Interbay Farmers Market, in front of Interbay Whole Foods Market on 15th Avenue West in Seattle. Photo copyright 2011 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Interbay Farmers Market, the new location for your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market, is open every Thursday, 3-7 p.m., through September!
Please switch over to the Interbay Farmers Market blog now. This blog will be decommissioned soon. All materials on this blog from the 2010 season have been moved to the Interbay Farmers Market blog.
Interbay Farmers Market, the new location for your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market, opens today at 3 p.m.!
Please switch over to the Interbay Farmers Market blog now. This blog will be decommissioned soon. All materials on this blog from the 2010 season have been moved to the Interbay Farmers Market blog.
Rainbow chard from Oxbow Farm. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
We are pleased to announce that we’ve found a new home for your Thursday farmers market! It’s just a short drive, bike or bus ride north to Interbay Urban Center on 15th Avenue West, just north of the Magnolia Bridge, where Whole Foods is located.
The Interbay Farmers Market will debut on Thursday, June 9th at 3 p.m.
We were sad that the Seattle Art Museum was unable to continue to partner with us at Olympic Sculpture Park, without question the most visually stunning farmers market in the area. But as someone famous once said, you can’t eat scenery. And besides, all the blog info from this has been carried over to the Interbay Farmers Market blog, including recipes, vendor profiles and more!
Interbay Farmers Market is served by the following bus routes: 15, 18, 19, 24, 33, 81 & 85. It has plenty of parking. And it is served by the Interbay Bike Trail. Plus, it will have space for many more vendors! Besides continuing to serve the people of North Belltown and Lower Queen Anne, it will now serve commuters from Ballard and Magnolia.
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Stay tuned for more information.
The sun sets over Puget Sound and the Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
It is with heavy hearts that we report that your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market will not be returning for a second season in 2011. While the market was a great success in many ways in 2010, the current economic climate, and its effects on local governments and institutions, has left our generous hosts, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), unable to afford to host us again in 2011. Given that the Olympic Sculpture Park is home to many world-class works of art, SAM was required to provide additional staffing on market days, and that simply is not something it can afford in its budget in 2011.
Another spectacular view of your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
That said, the Seattle Farmers Market Association thanks SAM and its capable and highly professional staff for all the support and generosity they gave us in 2010. SAM truly is a class act. Additionally, we would like to thank the crew at TASTE Restaurants & Events for their support and generosity as well, and for their great food made from farmers market ingredients, as well as their unwavering support of local farmers, fishers, ranchers and food artisans. We would also like to thank the staff of the Olympus Apartments for generously providing off-street parking for many of our vendors during market hours, the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation for helping us with special activities planning during the market, the chefs from the surrounding neighborhood who performed the best cooking demonstration series at any farmers market in the area, and the market vendors for bringing us the best Washington has to offer every week.
Chef Peter Levine of Waterfront Seafood Grill putting the finishing touches on his Seared Salmon with Panzanella. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Please note that we are investigating other opportunities to serve this part of Seattle in the future, and we will keep this blog, as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages, active for the foreseeable future. Please stay tuned to these pages for information about what we might be able to offer you all in the future, and feel free to avail yourself of the many chef recipes and great photos and information still contained herein.
Thank you,
The Staff of the Seattle Farmers Market Association
Chef Craig Hetherington of TASTE Restaurant. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
As prepared by Chef Craig Hetherington of TASTE Restaurant for his cooking demonstration on September 9, 2010.
I love preparing this in the fall when the weather is still warm during the day and the hints of cool arrive in the evening.
Chef Craig Hetherington shows his audience proper browning. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Makes 10 servings
Ingredients:
Browning Skagit River Ranch sweet Italian sausages. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Preparation:
Pre-heat grill.
In a large, heavy bottom pan over medium heat, add olive oil and onions, and cook until slightly caramelized. Once browned, the onions are the color you want (they will be sweeter the darker they get). Add the bell peppers, garlic, and chili flake. Once the peppers start to get a little tender, add the tomatoes, capers, and herbs. If there isn’t enough liquid from the tomatoes, you can add a little water. Cook until the tomatoes are broken down and the mixture becomes like a stew. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. (This can be made the day ahead.)
Developing sauce for sausages. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Grill your sausages over a lower heat so the casing doesn’t split and they hold in their moisture. If you made the stew the day before, you can heat it up on the grill if there is room or just heat it up on the stove in a large sauté pan. When the sausages are done grilling, set them in the stew to keep them warm.
