Monday, August 23, 2010

Market Notes - The Peak of the Season


August is the peak of the season in Pacific Northwest farmers' markets.
Booths are overflowing with countless varieties of fruits and vegetables. 
Let's take a little market tour so you can see what my part of the world has to offer.




Isn't Mother Nature amazing!




Dahlias are spectacular now.  They range in size from a button to a dinner plate.




Frizee and Arugula are in my shopping bag every week.




Gravenstein apples just came in.
  They are very perishable and their season is short so we all wait for their appearance. 
 They are my favorite cooking apple ~ crisp, tart and juicy.




We had a cool, wet spring so local Tomatoes are finally ripe!



Have you ever seen so many varieties of Eggplant!




Grilled Artichokes are on my menu this week.




Vine ripened, sweet, juicy Melons!







It's all about the Peaches...



...and the Corn.




and all the wonderful people I see every week at the market.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you enjoyed your visit.

47 comments:

  1. Wow, luv it all. I would come home loaded with bags from there!

    Beautiful produce and great pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What gorgeous bounty Cathy!! I am getting sad that my garden is about done producing. I am thinking about doing a fall garden too. But right now, we are having some nasty triple digits, and I don't even want to be out there gardening. Ugh!! Despite the heat, we have been cooking up a storm!! Have a wonderful week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I visit the farmers market every Sunday!!Wish I could find the zucchini flowers though.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your photos are wonderful! and I envy your markets;those zuchini flowers are so so nice.thank yo ufor sharing.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  5. All of those colors would draw me right in! Everything is absolutely gorgeous- I don't know how you can get out of there without one of everything. I've heard that those apples are real treats- I've never had the pleasure. :(

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful pictures! I took loads of photos at my farmers' market this weekend. It's hard not to - everything is so gorgeous this time of year.
    Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sadly, I've never seen an artichoke at the farmers' markets here. What a glorious display of colors and shapes!! Love the pic in your new header too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The displays are very appealing, especially the second photo. I don't thing I could pass it without buying some stuff. I used to take the multi-colored chard to the market and it always went fast.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh Cathy!! Now I want to move to the PNW!!! I'd be in heaven! I'm planning grilled artichokes too- great minds....
    xoxo Pattie

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a market! Ours isn't nearly as grand as yours. Beautiful.....

    ReplyDelete
  11. Everything looks wonderful! I love this time of year and I love Fall even more!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes, those are amazing! I love this time of year when everything comes in. I usually buy too much and end up having to make things to give away!
    Thanks for the market tour, I love going with you, Cathy!

    ReplyDelete
  13. SUch wonderful, tasty pictures. Thank you for sharing. Now, the picture missing is your booth!! When are you going to share that with us? tee hee

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a beautiful market-so colorful and fresh! Your pics are great! I have never had an artichoke... I bought a can to make that famous spinach/artichoke dip but haven't tried it yet. maybe football season:@)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I would not be able to control myself in your farmer's market-no way, no how. There would be no telling what/how much I would come home with after a day at this market.

    I love these types of blog posts. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  16. thank you so much for a wonderful tour of your farmers market!! I just got some of those orange eggplants at my market, and red about the Gravestein apple, its part of the Ark of Taste from slow food.....what a wonderful find!
    and you know I love zucchini blossoms!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I enjoyed the "tour" you gave Cathy, such lovely sights to behold.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Amazing pictures Cathy. You are so lucky to have such a wonderful place to enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love your watermelon header! It looks so refreshing. This is the best time for the farmers markets. There's so much bounty. Love all of the different eggplants.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I especially loved the photo of the artichokes! So pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love all the fresh produce this time of year. Now I must say the gravensteins in Oregon are not the same I grew up on. They are way too tart. We had to most wonderful gravensteins raised by my relatives, so juice, slightly tart and crispy, but still some sweetness to them. I miss them so much.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Farmer's markets are a photographer's paradise.
    I miss that my new job hours keeps me from going to the Farmer's Markets. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Cathy, what gorgeous markets you have in your part of the world. They remind me very much of Provence in the south of France. You are one lucky gal.
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  24. Beautiful beautiful photos! I don't know where this market is, but last year, the last week of July, I pulled into McMinnville on the very day of the farmer's market. I couldn't believe the beautiful selections.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Love all your photos. It really is fascinating to see what's available in different markets across the country! I'll have to keep an eye out for gravenstein apples for my baking.

    Thank you for visiting my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  26. We have the best farmer's market! I've been going on Wednesday's lately because we leave every weekend. I hope to make it by your booth again soon.

    ReplyDelete
  27. It does not get any better than fresh, local produce! What great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  28. So pretty! I miss real American sweetcorn something fierce. It looks so good...

    ReplyDelete
  29. Your pictures are gorgeous! I love seeing so many vegetables. Eggplant is just so photogenic.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Amazing pictures! I love Farmer's Markets!

    ReplyDelete
  31. This is the equivelent to jewerly! So bright and beautiful and the images makes my heart skip a beat!
    YUMMY!
    Yvonne

    ReplyDelete
  32. What great pictures! That's so perfect to have one of George. =o)

    LOVE the watermelon picture in your header!

    ReplyDelete
  33. What a great market. I love Farmers market photos.

    Ann

    ReplyDelete
  34. Gorgeous colors! You're so lucky to be a part of such a lavish market.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Oh my - this was fabulous. I haven't seen Frankenstein apples for ages - they are getting harder to find up here as everyone plants gala and McIntosh.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love it when you do your market notes, Cathy! Those zucchini flowers look beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  37. What a beautiful post. The most beautiful eye candy I've seen in a long time. Thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Such beautiful photos of your market Cathy! I tend to buy too much when I go to the market as the produce looks so tempting and fresh. I'm going to miss it this winter, that's for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  39. What a beautiful and bountiful market you have access to! I'm dreading our farmers' market closing at the end of October. No one wants to shop when the snow flies! I'll be gathering up vegetables for the freezer soon and for marinara sauce and caponata. It will make our winter more bearable.

    Best,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  40. Love all the colors, especially those eggplants!

    ReplyDelete
  41. That looks like one fantastic Farmers' Market!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Wow you have amazing produce at your farmers markets.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hi Cathy....that first picture of all those vegtables is amazing...the colors are really a gift from nature...I wish we had farmers markets like that down here in Georgia...
    So did you see Eat Pray Love...and if so what did you think of it...I am someone who never gets out of the house so any entertaiment to me is exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  44. HI... What gorgeous photographs. And food. Just love your blogging ... you have impecible taste.

    Come and join my sandwich contest. I'd be honored.

    Keri

    www.samwich365.com

    ReplyDelete
  45. Must be nice to live in an area where you have such wonderful fruits and vegetables. What we can grown in Texas didn't do so well in all this 100 plus degree weather we have had all summer.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Those are the most divine photos. I love them. I am going to look for some more food photos for my won blog. I feel inspired after all that.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you enjoyed my blog and will leave a comment or two. And come back again of course ~ Cathy