Actually, the Farm Program at the Pike Place Market has had this truck for a few years now, but the newly painted mural that decorates it has given it…er…him, a new identity. In June of 2011, artists Jeff Jacobson and Joey Nix met with staff to learn about Pike Place Market farmers and then created this fabulous mobile masterpiece.

The art was so stunning that a contest was held to name the Farm Truck. A total of 52 names were submitted by Pike Place Market farmers, craftspeople, performers and staff. A panel of judges from the Market community picked the winning name, which was “Harvey.” You may be thinking of the invisible giant rabbit in the Jimmy Stewart movie of the same name, but in this instance the name refers to a different colorful character: Harvey McGarrah. This cranky yet lovable Market fixture was a cart pusher who passed away in April of 2010. Harvey pushed the sometimes massive crafts carts up and down from the storage basements to the North Arcade, day in and day out, for 20 years. Following his passing, the Seattle Times reported on the small fortune Harvey had secreted away over the years from his daily earnings!

The Market’s Daystall and Farm staff use “Harvey” to deliver tents to both the street market on Pike Place and the two satellite farmers markets. These markets are at City Hall (on Fourth Avenue & Cherry Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays) and in the new South Lake Union location (at the plaza at 410 Terry Avenue North, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursdays). So, on your way down to shop for farm-fresh produce, stop by and meet Harvey! 

- David Dickinson

Sharon Shaw of Marshland Orchards with their Farm Fresh Eggs

Okay, I admit some of my penchants for certain flavors border on the idiosyncratic. Like tomato catsup. I can eat it on so many different things, and not just with French fries.

Eggs would be another. I love eggs.  I can eat them morning, noon and night. That’s right, even for dinner. My family thought it a bit odd at first, especially my son. But it’s an idea that is catching on, and I’m discovering that there are others out there (hello, you’re there, right?) who also enjoy eggs in such ways.

An article written by Los Angeles Times Food Editor Russ Parsons made me cheer. He’s another who never hesitates to have eggs for dinner. Knowing he has eggs in his fridge is comforting to him, no matter what the day has brought. He, as I do, feels all you need to do is add a few simple ingredients to eggs and you end up with tasty and sophisticated light main course.

Eggs have been much maligned in the past, but they’ve made a comeback lately. Health experts now say eggs aren’t as unhealthy as they were once claimed to be. New research has revealed that moderate consumption of eggs does not have a negative impact on cholesterol. They’re a great source of protein, too—one egg has six grams of protein, plus all nine essential amino acids.

Omelets, frittatas and scrambles are among the easier ways to include eggs in meals. Eggs, cheese and bits of vegetables or meats, and you have a one-dish meal. Or, you can simply cook eggs to whatever style suits you (sunny side up, anyone?), make a quick salad, and there you go.

Scrambled eggs are delicious for late-night dinners if you’ve been outside enjoying a nice summer evening. The trick is to make them look more like the rich and creamy eggs you get at nice restaurants instead of the crinkly egg pieces you get with a couple pieces of bacon at a greasy-spoon diner.

Regardless of what time you like to enjoy your eggs, Parsons’ secret to smooth eggs is butter, plus monitoring the heat very carefully. Whites and yolks set at different temperatures, and proteins in eggs start to set at a fairly low temperature, about 150 degrees. Once they start to set, firmness quickly follows.

One way to get avoid quick firmness, Parsons suggests, is to add just a little bit of cold butter to the raw eggs. Start by cooking eggs over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. In a couple minutes, you should begin to feel them getting thick and creamy looking. Add the cold butter to moderate the temperature, keeping it just below the point at which the eggs will set.

The eggs are finished when they have formed tiny, creamy curds. Take the eggs off the heat while they still look a tad too moist. They cook so fast that they’ll firm up more in the minutes you’re dishing them up.

I followed his advice, and it works. No more diner-style eggs at my house. Add some of your favorite spices, such as herbes de provence or even freshly-ground black pepper, and you’ve got dinner’s main course. You can add fresh herbs as well, such as thyme, tarragon or rosemary. For another take on fried eggs, try Parsons’ version fried with bread crumbs.

Pike Place Market farmers like Marshland Orchards offer duck, chicken and goose eggs. Pike Place Market Creamery in the Sanitary Market Building has a wide variety of eggs, from small quail eggs, to the above-mentioned eggs plus turkey eggs, which look like they’ve been sprinkled with cinnamon. All are local and free-range, not from any massive egg business. You can bet that all the birds are humanely treated, and the Creamery even sells organic eggs.