Sausages finishing cooking in sauce. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Brush your hoagie rolls with olive oil, salt and pepper, and while your grill is still warm, grill them to heat them up.
Drop the sausage on your hoagie roll, top with as many onions and peppers as will fit and enjoy!
Sausages finished and ready for rolls! Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Chef Brandon Kirksey of Tavolata explains the mighty lemon cuke. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
As prepared by Chef Brandon Kirksey of Tavolata for his cooking demonstration on August 26, 2010.
Ingredients:
Chef Brandon Kirksey tossing his salad. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Preparation:
Brandon didn’t give us specific instructions, and I’m guessing that’s because he figures we all know how to assemble a salad! :-)
The finished salad. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Chef Brandon Kirksey of Tavolata tossing his pan of caponata. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
As prepared by Chef Brandon Kirksey of Tavolata for his cooking demonstration at the Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market on August 26, 2010.
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
Flavors meld into caponata. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Preparation:
Sprinkle the cubed eggplant liberally with salt. Let sit for at least 2 hours.
Use paper towels to dry the eggplant and brush away the salt. Heat 1/3 cup of the olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium high flame. Add the eggplant, stir and cook for 5 minutes, until tender. Transfer the cooked eggplant into a colander to drain.
Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same pan over a medium flame. Add the garlic and let it infuse for about a minute. Add the diced onion and the bay leaf. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the olives, brown sugar, capers, raisins, pine nuts, and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine. Add the reserved eggplant, continuing to stir gently. Cook until the pan is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside until the caponata is room temperature, or refrigerate overnight.
The finished caponata & seared scallops. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
The sun sets over Puget Sound and the Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
As the sun sets on the inaugural season of your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market, let’s take time to celebrate and reflect upon an exciting first year of Belltown’s new, weekly grocery store. We enjoyed access to an incredible array of fresh, local food direct from the producers that would be the envy of people in most other parts of our country. We were entertained by music, dancing and cooking demonstrations by some of Seattle’s best chefs. We sampled Washington wines and enjoyed Market-inspired seasonal cocktails. And we did it all in one of the most beautiful places on earth — the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park — surrounded by world-class art, the skyline of Seattle, Elliott Bay and Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier. Honestly, I could not think of a more pleasant way to spend a Thursday afternoon in summer in Seattle.
Chef Craig Hetherington of TASTE Restaurant. Photo courtesy TASTE Restaurant & Events.
Our final cooking demonstration of the 2010 season features Chef Craig Hetherington of TASTE Restaurant at 5:30 p.m. today. I have had the pleasure of working with Craig for many years, and I can attest that there are few chefs as committed to using local ingredients on their menus in Seattle today as he has been to it for the nine years I’ve known him. Add to that his tremendous talent in the kitchen, and you have consistently delicious, guilt-free food. Stop by today for some great ideas for cooking local yourself, and if you haven’t treated yourself to TASTE Restaurant in the Seattle Art Museum on 1st Avenue, do it soon. You’ll thank me later!
New Moon cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Celebrate your access this summer to award-winning, local food. Like this New Moon cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery in Port Townsend. It won First In Class in the Jack category two weeks ago at the 2010 American Cheese Society Convention & Competition held right here in Seattle.
Sausages from Skagit River Ranch. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Reflect on all the recalls of contaminated factory-farmed meat and eggs lately, and that you are lucky enough to be among the few Americans who has access to meat, seafood, poultry and eggs from local family farmers and fishers — people who care deeply about the animals they work with and the people who eat them. Like Skagit River Ranch, which produces healthy, pastured beef, pork, lamb, chicken and eggs in Sedro-Woolley.
Rainbow chard from Oxbow Farm. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Tired of produce that is shipped an average of 1,500 miles to get to your local Big Box grocery store? Fed up with it turning to mush in your fridge in just a few days, because it was harvested so long ago? We’ve answered that problem, too, with the freshest local produce direct from the farmers who grew it, usually within 24 hours of harvest. Good luck finding rainbow chard, like this from Oxbow Farm, any fresher anywhere else. Just look at the cuts on those stems. They cannot be more than a few hours old, and they have not even begun to brown.
Cherry tomatoes from Summer Run. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Ain’t it great to have access to tomatoes that taste like, well, tomatoes? In heirloom varieties developed over centuries to serve many functions in your kitchen? Of course it is! Just check out these beautiful cherry tomatoes from Summer Run Farm. A-friggin-men!!!
