Tag Archives: farmers markets

Food news roundup: local strawberries, coffee festival and more

 

Grocery Glee

This week, the big food news locally seems to be that some grocery store opened in Silverdale Friday. Trader something. It gave even Seattle-focused Bainbridge Islanders something to talk about regarding the main peninsula besides Costco.

To Market, To Market

Elsewhere in the local food world, Bainbridge farmers market heralded the arrival of the season’s first, fresh island strawberries! The market starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, and in years past, those berries cleared out fast.

At the Poulsbo market Saturday, “Bug Chef” (yep, it’s what you think it is) David George Gordon will be signing his new book “The Secret World of Slugs and Snails: Life in the Very Slow Lane” at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Brews

For those looking to venture outside Kitsap for Excitement this weekend (or looking for somewhere to take dad), Kenmore is hosting the Washington Brewers Festival, which features 60 brewers purring 200 beers Saturday and Sunday.

If beer isn’t your thing, Seattle Center hosts a celebration of a different brew: coffee. The Northwest Coffee Festival runs both Saturday and Sunday with taste tests, slow-pour coffee bars and other demonstrations.

Week’s Buzz

The big talk last week was the ode to Seattle food written by New York Times’ Frank Bruni.

Seattle’s Frantic Foodie Karen Brown has her own newly launched ode with a new book, “Food Lovers’ Guide to Seattle.”

Know other must-share blog posts and news? Please comment and link away!

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Washington cottage food bill passes Legislature

Prepared jams and jellies

Legislators Friday passed a cottage food bill originally co-sponsored by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Bainbridge Island. The law is similar to those in 17 other states that ease restrictions on small-scale food makers.

It applies to people who make less than $15,000 (more in later years, based on inflation) selling “cottage foods” such as baked goods, jams, jellies and other preserves, and certain types of fruit butters.  The food can’t contain meat and cannot require refrigeration.

Those who stand to benefit are farmers and other aspiring food makers who want to test goodies for sale at farmers markets, for example, without having to spend the resources to rent time in a commercial kitchen (or find a certified community kitchen). The sales must be directly to a consumer, and other rules require a label that lists ingredients, lists the address where the food is made and carries the disclaimer, “Made in a home kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria.”

Producers must pay a $75 inspection fee (their kitchen gets an initial then at least annual inspection), get food handlers’ and other permits.

When the bill was first introduced, Bill Marler of Bainbridge Island, an attorney who specializes in foodborne illnesses listed short pros and cons in a blog post, the con, of course, being that people could get sick from food made in a home kitchen.

The final bill passed with only one vote of dissent in the Senate and has been sent to the Governor’s Office.

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Poulsbo farmers market’s opening day packed

box of parsnips

Weather predictions through the week seemed to bode ill for the opening of Kitsap markets (Poulsbo and Bainbridge) on Saturday. But on the actual opening day itself, gray steeled the sky, but luck held the rain at bay.

Caleb Heinig of Colinwood Farm of Port Townsend sells greens to a customer during openign day at Poulsbo Farmers Market.

And out in Poulsbo, 39 vendors were had tents out and ready for the dozens who still were coming through the market when I arrived around noon. I hadn’t expected to see much so early, especially considering our soggy start to spring, but some spring greens and many vegetable starts and grow-your-own salad bowls were out. At least one farm offered some of the last of its potato stores.

Perennial Vintners had offerings of their newly bottled Frambelle dessert wine, made from Suyematsu Farms raspberries as well as its regular selection of wines. They also had something new to me called verjus, which is non-alcoholic and made from pressing unripe grapes. Cooks use it as a sour component in cooking, particularly when they don’t want the flavor to compete with he wine being served with the meal, as a lemon or vinegar can. Ah the things you learn by talking to people at the market!

I look forward to hearing the stories of the new farmers and vendors at local markets. I’ve also been talked into soon trying the morning offerings of Swedish pancakes, made with an authentic — and secret — family recipe.

The season, it seems, is off to a good start.

Now lets all hope for sunny days ahead and good harvests.

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