So try a little sunny side up, even as we enjoy the long sunny days of summer. You’ll find they taste, well um, I’ll avoid the obvious egg pun.

-- Scott Davies

First of all, let’s get the pronounciation straight:  “KEEN-wah.” I won’t bother to go into detail how I pronounced it when I first discovered this wonderful super food several years ago at DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine here in the Market. Back then, it was relatively new to the American market, but as more people have found out about its health and nutrition benefits, it’s become more popular. It’s easy to see why.

Grain of the gods. Mother of all grains. Supergrain of the future. All of these terms have been used to herald this grain that actually is not a grain, since it is technically not a grass. It’s actually the seed of the Chenopodium plant, a relative to Swiss chard and spinach. The food world, though, refers to it as a grain since it’s cooked like a grain.       

It was a staple in the diet of ancient Incas, and it’s been cultivated in high-altitude regions of the Andes Mountains of South America for more than 6,000 years. Bolivia is a large exporter of quinoa, but now a variety called “sea level quinoa” can be grown in the U.S. and Canada.

Quinoa was thought by the ancient Incas to extend life, thanks to its high protein content (11 grams per ½ cup), which is higher than any grain. It’s also a complete protein, containing all eight essential amino acids. It’s high in fiber and low in carbohydrates. Plus, it’s a terrific source of potassium, magnesium and iron. Another big plus is it’s gluten-free, perfect for those who have such dietary restrictions.

Quinoa cooks like rice and other grains. Use 1-3/4 cups water for one cup of quinoa. Before cooking, rinse the quinoa in cold water until water is clear. After bringing water to a boil, add quinoa and then lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed water and looks like it’s “popped” open with little curlicues. Fluff with a fork to make sure all water’s been absorbed.

With a mildly nutty taste, much like couscous, quinoa is excellent in salads, pilafs, soups, stews, or as a side dish in place of potatoes or rice. That’s one of the things I love about quinoa—it’s so versatile. A hearty stew of quinoa and kidney beans is a tasty winter comfort food.

Quinoa is also ideal for one-dish dinners.  I’m a big fan of one-dish meals when I cook, and my family can vouch for this, having eaten my colorful Southwestern black bean salad with quinoa many a time. It has everything you need for a delicious meal, and it makes great leftovers. “Day Four” is a running joke at my house.

After you cook the quinoa, set it aside to cool. In a salad bowl, add cooked and rinsed black beans, roasted red peppers cut into small strips, and cooked corn. Also add chopped cilantro. Add the quinoa and mix. For the dressing, start with two tablespoons of lime juice combined with two tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add 3 cloves of garlic and a pinch of cayenne to dressing. You can adjust the amount of dressing to your desired quantity of salad. 

Tinker with the quantities of the ingredients to create a salad that matches the desired amount you want. You can add more of a certain ingredient if you want the salad to have more of that taste, such as roasted red peppers.
 
Highfalutin recipe-following? Naw. Highly nutritious and delicious improv?  Yes.

At the Pike Place Market, you can find quinoa at both El Mercado Latino and DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine. In addition to the golden quinoa, DeLaurenti also sells red quinoa. The produce stands have cilantro. Purchase black beans and roasted red peppers at El Mercado Latino. Olive oil is available at a number of Market businesses.

If you’re looking for ready-to-eat quinoa in salads, head to Michou, on Pike Place north of Stewart Street. Get a to-go box for lunch or dinner, or get a larger amount for parties. They feature quinoa salads on a regular basis. The red quinoa salad with lime juice and mandarin oranges is especially sublime (okay, couldn’t help myself on that one).   

If they gave Academy Awards for Favorite Foods, I’d definitely need to nominate quinoa. It richly deserves all the accolades it’s received. 

- Scott Davies

It all started with the pomegranates; large and perfectly round with their pretty little crenellated topknots. They were not what I’d come to the Market to buy--no, my grocery list clearly said pears, not pomegranates-- pears, pumpkin seeds and pancetta, along with spinach and shallots--ingredients for an autumnal-sounding salad recipe that I’d seen in one of the far too many magazines that are delivered to my house each month.

But as often happens when I shop at the Pike Place Market, what I ended up going home with wasn’t what was on my grocery list (except for the spinach and shallots, which did indeed find their way into my shopping bag).

