Food Lover's Guide to Seattle
Where to shop for just about anything that's great to eat.
By Laura Cassidy and Shauna JamesWith contribution from Robbie Corey-Boulet, Will Mari, Chris Nishiwaki, Britt Olson, and Jessica Voelker
To Market, To Market
Farmers market specialties every day of the week
It’s official: You can’t afford not to shop at your weekly neighborhood fresh market. In May 2007, Seattle University professor Stacey Jones and her business statistics students compared the going price of 15 organic ingredients sold at the Broadway Farmers Market, QFC, and the Madison Market co-op. Their pound-for-pound analysis shows the better value is on the streets—not, as was widely assumed, in the grocery store aisles. And it’s still every bit as valid to support local farmers in the name of sustainability, local economics, community, and the greater good—they’re the number-one source of fresh food donations at local food banks. To help you save money and the world, we’ve lined up six days’ worth of stall-shopping opportunities (on Mondays you’ll have to hit Pike Place). The following are just a few of our area’s farmers markets.
SUNDAY
Ballard
WHAT TO KNOW Go hungry; this market has the best selection of prepared- and hot-food booths.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR Taylor Shellfish Farms’ “Oyster Bill,” who can tell you everything you need to know about selecting and preparing bivalves.
WHEN TO GO In the dead of winter for delicious surprises when Ballard is one of only two (U District is the other) markets going. Open 10 to 3 year-round. Market St near Ballard Ave
Broadway
WHAT TO KNOW The neighborhood’s largely carless population packs this postage-stamp-size produce stand and gives Linda’s Tavern a run for its money as the Hill’s best spot to cruise for dates.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR Persian naan from a student of South Seattle Community College’s pastry program who calls herself the Gypsy Baker.
WHEN TO GO May 10–Dec 20 from 11 to 3. Behind the Bank of America at Broadway and E Thomas St
West Seattle
WHAT TO KNOW The over-the-bridge nabe truly feels like the busiest of small towns on market Sundays as shoppers shuttle between the stores on California Avenue and the stalls behind them.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR From Stoney Plain Organic Farm’s just-plucked potatoes to Sea Breeze Farm’s Vashon Island–fermented syrah—it’s all here.
WHEN TO GO From 10 to 2 year-round. Alaska Junction, California Ave and Oregon St
TUESDAY
Crossroads
WHAT TO KNOW Crossroads indeed; with the already famous world-sourced food court inside the mall and the diverse crop of farmers selling in the stands, the area is becoming the Eastside’s International District.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR Asian greens from Carnation’s Hmong farmers.
WHEN TO GO June 17-Oct 28 from 3-7. Bellevue’s Crossroads Mall parking lot at 15600 NE Eighth St
WEDNESDAY
Columbia City
WHAT TO KNOW It’s a small world after all; the farmers and shoppers at this market prove Seattle to be a diverse and vibrant city. As Amando Barzalo-Hidalgo, an Olympia-based sauce master puts it, “If the entire world were like the Columbia City farmers market, it would be a peaceful place.”
WHAT TO LOOK FOR Barzalo-Hidalgo’s Tierra Bonita garlic sauce—just be sure you’re ready for two days of solitude after you enjoy it.
WHEN TO GO April 29–Oct 21 from 3 to 7. 4801 Rainier Ave S
Wallingford
WHAT TO KNOW Thanks to a great selection of jams, jellies, sauces, and fresh-from-the-fields ingredients, this one-year-old trading post is quickly becoming a destination.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR Tangy honey mustard made in Renton by Sam McCanless of Zane & Zack’s World Famous Honey Company.
WHEN TO GO May 20–Sept 30 from 3 to 7. Wallingford Center parking lot at 1815 N 45th St
THURSDAY
Lake City
WHAT TO KNOW The fat heirloom tomatoes from Rich Ness’s Kittitas Valley Greenhouse are among the best in town.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR The Café Piccolo stand; the Maple Leaf family who runs it brings fantastic foccacia bread, rosemary lemonade, and gluten-free fettuccine and flatbread.
WHEN TO GO June 4–Oct 29 from 3 to 7. NE 127th St and 30th Ave NE
FRIDAY
Mad Cap
WHAT TO KNOW You’ll no longer find the Madison Street market near Mount Zion Baptist Church; it’s now just outside the Grocery Outlet’s massive parking lot.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR One hundred varieties of peppers from the Yakima Valley peddled in late summer by Alvarez Organic Farms.
WHEN TO GO May 15–Sept 28 from 3 to 7. Corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and E Union St
Phinney Ridge
WHAT TO KNOW This is the ridge-top’s rookie year in the outdoor grocery game; watch for bases loaded with fresh figs, stone fruit, and root veggies.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR Thin-crust, wood-fired pizza from Veraci, a sort of mobile Little Italy.
WHEN TO GO May 29–October from 3 to 7. Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N
SATURDAY
Des Moines Waterfront
WHAT TO KNOW Nearby Des Moines Beach Park is the perfect place to spread your just-purchased picnic.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR Spelt breads, grain nuts, and pancake mixes from Lentz Spelt Farm and organic produce from all over the Puget Sound region.
WHEN TO GO June 6–Oct 21 from 10 to 2; also open Wednesdays from 4-7 starting July 22-Aug 19. Des Moines Marina, 22307 Dock Ave S
University District
WHAT TO KNOW This year-round emporium has new summer neighbors; a nearby open-air food court offers vegan goodies from Chaco Canyon, fresh-from-stands veggie quesadillas, and more.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR Local chefs, because the best produce growers in the area gather at this central location on what is the busiest restaurant day of the week.
WHEN TO GO From 9 to 2 year-round. NE 50th St and University Way NE
