For many of us who don't live on a farm but love fantastically fresh, often natural and organic foods, the Farmer's Markets are such luscious connection from the purveyor's farm to our table(s)!
Their products are grown with pride and knowledge of peak seasonal flavors. Here are a few of the products purchased over the last few Saturdays at my local Poulsbo Farmers Market and how I prepared them at my home.
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| Blackberries from Mt. Vernon |
My son and I made homemade blackberry jam together for the first time with these aubergene jewels! We had lots of fun with this process in spite of a minor burn (and subsequent first aid/drama) when the sugary concoction spit on my son's hand when he was stirring the final product. Hubby was pleased I
finally used my
Weck canning jars I bought years ago at
Sur La Table. Son and I loved sharing the darling jars of purple goodness with neighbors, family and his teacher at school!
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| Blackberry jam in my Weck jars straight from the canner |
Fall is full of richer more dense flavors in the Pacific Northwest like Chanterelle mushrooms. Cooking with them brings me back to my days as Sous Chef at
Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, WA. Then owner and founder Peter Dow, would use them in Pollo Chanterelle or Chanterelle Risotto.
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| Chopped Chanterelles w/butter, shallots and nutmeg |
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| Jasmine rice with fresh Chanterelle mushrooms |
For this meal, I used fluffy Jasmine Rice with chopped Chanterelles, sautéed in butter, shallots, nutmeg and sea salt. The rice is steamed in Chicken Stock for additional depth. This is a right of Fall passage dish in my life and I use it as a side dish most frequently. Feel free to add chicken or pork to make it a more substantial entree for a carnivore...like my boys.
This one's really decedent for our family as we don't choose to do white bread often but every blue moon, I weaken and buy some. For the record, no one at my house complains. We devour our favorite sourdough bread, this one from Borrowed Kitchen Bakery in nearby Kingston, WA. It was dense, moist, crusty and full of that tangy nature of sourdough that we adore.
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| Sourdough toast, poached eggs with Sriracha hot sauce and bacon for Saturday Brunch |
At the our house, we prefer a simple,yet hearty breakfast/brunch on the weekends and this fresh sourdough toast was a decedent treat to our usual whole wheat faire.
For dinner this weekend, chopped fresh, local leeks were sprinkled on some natural, boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a baking dish. Drizzled the poultry with some of my favorite Gerard's Italian dressing, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and placed into a preheated oven for 40 minutes on 375 degrees on bake.
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| Fresh organic leeks |
The leek studded chicken thighs were chopped, and added to a drained pot of whole wheat penne pasta and tossed with an Alfredo sauce. The local arugula salad was a simple Dijon balsamic vinaigrette made by my son and lightly hand-tossed.
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| Chicken and leek alfredo with fresh arugula salad |
For Sunday afternoon Seahawks Game snack, it was Jose's Famous Salsa and fresh tortilla chips!
Jose Garcia and his fantastic wife Angie, their kids and some staff have built their Sequim-based salsa making company selling at local farmers markets in Sequim, Port Angeles, Poulsbo and others. They're expanding to groceries and also offer luscious guacamole, frozen homemade tamales, ready-to-eath tamales, and ceviche at their Farm stands. They also opened Jose's Taqueria in Sequim which is also simple, lovely, flavorful and authentic Mexican cuisine. Look for them and buy a quart of salsa and a dozen frozen tamales...I did! So far it's Sunday night and we still have some left-
barely.
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| The last of the seasons tomatoes |
This kaleidoscope of tomatoes are such a treat this late in the season! So many ways to enjoy them and often it's the most simple for us; thickly sliced, drizzled with Balsamic vinegar and freshly ground sea salt and cracked pepper. Another option, we sliced them and made Sourdough sandwiches with roasted chicken, mayo and more Sriracha sauce. We like to "bring on the heat" at our house!
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| A rainbow of Fall pumpkins, gourds and squashes |
These pumpkins couldn't be passed up, it was simply a choice of which size, shape and color...
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| My front porch with my seasonal gourds and pumpkins |
In time for Halloween and still good through Thanksgiving, the entry of my house showcasing my treasures from the Poulsbo Farmers Market.
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| Hoofing it to our Poulsbo's Farmers Market |
Each Saturday brings inspiration from meeting those who proudly grow, make, bake, weave, cook, carve, butcher and sell their goods for use in our lives.
Visit your local Farmer's Markets this week and what treats you can bring from the farm to your table!
Chow for now my friends!
