|
Tanzania Day (in partnership with the City of Sammamish)
Enjoy the sights and sounds of Tanzania. Handmade Tanzanian baskets and fabric along with tote bags will be among the crafts on display.
Entertainment
Amani, Upendo na Muungano (Peace, Love and Unity) plays Tanzanian music.
Chef Demo
Come watch the preparation of birani, a traditional festival rice dish from Tanzania. You can also pick up free copies of a sample Tanzanian feast menu.
Children's Event
Circle dancing and henna hand painting. This is not exclusive to children!
Non-Profit Groups
MOMS Club - www.Momsclubsammamish.org
Meet the Author
Sammamish author Bob Trask, has just released his seventh book, Romancing the Soul. Bob is an internationally respected author, personal coach and key-note speaker whose books have been published in four languages and whose tools for success are currently being taught in fifteen countries. Bob will be available to discuss his work and autograph copies of his new book.
|
11. For shopping directly from the producer
Recently a Seattle friend commented that while she shopped at farmers markets and supported them wholeheartedly, she was not always sure if she was buying directly from the producer. And she wanted that assurance since one of the reasons she shopped at farmers markets was to support local family farms. There are a couple things a shopper can do to gain a level of comfort.
Know your Market
Each Market sets its own policies about whether it will allow resellers, people who consolidate produce from farmers and then bring it to Market to sell, and if so, in what proportion to farmers.
Our Sammamish Market has adopted a policy that seeks out farmers, not resellers, because we want the Market to be a place where our customers are assured they are buying directly from the grower/producer. When you buy fruits, vegetables, flowers, honey, seafood, and baked goods at our Market - and even prepared foods - you are buying directly from the producer.
If you see changing faces at Market booths, that doesn't mean you aren't buying directly. Since farmers have their farms to run and other markets to attend as well, the farmer will sometimes have his/her employees work at the Market booth.
Most farmers markets in Washington belong to the Washington State Farmers Market Association, WSFMA, which encourages members to consider very carefully the reseller issues and requires members to follow "Roots" Guidelines on reselling. You can check the WSFMA website for a list of all member Eastside and Seattle Markets.
Ask the VendorEngage in conversation with the vendor. Find out where the farm is, what the growing methods are, what other markets the farmer goes to. The producer will be happy to talk to you about his/her life's work. Don't we all like to do this? You might even find out that one of the reasons the farmer chooses to sell at markets is that he/she really enjoys the direct connection with customers that markets make possible.
| |
|
|
 Let's Welcome our New Vendors!
Two if by Sea - Alaska salmon and smoked salmon
Shannon Ford captains the Paul Revere fishing boat in Bristol Bay, Alaska, catching salmon that her parents, Lorene and Gerald Ford, sells at Seattle area markets. As Shannon writes on her website, "Wild salmon - it's good for your mind, heart and soul." You can also meet Shannon Ford on Facebook.
Salmon is on everyone's list of the right foods to eat because of all the Omega 3s in this fish. Interestingly, wild salmon have much higher levels of this oil than the farm raised variety. How lucky we are that we can now buy wild salmon right from the fisherman, in this case fisherwoman!, without having to drive to Fisherman's Terminal.
Tahoma Farms - Vegetables
As you can see from the website, Tahoma Farm's motto comes from Wendell Berry, a writer and farmer instrumental in promoting the appreciation of locally grown food, "A significant part of the pleasure of eating is in one's accurate consciousness of the lives and the world from which the food comes." That says pretty much what we need to know about our new vendor. Welcome, we're glad you're in Sammamish.
Family Peppers & Produce - Corn and Peppers
Pedro and his family from the Wapato area will bring their corn, peppers, and other vegetables. They are known for their peppers and will sometimes roast them right on site.
Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards - All things Hazelnut
Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards joined the Market two weeks ago. Featured in Bon Appetit, Martha Stewart's Living, and Food and Wine magazines, Holmquist hazelnuts are recognized nationally for their exceptional quality. As a personal aside, since watching the Market demo by Chef Peter Kelly from Redmond's Spazzo Italian Grill, where he used hazelnut oil for salad dressing, I've been using Holmquist hazelnut oil for salads. It's particularly good on the quinoa salad recipe from the PCC Cooks guest chef demo at our Market three weeks ago.
 Heavenscent Lavender - Lavender
This Bellevue grower arrived last week with a Market cart filled with eye-catching bunches of lavender. As I walked to the Market, I saw shoppers coming back to their cars with their lavender purchases peeking out from their bags. What a summer sight and what a Washington sight! Lavender grows well in western Washington, and Sequim, "the lavender capital of North America," just celebrated its annual lavender festival this past weekend. |
 What's Fresh at the Market
The peaches are in!