Substituting pomegranate seeds for the pears in my salad seemed like an inspiration--they would add a splash of brilliant red and a burst of tartness while maintaining the pleasant alliteration of P ingredients. I bought one of the big, gorgeous pomegranates on display at the Market’s produce stands, as well as a bunch of spinach and a shallot.

Then, there were the hazelnuts – a sample of which was offered me as I wandered pokily through the Market’s North Arcade. Many Market vendors offer samples of their products and while I often decline the ones I’ve already tried on previous visits, it struck me that I’d never actually tried a hazelnut from Holmquist Orchards. I mean, a hazelnut’s a hazelnut, right? What could be so special about these?

Well, I was wrong. Holmquist’s hazelnuts are really good. While they bear a passing resemblance to the cheaper, imported hazelnuts you might buy at the grocery store, their taste is richer and sweeter and woodsier. Giving up on the prospect of alliterative salad ingredients, I bought a package of dry roasted Ennis hazelnuts. They had a more pronounced flavor than Holmquist’s top-selling variety, the DuChilly, but as I was thinking about making a salad I wanted a nut that could stand up to vinaigrette dressing.

Holmquist’s hazelnuts come from the family farm in Lynden, WA, vendor John Kinzer told me. Great-grandpa Holmquist planted the first trees back in 1928 and Holmquist Orchards is now the largest hazelnut grower in the state. Everything from planting to picking to packaging is still done by the family. John couldn’t swear to it, but he thinks Holmquist is the world’s largest producer of the DuChilly hazelnut. All told, Holmquist grows nine varieties of hazelnuts on the 100-acre farm. They’re a veteran Pike Place Market vendor, having sold there for 23 years, which made me feel very remiss for not having yet given them a try.

Once I had my spinach, my shallot, my pomegranate and my hazelnuts, I had to reconsider the final ingredient, which was supposed to be pancetta. Somehow, the pancetta concept just wasn’t doing it for me anymore--not in conjunction with pomegranate and hazelnuts. I still wanted something rich that would provide a counterpoint to the tartness of the pomegranate seeds, and after running through various possibilities in my mind I settled on goat cheese as the answer. I headed south down the arcade to DeLaurenti’s where I chose a log of fresh chevre; its simple, straightforward flavor wouldn’t complicate my salad too much.

So, that’s how it goes when you’re shopping at the Market--you start out looking for pears, pumpkin seeds and pancetta and you go home with pomegranates, hazelnuts and goat cheese. One of the primary joys of any farmer’s market shopping experience is encountering food that is at its peak of freshness and seasonality. If you’re open to switching gears at the sight of a beautiful piece of fruit or the taste of a startlingly delicious nut you’ll never be bored by what ends up on your table at dinnertime.

Spinach Salad with Pomegranate, Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese

2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. Kosher salt, or 1/8 tsp. table salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch spinach, washed, spun dry, and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
4 oz. soft, fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Put the first 5 ingredients in a jar and shake, then add olive oil and shake again until blended.

Put spinach, shallot, hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds and goat cheese in a large bowl. Add ½ cup dressing and toss.

Serves 4.

You can find Holmquist Hazelnuts at the Pike Place Market year-round, inside the Market’s North Arcade. You can also buy their hazelnuts at their website, www.holmquisthazelnuts.com.

 - Erika Sweet

"To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night, all you really need is soup." – Laurie Colwin

With the arrival of autumnal weather, it might seem like the growing season is coming to a close. But wait, winter’s not here yet! This is the time of the harvest, and many fruits and vegetables are just hitting their peak. A walk through the Market on a recent blustery Thursday brought this home to me as I took note of the squashes, apples and beautiful wild mushrooms which are just about as affordable as they get right now.

A detour onto the street to avoid a bottleneck in the Arcade (veteran Pike Place Market shoppers weave in and out of the buildings multiple times during any shopping trip to avoid the crowds) brought me to the Alvarez Organic Farms booth--two tents filled with fresh, local, organic tomatoes, squash, onions, fresh and dried beans, peanuts and, their specialty--a myriad of peppers. Hanging from the tent were pepper strands and pepper wreathes--only $15 apiece, and so beautiful and colorful. Sure, the tourists like them, but a bright red ristra would brighten up any Seattle kitchen in the gray of midwinter.

