Farmers Market Favorites

Ballard Farmers Market

The new trend in my work schedule has been that I only get one weekend off each month. Whirl that up with a busy tax season and the final product is one measly day a month to spend with my hubby. <Sad Face> Not my favorite relationship recipe, but you can bet we thoroughly enjoy those rare Sundays together! We started this last one off right, with doughnuts and coffee (of course!) followed by a trip to Marymoor off-leash dog park. Lola loves to run, she runs circles around other dogs and races them to their ball,  but only to prove that she's faster than them, she could care less about their stinky,dirty tennis balls. After running, prancing in the water, sniffing bums and squeezing every possible drop out of her she could, we were ready for the next adventure. We loaded back up into the ol' Taurus and were off to the Ballard Farmers Market, held every Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm.  We were greeted by beautiful floral bouquets, mouth-watering aromas of wood-fired pizza wafting through the air and rows of booths displaying candles, artsy jewelry, local food producers and everything in between. Among all the fabulous stuff I found a few necessities, you know...fresh goat cheese, local honey and some spicy herbal tea.

I had never heard of Sip-T Tea Co. but that says nothing about their reputation as I am quite new to the Seattle area. I am glad I stopped by the booth because as lame as it sounds, it was love at first sip. She had four tea's available for tasting and the Herbal Masala Chai Tea was the perfect balance of spice followed by subtle sweetness! Right away my mind fast forwarded to later that evening....how comforting it would be as a latte while relaxing before bed. Served with a splash of coconut milk and a tsp of honey, it quickly became my new favorite nightcap, only second to a fine glass of red wine. It is better than the coffee shop versions because you decide how much sweetener you want to add. She also uses fair trade teas and all her teas are vegan and gluten-free. Not to mention, everything is earth friendly, biodegradable and compostable and she includes a free cotton tea bag infuser!

A few additional purchases:



Port Madison Farms - White Rose (Goat Brie)
The perfect compliment to a crisp, sweet apple or pear
Check out this article on them



Honey is expensive, but I bought my grocery store honey for about $5 and it used organic clover honey from Brazil and Cananda.  Let me tell you that when it comes to taste,  it does not come close to this blackberry wildflower honey from Tahuya River Apiaries. The flavor was pure and with a subtle yet lingering sweetness. It was exactly what I was looking for, the perfect companion to a cup of tea. You can find their booth at the University District farmers market on Saturdays or the Ballard farmers market on Sundays. In addition, they sell honey, bulk beeswax, beeswax candles and hand lotion bars on their website.
*(Do not give raw honey to infants)

As we were zigzagging between booths, I stopped for a few minutes to listen to a street performer playing "Firework" by Katy Perry. It was beautiful and there is something about the sound of a violin that gets inside of me. I searched on YouTube to find a similar version to share with you and found this talented performer, Peter Lee Johnson. He is actually from Seattle, WA but currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. He has over 30 songs on YouTube and they range from Aerosmith to Marvin Gaye. You can check out the rest of his music on his YouTube station.

We had a fun remainder of the weekend but the problem is, it makes me miss our time together even more. I love spending time with my husband meandering the streets, hand in hand, laughing, joking and just being "us." I can't wait until we can get back on a more similar schedule.

Positive vibes....