(no title)

MORE MAY 15th RETURNING AND NEW VENDORS

May 2, 2015 by Ima Cook

More Favorites Returning

Kirsop Farm

Kirsop Farm. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Genine and Colin will be bringing their fine produce to Madrona again in 2015. Being on Fridays, Madrona produce will have generally been harvested within 24 hours of the market shopping hours. It will be hard to find any fresher food unless you pick it from your own garden.

Kirsop Farm has a new innovation this year. They sell traditional-style CSA shares that you’ll be able to pick up a weekly box with the latest seasonal harvest at Madrona Farmers Market. Or they have developed a terrific alternative for this year that they are calling”Your Choice Farmers Market” CSA shares. This plan allows you to choose your veggies when you are at the farmers market. Click on the link to get directly to their website where you can learn more about the options. Of course, you can always talk to them on May 15 to see what is still available.

OLSEN FARMS

Ribeye steaks from Olsen Farms. Copyright Zachary D, Lyons.

You’ll be happy to know you can get the wonderful pork and beef cuts of fine locally raised meats and sausages, not to mention the huge variety of potatoes.

WELCOME NEWCOMER TO MADRONA MAY 15th

SWEET CAROLINE’S

Sweet Caroline’s Makers of Fine Jams and Shrubs

MAKERS OF FINE JAMS AND SHRUBS

You will find Greg and Caroline are bringing truly fine gourmet products like shrubs. You may ask: What is a Shrub? Simply put, Shrubs are sweetened vinegar-based fruit syrups used for making soft drinks or cocktails at home. Click their name, above, and find out more about their interesting company and fine products.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Opening Day is May 15

April 15, 2015 by Ima Cook

Yeng Garden. The Yeng Family working hard at bringing their beautiful flowers to Madrona Farmers Market

Your Favorites Will be Returning

and Some Exciting New Businesses too!

Stay tuned to find out about the great food makers

who will be coming to Madrona this year.

Okay, here are a couple of hints:

Pete’s Perfect Toffee

Pete from Pete’s Perfect Toffee at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Wilridge Winery

Paul, owner of Wilridge Winery – Madrona’s very own and the City of Seattle’s very first winery.

Paul Beveridge, and his wife, Lysle Wilhelmi, are the owners of Wilridge Winery. (Yes, that is his name). They also own their own vineyard on Naches Heights, near Yakima, where the vines are tended organically and biodynamically.

Paul and Lysle opened a European-style bistro in the early 1990’s, in a house on 34th Ave, in the Madrona district. The restaurant was on the 2nd floor and their winery was in the cellar. It was the city of Seattle’s 1st winery. After the restaurant was closed because of laws that were established to prohibit ‘bathtub’ gin being sold in a retail outlet, including restaurants, the couple decided to close the Bistro. Paul and Lysle were pioneers again by working to get that law changed, with help from the Washington Wine Institute.

Paul also contributed significant time and efforts that led to the legislation that allows wine and beer from Washington producers to be sold at farmers markets.

And, if that isn’t enough pioneering, they have also been among the first wineries, let along retailers, to offer their fine wines in refillable bottles.

Stop by to talk to their representative, and have a taste to decide what vintage or blend you want. You will be proud to be supporting ethically and sustainably grown fine wines from Washington State.

Wilridge-Madrona’s Very Own and Seattle’s First Winery

A great new addition this May, is Mustard and Co., known as Condiment Pioneers to the Seattle Weekly reporter who wrote about them, Justin and Bryan make some amazing mustards you will just have to try. Plan to stop by and taste their amazing products.

I’ll be adding more over the next four weeks, come back soon.

Tags: E.Union, family farms, flowers, fudge, Madrona, Madrona Farmers Market, Martin Luther King Jr.Way, May 15, mustard, radishes, toffee, tulips, wine
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Stand Up For Farmers Markets! Help Us Challenge Proposed Huge Fee Increases By King County Health Department!