I had a little chat with Lisa from Alvarez Farms while I was picking out my ingredients for a soup to make for dinner that night. Alvarez Farms occupies 75 acres near Mabton (which is outside of Yakima, as Lisa had to explain to this urbanite), on land that has been certified organic since 1992. They specialize in growing peppers--over 150 varieties! And you can buy some of those varieties--and lots of other vegetables--any day of the week at the Pike Place Market all the way through November. Lisa pointed out that if you want to eat local, fresh produce all year, now is the time to stock up, with seasonal fruits and vegetables at their peak flavor and best price. Freezing or preserving will not only save you money, but will bring the flavors of the harvest to your table during the dark days of winter.

Armed with my purchases of zucchini and sweet onions from the Alvarez booth, along with a lime and some parsley from one of the highstalls inside the Arcade, I headed home, the vague idea for the soup coalescing into a recipe in my mind during my  bus ride. What I ended up with is a simple-to-make healthy soup that can easily be vegetarian. It’s got a satisfying richness (which is what you want on a cold, blustery evening), a nice hint of curry and a kick from the lime that makes the flavors pop.

Curried Zucchini Soup
Serves 4

2 Tbsp. olive oil

½ sweet onion, roughly chopped

4 zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into ¼” slices

2 tsp. curry powder

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

½ cup instant mashed potatoes, if desired, as a thickener

1 tsp. Kosher salt (or ½ tsp. table salt), or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ cup Greek style plain yogurt

2 tsp. chopped Italian parsley

1 lime

In a large stock pot, sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat until it is translucent and has started to caramelize. Increase heat to med-high, add the zucchini and curry powder and sauté, stirring frequently, until the zucchini softens and begins to brown. Add the chicken stock, stir and increase heat to high to bring to a boil, then set heat to low and simmer the soup for ½ hour.

Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, parsley and juice from ½ lime together in a small bowl.

Puree soup in batches in a blender and return to pot. Add instant mashed potatoes if you want a thicker soup. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze the juice from the other half of the lime into the soup.

Serve soup with a dollop of the yogurt mixture.

- Erika Sweet 

Teri and I were lucky enough to tour Doris and Donald Mech’s Maple Valley apiary this summer. The Mechs have been selling their honey at Pike Place Market since 1974, making them our most senior farm permit.

Doris’s broad smile can be seen behind North Arcade tables 11/12 on most Saturdays, although she is admittedly slowing down and scaling down her operation as she edges into retirement. The Mechs have been bee keeping since 1973. Prior to that Doris was a school teacher and Donald was an electrical engineer at Boeing. One day Donald read an article about a beekeeper in Kent and was intrigued enough to visit him and learn more.

Becoming Market farmers profoundly changed the Mech’s lives, in a way that will resonate with most (Daystall) readers. Donald, an avid outdoorsman, once climbed Mt. Mckinley. As Doris says, “Don used to go camping with the bees. When you are a bee keeper you have to do things around the bees. You cannot go climb a mountain during honey season; you’ve got to be dedicated to the bees. We came to appreciate being in the wild by being with the bees.”

Inside their cozy farm house a pillow is embroidered with, “Home is where the honey is.” From their dining room window, framed by bustling bird feeders, the view looks down hill to Doris’s expansive garden and the meadow beyond where the hives are located. A wall of forest provides a backdrop that masks the distant highway.

Inside the vast outbuilding (which they built) are all the essential components of honey production: the extractors, the stacks and stacks of hive boxes, boxes of jars and packaging. The scale of their facility is indicative of the earlier years when the Mechs engaged in a higher level of production.

At their peak, the Mechs kept 200-250 hives placing 5-6 truckloads at various pollination sites. As with all farmers the year-to-year yields vary based on many variables, with the average annual yield for this region being about 40 pounds of honey per hive. Currently they manage just 10 hives.

When asked what sage advice she has for the up and coming Daystaller, Doris replied, “You’ve just got to stick with it and do your best. You have good years and bad years, but you have to appreciate what a focal point Pike Place Market is. Make a good product and people will come to you, they will seek you out.”

And with a chuckle she adds, “And don’t make any enemies.”       

- David Dickinson

When you cook seasonally, certain times of year become associated with particular culinary projects. In spring I make multiple batches of olive oil-braised fava beans; the height of summer sees me constructing many an artfully composed caprese salad, and as the days start to shorten I break out the canning jars and start thinking about pickles and jams.

On a recent Wednesday, those thoughts lured me out of my office and onto the cobblestones of Pike Place on a quest for pickling cucumbers. Not easily found at the supermarket, pickling cucumbers make an especially crisp and tasty pickle and since I’d be making my favorite pickle recipe, I wanted the best.