Dinosaur Egg pluots from Tiny's. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
And fruit. Fresh, juicy, delicious, tree-ripened and brought to us by local family farmers at its peak. Washington enjoys almost an embarrassment of riches when it comes to tree fruit, which begs the question, why the heck would we be eating stuff imported by ship from Chile and New Zealand — taking weeks to get here and traveling thousands of miles — when you can enjoy this amazing array of fruit from right here? Like these locally-developed Dinosaur Egg pluots from Tiny’s. I mean, seriously, think about it. You never even heard of a pluot in a Big Box store until recently, because they finally realized what we’ve been enjoying for years at farmers markets. Farmers markets are where the innovation happens, and where the heirloom crops are preserved!
Gluten-free breads from Platypus Breads. Photo courtesy Platypus Breads.
And where else are you going to find this incredible gluten-free artisan bread from Platypus Breads? Maybe at another one of our farmers markets, but nowhere else. This stuff is moist and full of flavor, terms rarely associated with gluten-free bread. And don’t forget Grateful Bread Bakery, which offers artisan bread, cookies, croissants, bagels and more!
Saffron from Phocas Farms. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.
How about local saffron? Seriously. This saffron is grown in Port Angeles by Phocas Farms. It is fresh and brilliantly flavored, and it is only traveling a few miles to get to you, not thousands of miles from Iran, from where over 70% of the world’s saffron comes.
Dante's Inferno Dogs. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Looking for a quick snack? We have that covered, too. Grab a dog or a local, Cascioppo Brothers sausage from Dante’s Inferno Dogs. They’ll dress it the way you like it to stave off that hunger until you can get home with your Market goodies to make a fabulous dinner for yourself.
Keith from Finnriver. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Hard cider and local grain. We’ve got that, too! Finnriver Farm from Chimacum brings it to us every week. And they’ve got freshly milled flours, too. Did you know that flour is really only good for about two months after milling before it begins to break down nutritionally and eventually go rancid? I recommend you toss that old flour in your cupboard, and come down to your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market today to get some fresh, local flour.
Our own (well, not really) Farmers blimp. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
So come celebrate and reflect upon your Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market today, and stock up while you can. And if we’re lucky, we’ll get another visit from our very own (well, not really) Farmers blimp that flew over us last week. (I guess they got the dates wrong.)
Remember, this blog is your source for all things Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market. You will learn about what’s in season; the people and businesses that produce it; what chefs will be performing cooking demonstrations from week-to-week; recipes from those demos and our vendors; and so much more. Each week during the Market season, one or more articles will be posted here, and each week the What’s Fresh Now!pages in the upper right-hand margin will be updated to let you know what all you can expect to find this week at the Market. So check back often, subscribe to the RSS feed, and then come visit us at your new Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market.
Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market: Feeding the Body & the Soul!
Chefs Dana Tough (left) and Brian McCracken of Spür Gastropub. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
As prepared by Chefs Brian McCracken & Dana Tough of Spür Gastropub for their cooking demonstration at the Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market on September 2, 2010.
Veggies prepped and ready to go. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Ingredients:
Tossing together the ingredients. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Preparation:
The finished product! Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Chef Peter Levine of Waterfront Seafood Grill putting the finishing touches on his Seared Salmon with Panzanella. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
As prepared by Chef Peter Levine of Waterfront Seafood Grill for his cooking demonstration at the Olympic Sculpture Park Farmers Market on August 12, 2010.
Ingredients:
Wild Alaskan Sockeye from Loki Fish pan roasting. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
Preparation:
Prepare the white beans as per your favorite recipe or open the can and let them drain. Have the croutons toasted and set aside. Have the heirloom tomatoes seeded and chopped on the side. The radicchio and watercress should be cleaned and lightly chopped. The herbs should be cleaned, dried and chopped and set aside. The rest of the ingredients should be at hand for assembly.
Pan sear salmon in grape seed or canola oil, flesh side down until it releases from pan, then turn off heat, flip fish and let it finish cooking skin-side down with residual heat from pan.
Chef Peter Levine tossing his panzanella. Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
While salmon is searing, assemble the salad:
Present it with the salmon either right up on top or let it mix in with the salad. Either way, it is sure to make you a seem like a culinary star.
Ta-da! The finished product! Photo copyright 2010 by Zachary D. Lyons.