The big news here is that peaches are in! Tonnemaker had the Market's first peaches last week, the Flaming Fury Freestone variety. Now anything with that name has to be pretty spectacular. At our house, as we bit into our peaches, just hoping for that perfect peach taste after months of peach deprivation, we agreed - they are spectacular. We only regret we bought so few.
The first apples of the season
Tonnemaker also brought to Market the first apples, the Lodi variety, which is a tart light green apple with a sweet overtone. It's great for applesauce and it's just right for eating if you like tart apples. While buying my apples, I saw a customer walk out with an entire box she planned to cook into applesauce.
Honey
I baked the apples with Misty Mountain Honey, butter and cinnamon. Mark Johns of Misty Mountain regards honey the way a winemaker thinks about grapes.
Two weeks ago, when Chef Peter Kelly from Redmond's Spazzo was our Guest Chef, Peter talked with great appreciation about how he had sampled all of Mark's honeys - just like a wine tasting. Peter ended up choosing a honey that to him had just a bit of rosemary in it to complement the fruit syrup he made for a cake. We all enjoyed the cooking alchemy Peter performed with Market ingredients, including the honey. |
 Cooking with the Market - Brain Boosting Blueberries
Native to North America
Blueberries are indigenous to North America. Since North America does not have many native fruits, this particular native makes up for that scarcity by being such a versatile berry. Cultivation began in earnest in the early 20th century, as plant specialists developed varieties that produced larger and sweeter berries. The US accounts for 90% of the world's production today, and Washington's blueberry production has been increasing rapidly over the last years to satisfy growing consumer demand.
Antioxidants that protect against disease and brain inflammation
The buzz on blueberries is that they are one of the healthiest foods for us. They are packed with antioxidants, the protective compounds that limit free radical damage to our tissues, damage that leads to a panoply of diseases including heart disease and cancer.
But the antioxidant compounds in blueberries have another medical-breakthrough type effect. They appear to reduce the inflamation in the brain that leads to cognitive decline.
That should be enough for us to endeavor to consume as many blueberries as we can. Nature has done us a great favor here. It's given us a superfood with a delicious sweet taste that appeals to the taste buds of kids and adults alike. That's something we can't say about all the superfoods. The Market has beautiful blueberries from Youngquist Berries and Hayton Farms in the Skagit Valley and Crawford Farms near Prosser.
Ways to eat blueberries
At this time of year at the Market, we have such an abundance of succulent blueberries that it seems a bit of a shame if we don't try many ways of preparing them. Who doesn't like them with a little cream? On cereal or oatmeal or dotted on yogurt? What about a blueberry muffin right from the oven? Why not try making a cool blueberry smoothie or blueberry gelato for our hot summer days?
Blueberry, crisps, crumbles and cobblers
Crisps are about the easiest thing for blueberry baking. They are fast, simple and give you predictably delicious results. In both crisps and crumbles, the British version, the fruit is baked on the bottom and topped with a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter, and sometimes cinnamon, oatmeal and nuts. A simple web search for blueberry crisps yields a seemingly infinite variety of crisp recipes to try.
 Cobblers are American deep-dish pies covered with biscuit dough, rather than pie crust pastry. Our vendor PEACH creates glorious cobblers, one of which combines peaches, lemon and blueberries. Her baking has that homemade goodness to it we all savor. With cobblers like these available, there's not much incentive to bake them ourselves.
Blueberry turnovers
If you have kids, this will make you a baking champion in their eyes. There's something about blueberry turnovers that kids really like. Maybe it's having a separate dessert all to their own that's so appealing. Whatever it is, turnovers please.
You can buy puff pastry two ways; the more common and less expensive kind does not have any butter, or at the most, only a little. Nevertheless, this gives satisfying results. But if you want to take things up a step, a rather significant step in terms of taste and texture, try the more expensive type made from butter.
Blueberry tarts and pies
Tarts are essentially fruit pies without the top crust. A single layer of pastry lines the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Always elegant in presentation, traditionally, they're a little more European. Blueberry tarts never fail to draw the eye - they're so striking in appearance.
Americans are the fruit pie-makers and pie-eaters of the world. We love our pies, and most people, when asked, will happily disclose how they rank their favorites. There are lots of people who put blueberry pie at the top of their list.
If you've never made a fruit pie, please be assured that years of culinary experience are not required. This Martha Stewart recipe will walk you through all the steps to bake a blueberry pie that is a splendid creation to look at, to smell, and to eat.
L. Leo, Editor
Articles and Photos - Loreen Leo
Desktop Publishing - Sue Johnston
© Sammamish Farmers Market 2009 | |
|
