Sometimes, rarely, I get a Sunday morning off of work. It is always an exciting day when this happens, because it means I get to attend the Ballard Farmer's Market. It is one of the best farmer's markets I have ever been to. (Barring those in Europe, of course.) They close off one of the streets in Old Ballard and jam it full of back-to-back produce, dairy, meat and flower stands.
Lis and I always stop by the mini donut stand first; they are amazing and if you order a half dozen, chances are you'll get more like 7 or 8. Then we do a circuit to check out what is being offered and what we might want. Some people do this to check prices. We do this to compare cool factor.
We try and get something new every time. One week it was dragon tongue beans, one week it was red wine and maple cured salmon. (Yes, I eat this now. It was FANTASTIC.) Most of the time though, we just make decisions based on colour. The more colourful the vegetable, the more we want it.
Lis and I always stop by the mini donut stand first; they are amazing and if you order a half dozen, chances are you'll get more like 7 or 8. Then we do a circuit to check out what is being offered and what we might want. Some people do this to check prices. We do this to compare cool factor.
We try and get something new every time. One week it was dragon tongue beans, one week it was red wine and maple cured salmon. (Yes, I eat this now. It was FANTASTIC.) Most of the time though, we just make decisions based on colour. The more colourful the vegetable, the more we want it.
One of the things we've gone back for more than once are pluots. A cross between a plum and an apricot, these are really amazing grilled. They get much sweeter over a fire and turn a vivid fuschia.
Dragon tongue beans- these don't need to be shelled and can be stir-fried without blanching them first, which is great because then they retain more of their colouring. They didn't really have that distinct of a flavour besides "beany," but as a focal point they were totally worth it.
One week we bought a bag full of different potato varieties. My favourite are the small purple ones, which some of you might remember from my post on Middle Ages Peasant Soup. Roasting them allows them to stay bright and purple, which makes eating them that much more fun.
I love carrots and these were a nice change from the ubiquitous orange ones. The white ones had a milder flavour, close to the parsnips they resemble. Otherwise they basically tasted like carrot. They were a blast to photograph, however.
If you have the chance, I highly recommend going to your local farmer's market. It is a great way to promote local businesses and to expand your eating horizons. Plus, you never know when you are going to encounter a busking band with a member dressed as a giant, fuzzy bunny.
RSS Feed