November 11, 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons

BenFisher&Madrona Imagine your Madrona Farmers Market without eggs, pickles, fish, or meat. When Public Health – Seattle & King County recently announced that they want to increase permitting fees in 2015 up to 300% for vendors, and more than double the fees for the markets themselves — fees they just increased by 500% two years ago — many markets and farmers in the King County farmers market community openly began asking, how much longer can we afford to be in this business?

While maybe the first sentence is the extreme, imagine if our one egg farmer quit Madrona Farmers Market. How would that affect your farmers market experience? Do you really want to go back to buying eggs at the Big Box store? Well, we have already been told by our egg farmer that they will consider quitting farmers markets if these fees go through.

And it’s not like Public Health has been dealing with a rash of food-borne illnesses caused by farmers markets. In fact, there have been none. Inspections in 2013 and 2014 show a dramatic decrease in violations of health codes at farmers markets, so one would think the cost to the Department would be decreasing, not increasing.

That’s why we need your help… right now! We need you to make public comments on this proposed fee increase before December 10th. And we’d appreciate you joining us at one of three public meetings on these fee increases scheduled over the next two weeks. (Please scroll down to see the press release from our Market Master.)

To comment:

Please submit comments to King County Board of Health at: Maria.Wood@kingcounty.gov.
Comments can be made to Public Health online at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/fees/proposal.aspx.

To attend a public meeting near you:

Thursday, November 13^th9:00 – 10:30 am
Phinney Center, room 6, blue building*
6532 Phinney Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/MZLxV
*this room is accessible by elevator

Thursday, November 13^th6:30 – 8:00 pm
Rainier Community Center, Multi-purpose room
4600 38^th Avenue S
Seattle, WA 98118
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/jqoLg

Wednesday, November 19^th6:30 – 8:00 pm
Kent Senior Center
600 East Smith Street
Kent, WA 98939
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/BFJgr

*************press release*************

Seattle Farmers Market Association
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Judy Kirkhuff
Market Master
sfmamarketmaster@gmail.com

Huge Fee Increase for 2015 Farmers Markets and Vendors
Proposed by Public Health – Seattle & King County

Fee Increases As Much As 300% Over 2014

November 12, 2014
Seattle, WA

Department of Environmental Health Services at Public Health – Seattle & King County submitted a proposal to the King County Board of Health in late September to increase farmers market permit fees for 2015, without adequate justification. Called Temporary Recurring Event permits, these permits are required of every farmers market and hundreds of farmers and food vendors in King County.

This proposal stunned farmers market organizers who, like farmers, have been working in partnership with Public Health over the last several years to dramatically reduce violations at farmers markets, as well as Dept. staff time necessary at markets. Under the Public Health proposal, in 2015, the permit fee increase for each farmers market in King County will increase by 132%, and amounts to a more than ten-fold increase in the cost of fees paid by farmers markets just 3 years ago. Farmers and farmers markets alike are struggling to keep up with the escalating costs of doing business in King County.

King County is the economic engine of Washington State. It has the highest concentration of farmers markets of any Washington county, with about $20 million in farmers market sales in the county in 2013. Hundreds of small farms and family businesses from around the state bring their fresh, healthy, artisanal foods to markets around King County. All are required to make separate applications and pay separate permits for each market at which they sell. (King County does not issue county-wide permits.) These market vendors will see the cost of their 2015 health permits increase by as much as 300% over 2011 rates. Local farmers selling meats, poultry, eggs, dairy, cheese, fish and shellfish face similar dramatic increases. Requiring farmers to pay for a separate health permit for the same activity at each individual farmers market is redundant, inefficient, and overly burdensome.

Seattle Farmers Market Association, which organizes three markets in Seattle’s Ballard, Madrona and Wallingford districts, is very concerned that many small farms and food processors will stop participating in King County farmers markets. The result will be the loss of availability of quality foods, poultry and eggs at many smaller markets, and could lead to the closure of some farmers markets in the county.

