Picnic at the Market

Listen, if you’re one of the people who enjoyed our “Tomatoes are for snacking. Help Yourself!” sidewalk-side tomato plant in past years, I’ve got bad news for you. Instead of the monster bushes we’ve enjoyed in past years, this year there are three of the scraggliest, gawkiest lame tomato plants that you ever laid eyes on.

I’m not quite sure what I did wrong, although lack of sufficient fertilizer is my best guess. You can still help yourself, but there’s not much to help yourself to.

Fortunately, as I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, there’s the Wallingford Farmers Market every Wednesday at Meridian Park, where local farmers (including the hyperlocal CityGrownSeattle) have locally produced, mostly organic produce for sale, including never refrigerated tomatoes.*

And Kathleen Cromp over at the Wallingford Community Senior Center asked us to remind everyone that the market isn’t just for buying produce and taking it home. There’s a fine picnic scene going on, as well, replete with buskers, dogs and frolicking children (which is a good thing, assuming, of course, that you like at least one of those three).

And there’s a new vendor in the picnic mix: Knife for Hire Picnic Foods, featuring Chefs Clara Moore and Liz Garrett. They’ll be gathering up produce from the vendors, preparing it on-site in the WCSC kitchen in the Good Shepherd Center and making it available for instant picnics at the market. Here’s an example of their menu, cribbed from the Wallingford Farmers Market web site:

• Roasted Vegetables: Yellow Squash (Lyall Farms), Red and Golden Beets (Gaia’s), Red Lasota Potato (Olsen Farmss), Onions (One Leaf Farm), Rainbow Carrots (Gaia’s), Organic Coconut Oil, Kosher Salt, Fresh Cracked Pepper, Fresh Rosemary (Gaia’s)
• Marinated Cucumbers: Cucumbers (One Leaf), White Wine Vinegar, Pineapple Juice, Organic Sugar, Salt
• Carrot Greens Pesto Potato Salad: Red Lasoda Potatoes (Olsen), Carrot Greens Pesto (Carrot Tops (Gaia’s), Garlic, Walnuts, Grapeseed Oil, Lemon, White Wine Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, Rosemary, Onion)
• Dijon Roasted Green Beans: Green Beans (Lyall), Pickled Onions (One Leaf), Dijon, Vinegar, Mustard Seeds
• Market Salad: Mixed Greens (One Leaf), Cucumbers (One Leaf), Tomatoes (Alm Hill or One Leaf), Corn (Lyall), Candied Walnuts, Raspberry Vinaigrette (Raspberries from Gaia’s)

And, of course, there’s the old standbys, as well, also serving up fresh foods prepared from ingredients provided by the other vendors, including Patty Pan Grill (quesadillas, tamales and more) and House of the Sun Raw & Vegan Cuisine (spreads, kale chips, salads, wraps, and crackers).

So grab your re-usable bag, wander over to Meridian Park to do your shopping, then stick around and enjoy a picnic with your neighbors.

* In case you didn’t know, you should never refrigerate tomatoes. That’s part of the reason that store bought tomatoes taste so bland. It kills the flavor and, really, if you need to keep a tomato that long, you’re not eating enough tomatoes.

(Photo by Zachary Lyons)