Check out this big ol' carrot.

Whether you like 'em big or small, orange or white, single or in party packs, or not even pumpkins at all, you'll find it here, at the Yakima Fruit Market!

P.S. I just spent the last 5 minutes trying to figure out if that last sentence sounded too much like a dating service ad. Ha!

A Little Bit of Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:05:00 +0000

Even though the weather has been warm and sunny, it's hard not to notice the way the colors are changing. A little bit of Fall, everywhere you look.

Longer pants and longer sleeves.

Displays that look like harvesttime

and plants that remind one of the jack-o-lanterns yet to come.

Adios, Summer!

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:53:00 +0000

"Honey, you're taking pictures of this dinner I'm making, right?"

NOTE: How to stroke the ego of a cook - take pictures of his dinners and post them for the internet to see.

But last night really was exceptional. The colors! The flavors! The music!

Cuban style (?) pork tenderloin with SMILING LEMONS (don't they look happy there on the plate?) and roasted bell peppers.

And a cold black bean/fresh corn/lime/cilantro/jalapeno salad, with a generous helping of Spanish rice with yakima tomatoes and sweet onion.

Fruit and vegetables are sometimes just as important as side items as they are to the main meal. Case in point:

For one final night we savored the flavor of summer, forsaking the new crop of apples, potatoes, squash, and yellow fall leaves for their more sassy summer counterparts.

And with that, I welcome you all to Fall Season at the Yakima Fruit Market. Come and enjoy!!

Fall Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Darby) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:47:00 +0000

Right now -Come in! Come in! Come in!

Fall Squash
Apples of all kinds. Try the honeycrisp.
Sugar pie pumpkins
Corn stalks
Pears
Nectarines (get 'em soon!)
Peaches (get 'em soon!)

My current favorite dinner-veggie is acorn squash, halved, seeded, and microwaved face down for 10 minutes. Scoop it out in to a bowl, add some butter and brown sugar, and tell yourself it's healthy because it's squash!