What's Fresh Now — Late June 2011

GiveBIG

Get ready to "GiveBIG" to Cascade Harvest Coalition during The Seattle Foundation's "GiveBig" challenge on Thursday, June 23 from 7 AM until midnight. During this one-day, online event, residents of King County can make donations to their favorite non-profit (us!) and a share of every contribution you make to CHC will be matched with a "stretch pool" of funds provided by the Foundation and its partners.

FRESH PICKS

U-Picks — Keep your fingers crossed for warmer weather and call before you go to make sure berries and other produce are ripe and ready. Find your field of dreams at Puget Sound Fresh. Farmers markets are in full swing, but what to do with all that fresh goodness? The Bellevue Farmers Market Cookbook is the perfect solution and all sales benefit the Market. Bainbridge Island's Sweetlife Farm is offering "Demystifying Culinary Lavender for Home Chefs" on Sunday, July 10 from 10 AM -2 PM. Space is limited; pre-registration required. Learn about growing, harvesting and the fine points of cooking with lavender. More for lavender lovers: The Lavender Farm Faire, July 15-17 at Sequim's Purple Haze Lavender Farm.

ON THE ROAD — Port Townsend and Chimacum

By Sarah Graham

One day in the sun-kissed, snow-cap-bejeweled, farmland-blanketed Port Townsend and east Jefferson County simply isn't enough. But here's what I managed to fit into one— and you can too!

My day got off to a colorful start at the Port Townsend Farmers Market, one of the best I've visited yet, teeming with over 70 vendors. Just a few offerings of note were local meat, dairy, and produce, locally roasted coffee, pastries, wood-fired pizza, pottery, salmon sandwiches, goat milk soap, live music, a grassy picnic area, and tons of free street parking. The honor system rules at Collinwood Farm near the corner of San Juan and F Streets, offering up fresh eggs, cut flowers, plant starts and coffee beans. Open 24 hours, just select your items and leave your money in the box. This is definitely not the big city!

Heading towards the agriculturally rich Chimacum Valley (a short, picturesque drive out of Port Townsend) sits the Chimacum Corner Farmstand a small grocery specializing in food grown or produced in the Olympic Peninsula; if you find yourself in the neighborhood on Sundays between 10 AM — 2 PM you can also pay a visit to the Chimacum Farmers Market. Nearby Finnriver Farm and Cidery offers up organic hard ciders and fruit wines in their rustic-meets-modern, barn-side Tasting Room; kids can play outside in the sandbox with mellow farm pup Pippin. If your shoes are up for it, walk down to the creek or stroll amongst hop vines. You'll definitely want to snap some photos — there are plenty of the stunning, panoramic vistas.

Last, but certainly not least was Eaglemount Wine & Cider.Two words: quince cider! With a cozy tasting room on 35 serene acres of old homestead orchards, Eaglemount offers red wines, apple ciders, and perry (made from fermented pears) - absolutely delicious.

Sarah Graham is a volunteer with Cascade Harvest Coalition and aspiring farmer who lives in Seattle with her husband and several four-legged children. For more of Sarah's stories about food and travel, visit her website, Food First Hand.

DOWN ON THE FARM — Mountain Spirit Herbal Co.

By Sarah Graham

Denise Joy's Mountain Spirit Herbal tent at the Port Townsend Farmer's Market is jam-packed with herbal tinctures, tea, salves, oils, sprays, and soaps. One of the first things she says when I introduce myself is that she's not your typical farmer. "To me, a farm is a forest. I want weeds, not rows."

At age 8, Denise began learning herbal medicine from her Russian great-great grandmother and now says she is one of perhaps only five herbalists in the country that practices the traditional methods she uses. "I teach from the ground up, not the book down," she says. She takes great care to be a steward for the earth through sustainable methods such as companion planting and indigenous farming, calling herself a "permie" long before permaculture became popular because, as she says, "it just makes sense."

Of her 7 ½ acre property, 2 ½ acres is wetland and 2 acres is cedar forest on which she harvests some ingredients such as Oregon grape root and nettles from the forest and cultivates others in her organic beds.

You can purchase Denise's products at her 30-ft. cranberry colored home yurt in Port Townsend, although she suggests calling first to make sure she's on site. Online ordering is also available. If you're interested in learning her methods, she has begun a teaching program and is also available for herbal consultations — feel free to phone for an appointment at (360) 385-4491.

FEATURED RECIPE: Farm Fresh from Jefferson County

So, what to do with all that good food you brought home from your road trip? We decided to on two recipes this time- a hearty favorite from Serendipity Farm and divine dessert courtesy of Finnriver.

Serendipity Farm - Farm Hand Tractor Lunch Loaf

A great lunch for people on the go says farmer Chris Llewellyn. "This loaf has been taken on hikes, eaten by grubby-handed farm children playing in the rows of veggies and handed off to farmers while driving the tractor." Since Chris never writes down recipes, this one's straight from memory.

Get started by making a batch of your favorite yeast bread pizza dough. Roll dough out to approximately 14 x 18 and place on an oiled cookie sheet. Sautee in a small amount of olive oil several cloves chopped garlic, chopped onion, a bunch of chopped kale, a bunch of chopped chard, arugula or mizuna. Throw in a few sun dried tomatoes, add salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to substitute toppings says Chris, who goes out and picks what's handy from the farm.

Cover the dough with mozzarella or any favorite cheese; you can also spread pesto on the dough. Place sautéed veggies on top of the cheese, then roll up the dough and place seam side down on the baking sheet, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Let the dough rise for a half an hour. Bake 400 for about 15 minutes

Finnriver Berry Wine Dessert Sauce

Serve this berry puree with cake or atop a scoop of chocolate sorbet or ice cream.

1 lb. blueberries

1 cup Finnriver berry wine

6 Tbsp. sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

In saucepan, bring ingredients to a simmer over med heat for 5 minutes, and then remove. Process in the blender and then strain out and discard the solids. Chill and stir before serving.