Farmers Market Mecca

The first of this month I went on a trip with my youngest daughter, Aubree, to Seattle, WA and visited Pikes Place Market. I was very excited as this was on my bucket list as the ultimate farmers market to visit.  Aubree called it farmers market mecca and it was that and then some.  It's Seattle's epicenter of fresh produce, specialty foods and independent businesses. Established in 1907 to connect citizens and farmers.  There's a year-round farmers market, crafts market, bakeries, fish markets, butcher shops, produce stands, specialty groceries, take out food counters and fine dining establishments.  We spent 3 hours there, made many purchases, ate a yummy lunch and had a blast.  There was so much to look at, we didn't go into all the shops but pretty much covered the main floor with the open markets.  We saw them throw fish at the famous fish market several times.  I was never fast enough with my phone to get a picture but it was fun watching them.  There were tulips and fresh flowers in abundance at the many flower vendors, so beautiful and smelled great.  My favorite part was the produce vendors, we went to several who gave samples of fruit and were so helpful.  Aubree and I bought a variety of fruits and vegetables to take to her home in Oregon for our meals while I was visiting.  I was very excited about the 2 different varieties of artichokes that I can't really get in Oklahoma, they were so yummy. There was a sign for big sexy tomatoes so I had to buy one of them.  We ate lunch at Uli's Famous Sausage. They are the Pacific Northwest's finest handcrafted artisan sausage. We got a sausage platter with 3 different bratwursts, bacon, apple and lamb plus sauerkraut and red cabbage.  Everything was delicious but the bacon bratwurst was to die for.  They also had a meat counter where they sold the sausages so we bought 2 pounds of the bacon ones, 1 to share with the family we were staying with and the other to take back with us. We enjoyed bacon brats for several days. We went into a spice and tea shop that was really fun.  We bought several kinds of loose tea. Aubree was amused that I shared my secret of adding shredded eggplant to dishes, especially ground meat with several of the young women that were waiting with us to have teas measured out and were talking about how they couldn't get their families to eat eggplant.  I love sharing with people different ways to add and cook vegetables to their meals. I found an awesome canvas tote bag that said

"Produce to the People" that Aubree said I had to buy because it was perfect for me. There were various artists selling all kinds of stuff.  We found one selling prints and I bought one of a lady standing behind a vegetable stand, which I love, and Aubree got one of the Seattle skyline.  We also bought soap products, jam, hand dyed yarn, and a tea towel amongst our fruits and vegetables.  We had such a fantastic time.   It was a wonderful mother/daughter experience together that I'll always cherish. What a fantastic Mother's Day gift.

Enjoy,

Bamah 

Lawton Farmers Market Spring opening

I love, love, love farmer's markets and the Lawton Farmers Market has a special place in my heart. This year's opening weekend was Saturday, April 6th.  I was very happy that it was my Saturday off and even though it rained, John, Clapton, and I  braved the weather and visited with friends, purchased local products plus got breakfast from Anna's Breakfast Bus, the food truck vendor for this year.  They have yummy breakfast burritos. I've made so many friends at the farmers market, discovered wonderful local products like soap from Turkey Creek Lavender, and lotion from, Taliaferro SoapWorks,  that I now use exclusively. I've bought wonderful fresh veggies from local venders plus local plants from, Coles Greenhouse,  that thrive in our climate.  My love, passion, obsession or whatever it's called has gotten contagious and now my husband, John, and dog, Clapton, love to go to the farmers market as well. They even go by themselves on the Saturdays that I'm working.  It's one of Clapton's favorite place and he always knows when it's Saturday and farmers market day.  He loves people and goes to greet most of the local venders for pets, especially the ladies from Legako Farms because they make homemade dog treats which are his favorites and they always give him samples.  He loves children and is a kid magnet. He's the unofficial farmers market dog and he loves it.  John has made friends as well and visits with venders whether I'm with him or not.  There's so many vendors and more will come as the season progresses.  There's several vendors with baked goods, Rannila Kitchen and Bakery, yummy cookies and cinnamon rolls, Ally's German Bakery, Hunt's cookies, decadent iced cookies. and Broken R Ranch have yummy parker house rolls plus eggs and beef.  Entwined Vines also has baked goods as well as wine, salsa and all kinds of jams and jellies. There are several vendors that sell locally raised meat, Red Truck Farm sells beef and eggs, Seven Farms sells pork and sometimes eggs and Limerick Farms sells lamb.  We love the lamb meat and I cook with it more than beef since John has liver issues.  It's still early for vegetables but Mary from Molsbee Farms has veggies from the Dallas Farmers Market, plus what she grows on her farm, Jason has greens and herbs and a new vendor this year, Ethan, has microgreens.  I bought some microgreens and ate them in my scrambled eggs and salad, very yummy. Another new vendor this year, Flower Market Farms from Wichita Falls brought beautiful cut flowers.  I bought a couple of bunches and made arrangements for my home.  I love having fresh flowers in my house, especially my bedroom.  I also bought plants from Cole's Greenhouse.  I try to buy mostly local plants for my garden/yard since they seem to do better in our Oklahoma weather plus I just like supporting local whenever possible.  The Lawton Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8 to 12 and located in the parking lot of the Great Plains Coliseum at 920 SW Sheridan Rd. There are more vendors at the farmers market, I've just highlighted some of them and there will be more including craft vendors as the season progresses, especially during peak season in the summer.  Come and check it out and you might see John, Clapton and I there.