There has never been a documented food-borne illness outbreak from a farmers market in King County, despite the significant growth of farmers markets in the county in recent years. And with increased inspection enforcement in 2012 and 2013, the Health Department’s own report to the Board of Health, dated March 2014, details the significant decrease in violations found at farmers markets. The report credits:

Close working relationships and coordinated effort with market staff
Educational emphasis on handwashing, cold holding, and washing produce samples
Increased enforcement

It is difficult to understand the justification for this proposal. This is in direct contrast to the County’s policy to support farmers markets as a critical part of King County Food Policy. It is also contrary to other programs funded by Public Health that focus on increasing use of farmers markets by low-income families to improve their diets.

The Board of Health has not posted a date when the vote will be held on this proposal. Public testimony will be accepted until December 10, 2014. There is still time for concerned farmers market shoppers and supporters of local farms to contact King County Board of Health to urge them to reject the proposed fee increases for farmers markets and food and farm vendors.

Please submit comments to King County Board of Health at: Maria.Wood@kingcounty.gov. Comments can be made to Public Health online at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/fees/proposal.aspx. Join at us at one of three public hearings on Nov. 13th & 19th to express your concerns (go to ballardfarmersmarket.wordpress.com for more details).

For more information, contact the SFMA Market Master, Judy Kirkhuff, at sfmamarketmaster@gmail.com.

# # #

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Friday, September 26th: Final Day Of 2014 Season! Thank You!

September 25, 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons

Thank you for supporting your Madrona Farmers Market this season! Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We love you, Central Seattle, and we thank you for another awesome season of your Madrona Farmers Market! But the earth has taken another trip around the sun, and as of Monday, we were officially back on the dark side of the calendar again. Today, we reach the end of the 2014 season of your Madrona Farmers Market. The sun will set before 7 p.m., and we will be packing up in the dark. Without a doubt, this season has been one for the record books, with the best vendors, the best produce, the best neighbors supporting us, and absolutely extraordinary weather all summer long. So stock up one last time this year, then we will see you again next May. On behalf of the entire staff of your Madrona Farmers Market, on site and behind the scenes, thank you! And in honor of our last Market of 2014, we thought we’d introduce you to some of the diverse, creative and groundbreaking vendors who make this Market so special. (And please visit us all winter at Ballard Farmers Market on Sundays.)

Chef Michael King from St. Clouds at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We cannot forget the amazing team of chefs from the Central District, Madrona, Madison Valley and Capitol Hill who came out just about every week to give us tips on working with the local bounty here, and to feed us deliciousness. We round out this year’s cooking demonstration calendar today at 3:30 p.m. with Chef Michael King of St. Clouds. Thank you, chefs. We are indeed chef rich here!

Heather (left… sort of) and Rand from One Leaf Farm at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Heather (left) helps out Rand (right) from One Leaf Farm many weeks at your Madrona Farmers Market. The two have known each other for years, going back to when they worked together at Central Coop many moons ago. Rand left the coop to become a farmer, for which we are all eternally grateful. Heather left the coop to… what is it she does again? Well, whatever it is, she clearly doesn’t want her picture taken!

Michael from Pinckney Cookie Café at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Michael Pinckney, cookie maker extraordinaire from Pinckney Cookie Café, helped sweeten us up all summer with his amazing creations made with Washington flour. And hey, he didn’t leave out gluten-free folks either. Good on you, Michael. BTW, did you know that you can buy frozen cookie dough from him now? So stock up for winter!

Max (left) and Ali from Tani Creek Farm at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Max & Ali from Tani Creek Farm at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

This is Max and Ali from Tani Creek Farm. Tani Creek joined our vendor ranks anew this season at your Madrona Farmers Market, and they have been a great addition. Their farm is over on Bainbridge Island, and they specialize in growing heirloom varieties of crops from around the world. They practice seed saving, which is at the heart of what the term “heirloom” means. It is like open-source software. Heirloom seeds are not owned, trademarked or patented by any one seed company, but instead belong to all of us. Farms like Tani Creek help maintain the delicious biodiversity of our planet, and we are the beneficiaries.