I found what I was looking for at the Marshland Orchards stand, along with pretty much every other type of fruit and vegetable that’s in season now in western Washington. It’s a feast for the eyes just to contemplate the multi-colored peppers, purple and green sorrel, overflowing bins of squash and gorgeous green, yellow and purple beans.

I spoke with Lisa Postema, who oversees the produce Marshland sends out to farmer’s markets. She told me a bit about the farm; it’s located in the Snohomish Valley, a part of Flowerworld, which is a large nursery, founded about 25 years ago. They’ve been growing produce there for 7 years. Lisa explained that they have access to greenhouses through Flowerworld, and that allows them to have a longer growing season than a lot of local growers, so for instance, they’ll have tomatoes well into the fall.

I asked Lisa what produce was at its peak at the moment. They’ve got six varieties of early apples at the stand (including Gravenstein, my favorite), seven varieties of potatoes, romano and wax beans, and both summer and fall squash. Lisa said Marshland will have strawberries through October, thanks to their greenhouses. They can be found at the Pike Place Market on Wednesdays and Fridays during the growing season. They also have a CSA program that you can learn about at www.mpmcsa.org.

Loaded down with 2 lbs. of pickling cukes, four small, sweet onions and six Gravenstein apples that I just couldn’t resist, I made my way home to spend a couple of hours making a batch of bread & butter pickles that we’ll enjoy for months (or maybe only weeks, since it’s hard to keep these around).

These pickles are sweet and crisp, spicy but not hot, and very easy to make. If you don’t want to can them you can store them in the fridge.

Especially Good Bread & Butter Pickles
Yield: 1 quart (recipe can easily be doubled)

4 pickling cucumbers (about 1 lb.), well cleaned
1/2 sweet onion, such as Walla Walla, halved and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. celery seeds
1 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
pinch cayenne pepper
5 whole cloves
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar

1. Cut the ends off of the cucumbers. Cut each cucumber into 1/4-inch rounds. In a large non-reactive bowl, toss the cucumbers and onions with the salt. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Rinse the cucumbers and onions several times and drain well. Transfer to canning jars.

2. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the turmeric, celery seeds, mustard seeds, cayenne, cloves, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Boil for 1 minute. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables.

3. Seal the jars and process ten minutes in a boiling water bath.

4. Alternatively, pickles can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month if they are not canned.

- Erika Sweet

Our farmers at Pike Place Market are expanding their repertoire, and, seemingly, dreaming up new ways to sell their crops in some unique offerings that have not been seen on our cobblestones before.

They are exploring new and delicious - not to mention creative - ways they offer their crops that thirty years ago would have been unimaginable at the roadside vegetable stand prolific in our mothers’ days. 

The last few years, we’ve moved, budged, grudgingly and carefully, a little, in order to accommodate our farmers who want to try new ways to present their crops to Market customers. Inevitably it’s a good thing for the bottom line of farmers – which is my number one priority when it comes to the livelihood of agriculture-related sales at the Pike Place Market. 

The reason we are exceedingly careful about what farmers may sell out on the street is that I am always mindful of the authenticity of Pike Place Market and all that entails – and won’t allow our farmers market to morph into a fairground-like attraction with a bunch of prepared food tables – despite the fact that the food may be centered around local produce. Picky, I know, but fundamental to our heritage here at the Market.

That said, one of the most interesting things about this place is that we do evolve with time and the wants and desires of our customers and our merchants and farmers – but we do it carefully, which to me, is rather comforting. I know that if we carry forth the mission to preserve the historic integrity of the Market – and what is offered here – that is in essence helping to secure its future and place in the collective soul of Seattle.

So – a couple of years ago Tiny’s Organics began selling (along with their incomparable apples, cherries, pluots and peaches of all kinds) fruit smoothies here at Pike that are made soup-to-nuts with products gleaned from their farm. And it’s been a smashing success for them. The quality of theses organic fruit smoothies are top drawer and they are made to order and on the spot. They run this part of the business so well, so seamlessly, and so pure to what their farm table is – that it has proven to be a welcome addition to our farmers market. Bravo!  (P.S.Tiny’s Organics sell daily at Pike Place during the summer.)

