Supporting local farmers at the local markets is important for many reasons. First, it lets your body naturally be in tune with the seasons—you get to reconnect with the earth, the weather, and the changing of the seasons. This means the foods that are grown in your area are picked at peak freshness in their season and are driven straight to the local market—not shipped across oceans and land, which in turn, is helping protect the environment.
Next, you get to know the people who are growing the food you are eating! Meeting the farmers is such a fun experience—supporting them in their business, talking to them about which produce they recommend and which are ripe, and talking to them about their farming practices. Foods grown at local farms are more often grown without the harsh pesticides and chemicals used in commercial agriculture, so they will be extra nourishing for your body. Extra tip: talk to the community members around you for recipe ideas!
The foods at farmers markets are the freshest and the tastiest available around because the produce was allowed to ripen on the vine or plant in the field and brought to you directly. Since foods grow at different times of the year, this gives you flexibility in the dishes you get to make—it’s pretty fun to mix it up and get creative! Often you get to see a new variety of crops not offered at the supermarket. Think purple carrots, heirloom tomatoes, watermelon radishes, stinging nettles, and wild, foraged mushrooms.
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In Season in Seattle in August |
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| Fruits | Vegetables | Greens | Herbs | Other |
| Apricots
Blackberries Blueberries Boysenberries Cherries Currants Elderberries Figs Gooseberries Grapes Huckleberries Marionberries Melons Mulberries Nectarines Peaches Plums Pluots Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries |
Artichoke
Beans Broccoli Burdock Cauliflower Celery Chard Chickpeas Corn Cucumber Eggplant Fennel Leeks Mushrooms Okra Onion Peppers Potatoes Radishes Tomatoes Zucchini |
Arugula
Asian Kale Lettuce Mustard Radicchio Spinach |
Anise
Basil Bay Chives Cilantro Dill Fennel Lemon Verbena Marjoram Mint Oregano Parsley Rosemary Sage Stevia Tarragon Thyme |
Cheese
Eggs Beef Lamb Pork Chicken Lentils Rye Spelt Wheat Salmon Clams Cod Crab Halibut Mussel Oysters Sardine Shrimp Tilapia Tuna |
Where are the farmers markets of Seattle?
- U-DISTRICT
Saturdays, Year Round: 9 am – 2 pm
University Way NE (the “Ave”) between 50th & 52nd, 98105
- CAPITOL HILL BROADWAY
Sundays, Year Round: 11 am – 3 pm
Broadway Ave E and E Pine Street
- WEST SEATTLE
Sundays, Year Round: 10 am – 2 pm
California Ave SW & SW Alaska, in the heart of the West
Seattle Junction, 98116
- COLUMBIA CITY
Wednesdays, May 4 to Oct 12: 3 – 7 pm
37th Ave S & S Edmunds St, just off Rainier Ave S., in South Seattle, 98118
- LAKE CITY
Thursdays, Jun 9 to Sep 29: 3 – 7 pm
NE 125th & 28th NE, next to the Library off Lake City Way, 98125
- PHINNEY
Fridays, Jun 3 to Sep 30: 3:30pm – 7:30pm
N 67th St & Phinney Ave N, in upper lot at Phinney Neighborhood Center, 98103
- MAGNOLIA
Saturdays, Jun 4 to Oct 8: 10 am – 2 pm
33rd Ave W & W McGraw Street in the Magnolia Village
- BALLARD
Sundays, year round 10am – 4 pm
Ballard Ave South of Market Street
So get out there are explore the markets—see what Seattle has in store for you this August!
Yours in Health,
Kelsey
Bastyr Student Intern