Farmers markets make me so happy. There is something about the vibrant colors of freshly harvested veggies and fruits, the displays of baked items, the specialty products such as olive oil and honey, ethnically diverse and oh-so-interesting food choices, as well as the various artistic offerings from baskets to pottery to jewelry, that brings me joy. It is all so fascinating and uplifting. My experience as a lead in the Downtown Farmers Market when I worked with Urban Seeds, in Evansville, has left me with a deep appreciation of the work behind the scenes, for the SNAP and Double Bucks made available, and for the farmers and food makers, of course. Our vanlife travel often revolves around stopping at a farmers market as we travel through an area.
The Bellingham Farmers Market was spectacular. We had been in Canada for ten days prior to crossing back into the States, so we had no produce at all in Vanda, making this farmers market visit particularly appreciated. I stocked up on all of the late summer/early fall offerings, some of which were surprising given the lateness of the season but also which reflected the climate difference in the Pacific Northwest compared to what I am used to in the Midwest. Salad greens and all of my fave salad veggies – radishes, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes — were abundantly available; freshly baked ciabatta loaves; and local Washington plums, apples, and berries. I baked a berry cobbler as soon as we got to camp (super delish!), and washed all of those veggies and fruits, which were left to dry for most of the day before I made an insanely huge salad for the week. I feel so fortunate to be able to buy organic produce directly from small farmers. The top photo is from my phone of the gorgeous produce I bought, along with the berry cobbler I “baked” in the upper right corner.
Here are John’s photos of our hour-long visit to the Bellingham Farmers Market.