Enjoy,

Bamah

More farmers market adventures

This summer I've visited a few more farmer's markets in OK and on my travels.  The end of July we went on our annual family vacation to Mississippi for the Beckman family reunion.  We meet at Clarkco State Park near Meridian MS.  We're there from Tues until Sunday.  One of my cousins stopped at the Mississippi visitors center and saw a flyer for a farmers market trail and got it for me.  I was so excited, more farmers market road trips in the future. On Saturday morning, several of us went to the Meridian farmers market at Union Station.  This has become an annual event for us and one of my favorites.  I always manage to find things that I can take back with me to Oklahoma, mostly produce but this year it was also a plant.  I love plants and the majority of my plants have come from farmers markets.  I was walking by one of the vendors with plants and just looking, trying to figure

out logistics with taking something back to Oklahoma. When I asked about one of the plants the lady told me it was a Confederate Rose and because she needed to repot it she would sell it to me for $5.  SOLD! My husband was amused but use to me doing this by now so I brought it back, researched about it online and planted it in a 5 gallon bucket in my yard.  I wanted to get it established before putting it in the ground because full sun in Mississippi is very different from full sun in Oklahoma.  I'll overwinter it inside this year and plant it outside in the spring. One of my favor things to bring back from Mississippi is peaches.  I freeze and/or can them. In August, we planned another Saturday in OKC with our daughter, Tabitha. My husband, John, our dog, Clapton and I went to our local Lawton farmers market before leaving town, dropped the produce and Clapton off and then headed to Norman, OK.  I decided I wanted to add another farmers market to my list so Tabitha met us in Norman and we checked out theirs. Quite a few of the area farmers have booths at the OSU/OKC, Norman and Edmond farmers market but there's still unique vendors to each market.  We enjoyed it and bought produce, cheese and baked goods.  I bought peaches, not that I needed any because I still had peaches from Mississippi but later that week I canned 4 jars of Bourdon peaches plus made a peach cobbler for work with my MS and OK peaches.  Tabitha and I went in her car back to OKC and stopped off at the OSU/OKC farmers market for

yogurt and a couple more things that we couldn't get in Norman.  So that was 3 farmers markets for me in 1 day. Over Labor Day weekend my husband, John, Tabitha and I went to Little Rock, AR to visit my father-in-law and his wife. That Saturday, Tabitha and I went to the Hillcrest Farmers Market by the Pulaski Baptist Church on Kavanaugh Blvd.  We had went there last year when we visited and really enjoyed it so went back. We bought stuff to cook there for the family and to bring back to OK.  I cut up cantaloupe to go with sandwiches for lunch, made tomato pies and on Sunday made my farmers market eggs with veggies for breakfast.  Earlier this month I was asked to speak at my garden club about my farmers markets adventures which was fun. I do love to talk about farmers markets, veggies and cooking and preserving them. Unfortunately, with my work schedule I have to work 2 Saturdays a month so am unable to go to the farmers markets those days but I've converted my husband, John so he goes without me. Clapton also is a big fan of the farmers market, he loves people and most of the vendors know his name and he visits them for pets.  John buys produce and something for my lunch from the food truck, which he brings to me (I bring my lunch everyday but Saturday I get takeout from the farmers market since I can't be there in person). When I get home, I cut everything up and cook my go to dish on working Saturdays which is what I call Farmers Market Skillet.  It's any kind of meat, ground pork, ground lamb, lamb sausage or whatever John has bought and cooked plus veggies.  I add whatever veggies I have, usually a combination of fresh from the market and from my freezer stash, add seasonings, seasoned salt, pepper, herb blend, sofrito, sometimes mustard and sometimes something to make a kind of sauce and top it all with cheese.  It's a quick and tasty homemade meal and one of our favorites.   Farmers market adventures are the best.

Enjoy,

Bamah