Then, just this past June, Jamie Baird of Baird Orchards approached me about selling homemade potato chips made from Baird Orchard potatoes.  Admittedly, Jamie has watched the success Tiny’s Organics has enjoyed over the past two season given in part to the fruit smoothies and he decided he’d like to try something similar but with his specific product type.

In July of this year, Baird Orchards began selling homemade - cut and cooked on the spot - potato chips and French fries. They are lip-smacking good - crispy, salty and clean tasting - as Jamie flash fries them so that they do not absorb an unwanted amount of oil (he uses a 50/50 mix of cottonseed and canola oil). Jamie is using the Yukon Gold variety and they are certified organic. The second week Jamie was in this grand experiment he added French Fries to the mix – and also to vast success, so much so he began to sell out at around 2 pm each day. 

You can find Baird Orchards out on the cobblestones Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the summer selling season.   

- James Haydu

True enough. Pike Place is in fact the first and longest running neighborhood farmers market in all of Seattle.

In 2009 we faced an interesting question. Would it be wise for Pike Place to “expand” by running two satellite farmers markets? Would that deter Seattleites from coming to the Pike Place Market? 

After studying closely the other farmers markets in Seattle (particularly Chris Curtis and her Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance - talk about consulting the Master - in my opinion her model, dedication and stewardship of the farmers market movement is an example), I decided early in the year that we should try and give Pike Place Market farmers an additional venue to sell at,  in order for them to make more money as well as Pike Place providing an additional place for residents to buy good food that is locally grown and sourced in neighborhoods that are close – but not in the immediate vicinity of Pike Place.

So, we launched Pike Place Market Express at City Hall Plaza (downtown at 4th Street between Cherry & James on Tuesdays from 10am-2pm) and the Cascade Farmers Market featuring Pike Place Market Express (in the Cascade neighborhood on Minor Avenue between Thomas and Harrison Streets one block east of Fairview Avenue N.).  The satellite markets were a great success – clearly popular with people who live and work in those particular neighborhoods. But, I still worried. Was I taking customers from Pike Place – from the whole that is the Market? The answer was no.

In mid July, 2009 we did RMA’s (rapid market assessments) at both satellite locations to figure out if people shopping at City Hall Plaza or the Cascade market would skip coming to Pike Place. What people told us was this:  where else but Pike Place Market can they go to buy meat from the butcher they’ve known for years, stop to listen to a busker perform, get fish from Solly at Pure Food Fish (and hear about the shenanigans of some grandchild of his) and grab a piroshky on the way out? People also told us that they would continue to use Pike Place as their farmers market specifically citing farmers like Mech Apiaries and Stewart Meats as destinations. What we learned was that Seattleites use the Market for a lot of reasons – including a hub of social interaction mixed with commerce.    

So, as we sit in the final days of July, 2010 these two satellite markets are in their sixth week of seasonal operation and humming along as they did last summer. Our farmers are doing well and that makes me very, very, very happy.

Tuesday of this week, I wandered around the City Hall market to count customers, talk to them, and find out why someone was buying a flat or two or strawberries (strawberry shortcake for his fiancés birthday I was told), and to spy on which city officials are using the farmers market that is just outside their office door. On that note, this year I am seeing fewer of the political types out shopping…..kudos going to Councilmember’s Burgess and Clark whom I’ve seen on more than one occasion.

As I sidled up to the table under Full Circle Farm’s banner I struck up a conversation with a woman who works for King County. She was buying a couple of fat bundles of bright orange carrots and asking the sales agent what to do with them – other than just tossing them into a salad. 

“Maybe roast them,” the agent said. 

The customer looked deeply disappointed at the less-than inspired answer. 

“Carrot Pudding!” I heard myself say.

For a split-second I wondered where - or rather what - brain cell file I had accessed to pull this nugget out of nowhere. Then in the same second it came to me.

Richard Olney is one of the masters of French cookery. Okay, don’t roll your eyes just yet – as he was not a snooty-snoot Frenchy McFrench type of cook. Olney was American born – in Iowa in 1927 - and through his love of food, his writings and later in life while living in France he hung out with people like Julia Child.  And, people like Alice Waters based a lot of their food education on what Olney said. And what he said was, keep it simple, use the freshest and most local ingredients you can get your hands on that’s the key to great cooking and eating.  So, again, don’t be afraid to consult a master. Even one that is a famous French chef. 

I discovered him about 1999 when I toyed briefly with the notion of culinary school. His Simple French Food is a bible in some circles and on Tuesday when I heard my new friend (Carly) ask what to do with her carrots she’d just bought from Full Circle Farm’s table at City Hall Plaza – the answer came to me. 

