The Bellingham Farmers Market

Welcome to the Bellingham Farmers Market! I've been looking forward to visiting this bustling market for a while, and we finally went a couple of weekends ago. It was insanely hot out, but there were plenty of shady stalls and frosty beverages to keep us going on a sunny Saturday.

Bellingham actually has two markets during the week. One is on Wednesday afternoons in Fairhaven, and the other is the main market on Saturdays in the Depot Market Square.

It's finally tomato season! We're still waiting to stock up on tomatoes for sauce, but the big slicers are ready for sandwiches. My coworkers are always jealous of the fresh things I bring for lunch, and ripe tomatoes make it easy to pass up fast food and unhealthy items near the office.

Ah, the bounty of summer.

One of these grilled up nicely for dinner the other night. Slice up a fresh onion and some sweet pepper, skewer them, then place them on a hot grill next to bratwurst or sausages. Yum!

Did someone say onion?

I always wait until September, but the corn is in! Hopewell Farm is one of the many small farms that produces fruits and veggies for farmers markets and co-ops in Whatcom County.

Birchwood Botanicals sells lots of starts for your garden. It may be summertime, but it's not too late to plan for fall. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, growing plants year round is pretty easy.

I have yet to taste the beets we pickled from our own garden, but I do so love the sight of brightly colored vegetables.

Daikon radishes are a Japanese favorite.

I am a mushroom lover. How could I pass up such lovely oyster mushrooms?

From baskets of fresh mushrooms to plug spawn and sawdust, Cascadia Mushrooms has what you need. Not sure what to do with the basket I picked out, Alex, the fungi himself, gave me several recipe ideas. Maybe I'll go back and get a kit to grow my own!

I am a sucker for tea.

But soap never tastes quite as good...

Pasta for dinner? Try fresh! Check out all the varieties the Bellingham Pasta Company has to offer! Just boil for three minutes and add a sauce made with fresh tomatoes.

I bought a pound of spinach fettuccinne, and I think I fell in love.

Bellingham may be pretty far north, but it's worth the trip to visit this fantastic farmers market. Bring the family along and make a day of it!