Proctor Farmers Market - Winter Market

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Who says you can't find local products all year long?  Now Proctor Farmers Market has made it easier for you and I to get our hands on great local grub.  Currently open Saturdays right up until Thanksgiving, in Dec, Jan, Feb, and March, Proctor will offer a once a month winter market.  Winter market is scheduled for the second Saturday of the month from 10 am - 1 pm. 

Featured Producer: Local Hazelnuts from Filbert Acres, Puyallup

Come visit Alison and Jonathan Nichols on their farm, Filbert Acres, in Puyallup, WA and pick up some of the fall harvest of local hazelnuts.  Open Monday thru Saturday, you can stop by the farm at 6625 Pioneer Rd, just outside the main city of Puyallup. They usually open up their gate around 8:00 am and stay open until around dark.  Look for their cheery Filbert Acres and "OPEN" sign.  Then take the drive down along the trees, as stray nuts pop from under your car tires.  Oh, and don't forget to catch a view of WSU's test fields--currently full of pumpkins--and an epic view of Mt. Rainier. 

Filbert Acres is truly a unique farm with a very special local product.  More about hazelnuts here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelnut.  How lucky are we to be able to source locally produced nuts!?!  We keep a bowl full of these with a cracker in our kitchen for a quick snack, but Ali and Jon have great recipes that will give you hazelnut inspiration if needed.

For directions and more information, visit their Puget Sound Fresh page: http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/farm_profile.asp?farmID=438 or Local Harvest page: http://www.localharvest.org/filbert-acres-M33816

Current prices for unshelled hazels are $3.50/lb (what a deal!) and bulk discount of $3.00/lb for 30 lbs or more. You can also meet up with Jon or Ali at the Saturday Proctor Farmers Market until Nov. 20th.  How about some hazelnuts in your Thanksgiving stuffing? 

Nov 13 - Farm to Table - Support Community Gardens through Locally Made Soups!

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Save the Date!

Saturday, Nov. 13, 11 am – 2 pm

Farm to Table: Community Garden Benefit @ Proctor Farmers Market

Sample soups from neighborhood restaurants, like Capers, Europa Bistro, and Babblin’ Babs, made with local produce found at the Farmers Market.  All proceeds go to the Community Gardens Project in Tacoma.  Come find out about gardens in your neighborhood and find new recipes for Thanksgiving while you’re at it!

Broadway Farmers Market - Now Open til Oct 28th!

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Broadway Farmers Market - Now Open til Oct 28th!

... which means, three more weeks to stock on on the best of what's in season.  There is a lot of great produce still available--greens, tomatoes, herbs, peppers, corn, and of course you'll find great foods that will keep throughout the winter--pumpkins, squash, potatoes, beets, onions, and more.  Don't forget about meats, seafoods, cheese, pasta, and bread too.

 

(Picture of Pat from L'Arche Farm & Gardens)

Featured Producer: Rolf's Choice Salmon

Rolf’s Choice Salmon
(253) 884-1055
rolfschoice@harbornet.com

Rolf Torgerson, from Longbranch, WA has been fishing in Alaska for over 30 years.  Throughout June and July, Rolf goes to work in Bristol Bay.  He's been bringing home his catch of wild Alaskan salmon to sell directly for nearly seven years.  Before then the fish he caught would go to a processor.  As industry and markets changed, the price processors paid fisherman for King salmon became very low.  To remain a viable operation and receive fair pricing, Rolf decided to sell direct to customers.  If you’ve ever tasted Rolf’s salmon, not to mention seen his smiling face or taken him up on a free sample at the farmers market, you’ll know how fortunate we are to have him around.

Rolf specializes in fresh frozen and smoked King and Sockeye.  Sockeye fillets can be purchased in individual portions of 6-8 oz or you can get a whole fillet.  Smoked Sockeye ranges from $5-9 and King from $8-11.  Rolf is a pleasure to visit with and can help you solve the question of what to cook for dinner and how to cook it.  Ask him about recipes; for instance, the one for Smoked Salmon Pasta—mmmm.

During farmers market season you can find Rolf's Choice Salmon at Tacoma Farmers Markets on Tuesday (6th Ave - now closed) and Thursday (Broadway - Open through Oct 14) as well as Gig Harbor Farmers Markets (all now closed) on Wednesdays (Skansie Brothers Park), Saturdays (Kimball Drive Park N Ride), and Sundays (Key Peninsula, OCallahan's). 
 
During the winter months, you can sign up for monthly drop offs in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and Key Center. You can reach Rolf at (253) 884-1055 or email rolfschoice@harbornet.com to be placed on the list or for special orders. They deliver!

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Anyone for some egg layers?

There's been a lot of talk about backyard chickens lately, especially due to Seattle's recent code update allowing up to eight chickens (more on recent Seattle urban agriculture changes: http://www.urbanfarmhub.org/2010/08/seattle-city-council-passes-urban-ag-code-changes/). 

If you are in the market for some egg layers of your own, stop by Proctor Farmers Market on Saturdays and go visit Calendula Farms.  They've got beautiful little layers for sale--Rhode Island Reds and Americanas--one for $25, two for $22 each, and three or more for $20 each.  (p.s. check the codes and rules where you live before you invest ;)

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South Tacoma Farmers Market Up and Running

The South Tacoma Farmers Market is new this year and is located on S. 56th and Washington Street.  A visit to the market on July 11th exhibited its vibrancy and support by local citizens.  The market has a wonderful blend of vegetables, fruit, small fruit, meat, seafood, crafts, and prepared foods.  Consumers state the love for this market and have been coming by the thousands to the market.  Check out the video of the Laura Kelsay Edwards Director of the Tacoma Farmers Markets who explains this new market.  More information can be found at: http://www.tacomafarmersmarket.com/Default.aspx

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Zestful Gardens Pre-Paid Farmers Market Card!

This year, Zestful Gardens (located in the Puyallup River Valley) is offering a new pre-paid farmers market card.  This card can be redeemed at any of their farmers market locations to purchase their wonderful organic produce.  Zestful Gardens subtracts your purchases from the total each time you buy.  They're offering a 10% discount incentive for anything you spend over $50.  So, if you were to purchase a $50 farmers market card, you would get $55 in produce; $100 you would get $110 in produce and for $300 you would get $345 in produce!  You can find Zestful Gardens at the Proctor Market on Saturdays, the Steilacoom Market on Wednesdays, and the Broadway Market on Thursdays.  In season now at Zestful Gardens you can find: crispy snappy snow peas; a plethora of greens including spinach, kale and salad mix; if you're lucky you might even find some late season rhubarb (which go great with strawberries also available for a limited time). To learn more about Zestful Gardens, check out their website: http://www.zestfulgardens.org

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Beautiful mountain view from Zestful Gardens' fresh organic fields

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Peas please!!!