... a spirited celebration of regional food and culinary craft, season by season, with original recipes by Susan S. Bradley
When the sun comes out from behind the grey cloud cover that often blankets Western Washington and Oregon, one of my first thoughts (after the obvious Thank You God) is “Let’s have a picnic.” Is there anything more deeply nurturing than gathering a friend or two and heading into glorious nature with a treasure trove of great things to eat and drink? Not in my book.
was surprised and thrilled last Saturday at the Seattle University District Farmers Market at how much fresh produce is available this early in the season. Wow!
This particular farmers market is one of the few in the region that is open all winter. This past week there were sparkling bundles of tender chickweed, plump sunflower seed sprouts, tiny yellow flowering bok choy, sorrel, baby arugula, dandelion greens, and mint. I bought way too much and then had to quickly devise a few salads to use the bounty.
The Portland Farmers Market (PFM) on the Portland State University (PSU) campus in downtown Portland is everything a local farmers market should be: fresh, seasonal, regional, sustainable, and mostly organic. I’m not the only one who thinks it rocks.
Every year, I rush to Seattle’s Pike Place Market (PPM) in March, expecting to be greeted by a jubilant array of local vegetables, tulips, and daffodils. The tulips and daffodils are always there, and this year is no exception. They are over-the-top magnificent. The local vegetables though are never anywhere to be seen. I know this will be the case, but I can never quite believe it.
I have vivid memories associated with cherries–replete with colors, aromas, flavors, textures, sounds, ambient temperatures, and moods. Each one seems to mark some important formative point in my life, some right of passage. It’s a little eerie. For instance, I can clearly see my 10-year-old self, gangly bare legs scratched and grass stained, high in a craggy cherry tree in the [...]
Note Be sure to also visit the more recent photo page, University District Farmers Market Summer 2010, with an audio clip of Susan at this fabulous market. I have been completely remiss in not trekking to Seattle’s University District to check out the farmers market, until recently. I mean, you know, how good can it be? Instead, when [...]
Connect with LunaCafe