The concoction is easy-carrots, butter, lemon juice, ½ & ½, eggs, and black pepper. Run the cooked carrots through a food processor, add other ingredients and bake for about 35 minutes.

I emailed Carly the next day, and she told me the carrot pudding was a hit. Grilled chicken, the pudding and a cold beet salad made her family a happy foursome she reported.

-James Haydu

Living and working in the Market is definitely a unique experience – and one that admittedly, on occasion, I have to remind myself is a privilege.  Sometimes I think it’s rather like what living in The White House might feel like.  Millions of people a year are traipsing through “your house” to get a closer look, and sometimes even pose for photos on your front porch (this happened to me just this past Saturday).

That aside – this is my neighborhood – and also Seattle’s neighborhood at-large much as The White House is the people’s house. And yesterday through the eyes and comments of a tourist family, I regained the sense of what it means to live and shop and eat from here.

My weekend routine is pretty steady – up by six and out for a run. Then back to the little studio condo that is a refuge really – coffee - and by eight or eight thirty at the latest I am down on the cobblestones checking out what each farm tent has to offer, kibitzing with this merchant or that and generally watching the progress as the scene of the market is set for the day. Mornings are the best time to gauge what this place is all about.  You see the produce being wheeled on carts for delivery to the highstalls, farmers unloading vegetables, fruit, honey, and flowers all to heap on their tables and rocky gray oysters in netted bags along with whole clear-eyed salmon stacked in buckets of ice all bound for a fishmonger. People are visiting with each other, talking about everything from lost love to the debauchery of the night before to whatever may be in the news that day. The principals, bit-players and stagehands all are waiting for the audience that will arrive in droves within hours.

Sunday morning I had a purpose. I’d offered to cook dinner for friends who were, that very evening, arriving back in Seattle after a two year stint in Cleveland. 

I was passé as I looked around. I knew I’d roast a chicken because it was simple and I could serve it cold if I wanted to but beyond that, everything on the farm tables seemed so…routine to me. Sure, Alm Hill Garden had beautiful carrots – orange and white and purple and a steal at about a buck fifty a bundle. Full Circle Farm had three different varieties of baby lettuce so fresh they almost carried dew. Sidhu Farms and Hayton Farms had stacks of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. And, Tiny’s Organics had piles of beautiful little dark red nectarines.  The bounty was there, to be sure, but my enthusiasm was not.  Am I jaded?  Maybe I should just get take out, I thought.

Then, a family who were clearly tourists was suddenly behind me. The “Dad” of the foursome said out loud and with such candor and awe...“Just imagine…if you lived around here and were able to plan dinner everyday as you walked along theses farm tables!”

Clearly, at that moment, I snapped back to reality. I bought the carrots from Alm Hill and the lettuce from Full Circle, as well as grabbed berries from both farmers with offerings (gotta spread the wealth). Whoever that wise and prescient man was who toured the Market with his family yesterday, I owe you a measure of thanks.  You brought me back to the truth. I have an abundance of terrific, locally grown and affordable food – good food and in my neighborhood. And so do you. This is my way of reminding you (as well as myself) about what happens out on the cobblestones at Seattle’s shared “at-large” neighborhood. It’s kind of like our community grocery.

For those who care – here’s the menu served up to my friends last night:

• 1 roasted chicken (3.5lbs) via Julia & Jaques Cooking at Home (1999)
  (note: I used Julia’s recipe for roasted chicken – and it’s amazing).  The chicken was purchase at Don & Joe’s Meats in the Main Arcade.
• A garden lettuces salad made with Full Circle Farm lettuce and dressed exceedingly lightly with olive oil, minced spearmint from Marshland Orchards and an almost invisible drizzle of apple cider vinegar.
• A platter of sliced red and yellow tomatoes also from Marshland Orchards.  This was host to a bit of olive oil and sea salt.
• A bowl of blueberries and raspberries from Sidhu Farms and Hayton Farms, respectively and a side of heavy whipping cream – no sugar added.
• A salad of wheatberries, papya, fava beans, scallions and cucumber procured from Michou located in the Stewart House building on Pike Place.
• A plate of nectarines, rinsed and warmed in the sun before being served whole, purchased from Tiny’s Organic.

And, it all came to a total of just under $48.00.  This fed five people. 

-James Haydu