Farhad from Tall Grass Bakery at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Today is not only the final day of the 2014 season here at your Madrona Farmers Market, it is also the final day ever here for Farhad of Tall Grass Bakery… at least in his capacity working for them. Farhad is moving on to other projects after over seven years with Tall Grass. He has always been a delight to work with, and we’ll miss seeing him every Friday. Stop by for one more loaf of challah, and wish him well!

Sundeep (left) and Sharnjit from Sidhu Farms at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Cousins Sundeep (left) and Sharnjit sling berries for Sidhu Farms, their family’s berry farm down in Puyallup. All season long, they ply us with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, marionberries and boysenberries. And this has been an epic year for berries indeed!

Lillian from Simply Soulful performing a cooking demonstration at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

This is Lillian from Simply Soulful during her cooking demonstration earlier this month. She and her mom bring us their amazing sweet potato, berry and pecan pies made from her Mississippi-based grandmother’s recipes. Earlier this year, Simply Soulful opened up a new storefront bakery and restaurant in Madison Valley, so you’ll be able to easily enjoy their soulfuliciousness through the dark, cold, wet months!

Whole king salmon from Wilson Fish at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Gene from Wilson Fish. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Gene from Wilson Fish will be enjoying some sleep next week, what with the end of both the Madrona Farmers Market season and the Washington coastal king salmon season. Thank you, Gene, for sacrificing sleep, and a good junk of sanity, to bring us the freshest, most delicious, truly local fish every Friday all season long!

Michael from Farmbox Greens at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We got to learn the difference between “sprouts” and “microgreens” this season from Michael of Farmbox Greens. See, sprouts have roots! We also learned about urban and vertical farming, that microgreens are, pound-for-pound, anywhere from four to 18 times as nutrient dense as their mature vegetable counterparts. Oh, and they taste really good, too!

Aimee from Soulever Chocolates at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Aimee from Soulever Chocolates believes in bringing us full-strength chocolates with pure, natural flavors in great combinations. She works directly with cacao farmers and organic chocolate makers to ensure she has the finest ingredients. and she offers a number of vegan and paleo-friendly flavors, too.

Derek from Snohomish Bakery at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We were joined by a new (to us, anyway) full-service bakery this season: Snohomish Bakery. They’ve actually been around for over five years. They loves them some farmers markets, and we were happy to have them join us, and to have Derek ply us with cheese bread and chocolate croissants all summer!

Sarah from Collins Family Orchards at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Sarah has been working with Collins Family Orchards for about as long as I can remember. She can talk you through the seemingly endless varieties of fruit they grow over in Selah in her sleep. (In fact, she probably does sometimes!) And thank goodness for that, since most of us have a hard enough time wrapping our heads around the difference between an aprium and a pluot as it is, let alone trying to make sense of nectarplums and peachcots.

Pete from Pete’s Perfect Toffee at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Pete makes perfect toffee. So it made sense for him to name his company, Pete’s Perfect Toffee. He’s smart like that. And he has a great collection of Hawaiian shirts. Not as good as my collection, but hey, Pete can’t be perfect at everything!

Cassie from Pasteria Lucchese at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Cassie from Pasteria Lucchese. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We all kinda missed having Samuele Lucchese charming us with his thick Italian accent this season, waxing poetic about his pastas and sauces. That is, until we got to know Cassie. Sam who? It’s pasta weather again, folks, so stop by Pasteria Lucchese today and stock up!

Remember, there is plenty more to tantalize your taste buds today at your Madrona Farmers Market. For a fuller accounting, see What’s Fresh 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 Madrona 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.

Tags: chef, cooking demonstration, farmer, farmers market, food, Friday, King County, Madrona, Madrona Farmers Market, Seattle
Posted in Alerts, Vendors, What's New?, What's Next? | Leave a Comment »

Friday, September 19th: Farm-Fresh Eggs, San Marzano Tomatoes, Pie Pumpkins, Microgreens & Much More!

