I’ve been missing tomatoes, not because of the recent salmonella scare, but because tomatoes aren’t in season in western Washington. While I’ve had the occasional slice of tomato on a lunchtime sandwich or cherry tomato in a restaurant salad, I haven’t bought fresh tomatoes in months. I have carefully rationed the tomatoes that I canned/froze last fall (I have one pint jar left), but even the best vine-riped tomatoes canned aren’t the same as fresh vine-ripened fruits.
This morning, rather than making my usual trek to the University District Farmers Market, I went west to the Magnolia Farmers’ Market. I hadn’t shopped at this market in several years, and figured it was time to check it out again. (Also, the Magnolia market opens at 10:00, an hour later than the U-District market, and I wanted to sleep in.) My first sight on approaching the market was Kittitas Valley Greenhouse’s stall, its tables piled with bulging multi-hued tomatoes. Although the tomatoes are grown in greenhouses, they’re vine-ripened heirloom varieties — more than sufficient to satisfy my craving.
As well as tomatoes in several colors, I picked up red and white spring onions, English peas and fava beans from Alvarez Organic Farm. A bunch of the slenderest baby carrots from Willie Green’s practically leaped into my bag. And a couple pounds of Lyall Farms’ Chelan cherries also followed me home; they won’t last long.
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I love all the vibrancy of the colors!
(trying very hard not to mention the………can’t do it……..fava beans, with a nice chianti) Sigh. I am still 12 years old.
Yum. We’re about two weeks out from tomatoes, still. Harvested our first bunches of cilantro and basil a few days ago, which makes the lack of tomatoes even more unbearable. But they’re worth waiting for.
Those cherries look divine, too. Yum, yum!
Alvarez goes to Magnolia? Sweet. I can never make it to Columbia City and I’m going to try and get at least two boxes for canning this summer.
I miss the markets.
Gorgeous photos as always. Those carrot roots are like music.
I don’t know if this is a rude or prying question or not but I was wondering how much you normally spend on a shopping trip to the market place? Do you find it cheaper then if you had bought it at the grocery store?
I always adore you market report, the pictures always leave me drooling.