Official Blog for Ballard Farmers Market

Nettles from Foraged & Found Edibles at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Just another sunny weekend in “winter” in the People’s Republic of Ballard, eh? Wow! And the spring crops are starting to come on with a vengeance now. Like these first of the year wild stinging nettles from Foraged & Found Edibles. Make yourself some tea or pesto, or whatever you like best, and enjoy a nice boast of healthful deliciousness! Oh, they’ve also got wild miner’s lettuce this week, too. High in vitamin C, it gets its name from being the wild green that helped keep many a miner alive when other greens, and any sources of vitamin C, were scarce at the end of winter. I love them simply dressed with a little oil and some lemon juice as a nice salad.

Chard from Colinwood Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Yes, this is chard. No, this is not a file photo. I took this last Sunday, in fact. These gorgeous, tender, colorful leaves of chard are from the greenhouses of Colinwood Farm in Port Townsend. They also have the most amazing dino kale raab right now that tastes like broccoli, as well as spinach, collard greens and more!

Dandelion greens from Stoney Plains Organic Farm at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Another sure sign of our early spring is these dandelion greens from Stoney Plains Organic Farm in Tenino. An intensely bitter green, you can make tea and soup with them, but I love to toss them with anchovies and avocado and make for one amazing and nutrient dense salad! Stoney Plains also now has green onions, chickweed and other early spring delights!

Daffodils from Mee Garden at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

Mee Garden has returned to your Ballard Farmers Market up on the 22nd Ave end. They have beautiful fresh-cut daffodils right now, as well as dried flowers and more!

Albacore tuna loin portion from Fishing Vessel St. Jude. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D. Lyons.

It is the first Sunday of the month, and that means it is local albacore tuna day at your Ballard Farmers Market. Yes, Fishing Vessel St. Jude joins us today with canned, smoked, jerkied and frozen albacore that is high in beneficial omega-fatty acids and low in heavy metals. It is sashimi grade, and it is the finest tuna you will ever taste!

Purple sprouting broccoli from Nash’s Organic Produce. Photo copyright 2013 by Zachary D, Lyons.

For a very limited time, you will find this purple sprouting broccoli from Nash’s Organic Produce! It has a very short season, so get it while you can. They also have leeks, collard greens, Nash’s red & green kale and red Russian kale, and even a few more carrots! They are also featuring dried Diana fava beans this weeks. “These tasty little nuggets are perfect in soups and stews, offering a hearty, meaty, delicious taste,” says Devon. “With 23% protein (the highest of any legume we grow on the farm), they’re sure to fill you up, too!”

Loading pizza in the mobile oven at Veraci Pizza at Ballard Farmers Market. Copyright Zachary D. Lyons.

We finish this week’s epistle with the news that Veraci Pizza has been told to “hit the bricks” from the private side lot next to the Ballard Inn they’ve called their Sunday home for many years. So hit the bricks they did. Currently, they are setting up in the Market itself, on the bricks up at 22nd Avenue. They will hang out there at least until we hit peak season for farmers.

There is plenty more local deliciousness waiting for you today at your Ballard Farmers Market. Just check What’s Fresh Now! for a more complete accounting of what is in season right now.

Tags: Ballard, Ballard Farmers Market, broccoli, chard, dandelion greens, farmers market, fish, flowers, food, King County, nettles, Seattle, stinging nettles, Sunday, tuna

This entry was posted on February 28, 2015 at 5:42 pm and is filed under What's New?, What's Next?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.