September 18, 2014 by Zachary D. Lyons

Farm-fresh eggs from Growing Things Farms at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Only one more market day remains after today in the 2014 season of your Madrona 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 next Friday, the sun sets by 7 p.m., and we’ll already be packing up in the dark!

With the 2014 Madrona Farmers Market season winding down, don’t forget to get another good fix of these great, farm-fresh chicken eggs from Growing Things Farm. After all, you will miss them come October. Grab an extra dozen or two. Eggs keep well, and after all, these are super fresh! Oh, we also have another great cooking demonstration by Chef David Mitchell from Luc at 3:30 p.m. today!

San Marzano paste tomatoes from Alvarez Organic Farms at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

San Marzano paste tomatoes are the pride of Italy, growing near Naples in the fertile volcanic soils around Mount Vesuvius. So it is no wonder that they also thrive in the rich volcanic soils in the Yakima Valley of Eastern Washington at Alvarez Organic Farms. And in this epic year of the tomato, this is perhaps the best year we’ve ever had for these little treasures. They are a thick fleshed tomato with fewer seeds than a Roma tomato, and a robust flavor that makes them an ideal sauce tomato. If you ever wanted to can some sauce tomatoes, this is the year, and these are the tomatoes to can! They are great roasted and grilled, too.

Sugar pie pumpkins from Kirsop Farm at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Pumpkins are not just for carving. They are also for eating! And these organic sugar pie pumpkins from Kirsop Farm are for exactly what their name says they are for: pumpkin pies! Still think it is too early to make pumpkin pie? That’s okay. These will store just fine for several months in a cool, dark, dry place. And when it comes pie time around Halloween or Thanksgiving, you will already have your delicious local pumpkins with which to make it!

The vertical urban microgreens farm of Farmbox Greens available at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Farmbox Greens is an urban farm. It is based in West Seattle, and it actually grows its microgreens indoors in what it refers to as a vertical farm, meaning the farm stacks multiple trays of the sprouting microgreens one atop the other. They are grown aeroponically, meaning they are grown in the air and watered using mist. They do not require soil, which eliminates many potential contaminants that have been associated with sprouts in recent years, and they are not constantly in contact with water, like in hydroponics, which results in a higher quality product with a superior flavor. Other than the mist of filtered water, they enjoy bathing in the light of LEDs (above). And if you are wondering what the difference is between a sprout and a microgreen, it is the roots. Sprouts have them, and microgreens do not. You will find them on the menus of many of Seattle’s best restaurants, but why not add them to your own menu today? They are delicious, and pound-for-pound, they are four times more nutrient dense than their fully-grown counterparts.

Wild Washington red king salmon from Wilson Fish at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Today is the last day in 2014 for fresh Washington coastal king salmon from Wilson Fish at your Madrona Farmers Market. The coastal fishing season closed earlier this week. Of course, next week, they will still have plenty of their amazing smoked salmon, as well as other fresh fish. But this is your last chance this year to get your fresh, local king salmon on!

Heirloom snow peas from Tani Creek Farm at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Say what? Peas? This late in the year? Yuppers! Our friends from Tani Creek Farm are now harvesting a new crop of their heirloom snow peas for a late taste of spring. Of course, they also have lots of great storage crops available now, too, so stock up for fall while enjoying the freshness of these lovely heirloom legumes!

Cranberry-orange pops from Seattle Pops at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Seattle Pops introduces a brand new ice pop flavor today at your Madrona Farmers Market today: cranberry-orange. They feature freshly-pressed, organic cranberry juice from Starvation Alley Cranberry Farm on Long Beach Peninsula, a lone organic cranberry farm in the heart of Washington’s huge cranberry growing region on the coast. Enjoy!

Organic Fig Brittle with Almonds from Pete’s Perfect Toffee at Madrona Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Let’s end on something truly sweet today. This is the latest creation from Pete’s Perfect Toffee: organic fig brittle with almonds. It’s delicious. And it has perfectly good for you things like figs and almonds in it, so you can enjoy it while justifying away any misplaced feelings of guilt.