Chicken, Corn, Coho & Cucumbers

Certified organic, pasture-raised chickens from Growing Things. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

These gorgeous, and delicious, chickens from Growing Things are certified organic and pasture-raised. They were just recently slaughtered and quickly frozen to preserve their freshness. Eat one of these chickens, and you won’t be able to by any chicken from a big box grocery store again. But if you missed the Madrona Farmers Market on July 10th, you missed these. Fear not. Growing Things assures me they will bring more to the next market.

The first sweet corn of the season from Family Pepper. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

The first sweet corn of the season arrived at the Market on the 10th. Family Pepper, which farms the fertile soil of the warm Yakima Valley in Wapato, won this year’s sweepstakes to see which farm would have corn first.

New Girl tomatoes from Oxbow Farm. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Tomatoes are now available from many farms, from both sides of the Cascades. An early tomato season means we get to enjoy delicious heirloom tomatoes, ripened on the vine, that much longer this year. Just look at these beauties from Oxbow Farm.

Fresh, whole coho salmon from Wilson Fish. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Wilson Fish had these magnificent, fresh, whole coho salmon at Madrona Farmers Market on the 10th, too. Coho is a great eating fish at a great price, and buying it whole provides you with an even better value.

Chef Sabrina Tinsley of La Spiga showing off her pan-tossing skills with Tonnemaker squash on July 10th. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Chef Sabrina Tinsley, owner of La Spiga, performed a cooking demonstration for us on the 10th. She showed us wonderfully simple and delicious preparations of squash, Treviso radicchio, and cauliflower with romanesco and bacon — recipes to be posted here soon.

Schmidt's Blueberry Farm rejoined the Madrona Farmers Market for the 2009 season on July 10th. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

The 10th marked the return of Schmidt’s Blueberry Farm for 2009. What a spectacular berry season this year has seen. I do hope you are making the most of it. And if you have yet to succumb to the power of berries, this next image, of the mixed berry flat at Jessie’s Berries, will surely break you.

The mixed berry flat at Jessie's Berries. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

Of course, we’ve got more fruit than just berries at the Market. How about these first-of-the-season Arctic Star nectarines from Tiny’s Organic Produce?

The first nectarines of the year, brought to you by Tiny's. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

And here’s one of my favorite fruits, the Sungold cherry tomato from Local Roots:

Sungold cherry tomatoes from Local Roots are sweet, with low acidity and a nice round flavor. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

I know. Some of you are wanting to make the argument that tomatoes are vegetables, not fruits. Indeed, we list them on the vegetable page in this blog. But the bottom line is that when the food is wrapped around the seeds, in it technically a fruit, which also makes these Tonnemaker cucumbers fruits, too.

A mix of slicing, English and pickling cucumbers from Tonnemaker. Photo copyright 2009 by Zachary D. Lyons.

If you aren’t kicking yourself right now for missing the Madrona Farmers Market on Friday, July 10th, there may be no hope for you. And if you miss it again, rest assured, we will be mocking you here next week. Don’t risk it. We’ll see you at the Market.

Tags: bacon, blueberries, cauliflower, chef, coho salmon, cooking demonstration, corn, cucumbers, farmers market, food, Madrona, Madrona Farmers Market, nectarines, raspberries, salmon, seafood, Seattle, strawberries, summer squash, tomatoes