Wilson Fish

This little piggy went to market. And this little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had smoked salmon. And this little piggy had none.

This is how we say the nursery rhyme in our house. Always have. Because for our family, smoked salmon from THE Fish Guys (and now a Fish Gal too) is where it’s at. Every Friday during market season, May through September, Little Bird and I make our way to the farmers market. In the three years I’ve taken her, she’s gone from stroller to standing, from sampling the wares to helping sell them (in her own pint-sized fashion). The Madrona Farmers Market is the high point in our week…especially because of her fan club.

First there’s our beloved Fish Guys plus one Fish Gal. Oh Wilson Fish, what would we do without you? Every week you fill our bellies with fish and our warm our hearts.

Let’s go see The Fish Guys, Mama. My excited is what I hear Friday afternoons all summer long. And I’m sad, Mama. No more Fish Guys. I miss the Fish Guys, is her mournful refrain each Friday when the market closes for the season.

Two years ago, she missed them so much, she insisted they were living in our fan all winter long. The Fish Guys are in the fan, she’d state matter-of-factly. This year she wanted to bring them a few gifts to end the season, a few drawings and–appropriately–made a lovely fish out of clay with rainbow scales.

Then there’s Rand of One Leaf Farm. Is Rand going to be there this week, Mama? If not, I don’t want to go, is what she told me several weeks running when I tried to explain that her buddy Rand needed to be doing what farmers do on the farm rather than at the market. This year she started helping Rand take in money from a customer and put it in the cash box. She made a few pennies for her “work” and is fascinated by the process.

I love watching her flit from market stand to market stand with spirited enjoyment. It’s fun observe her curiosity about “how things work” whether it’s putting ice under the fish to keep them fresh or exchanging money so we can bring home a bag of beans. But I feel the greatest pride in the relationships she’s built with the people who grow, catch, and make the food we eat. It doesn’t get any more local than that.

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Take the road less traveled, Beth

This little piggy went to the Madrona Farmers Market. This little piggy stayed home (to tend to the garden). This little piggy ate grass-fed roast beef. This little piggy had none (vegetarian). And this little piggy went “wee, wee, wee, wee” all the way home (to the Urban Cabin).

Last Friday was this season’s kick-off for the farmers market in our neighborhood and this little piggy was one happy camper. I’m a sucker for farmers markets wherever they may be, but when it’s less than a mile from the Urban Cabin, well that’s nothing short of nirvana in my book.

Oh farmers market how I love thee. Let me count the ways. First there are all the yummy farm fresh veggies. How can you possibly go wrong with home grown greens? Whether it’s my favorite ‘Samantha’ lettuce or tasty lemon cukes, there’s nothing like just-picked-off –the- vine goodness. The only thing better is when the food is coming from my own back forty.

Then there are all the friendly market folks who sell a diverse selection of deliciousness: Michelle, the “potato lady,” who plies potatoes for Olsen Farms and is also an adoptive mom; Tim and David, the “fish guys” from Wilson Fish who offer up the biggest smiles and some of the freshest, best tasting salmon I’ve ever had; the sweet dynamic duo from Whidbey Island Ice Cream who are the reason all the kids (and many adults) within fifty feet have faces covered with ice cream; and, newbies like lovely Lucy who sells sensuous teas with kicky packaging and healthful benefits.

I actually look forward to seeing the same sellers on a weekly basis. Giving my money to hardworking people I “know” is, in my opinion, the best possible way to part with my dollars. It feels like a big extended community and I’m sure that’s one of the reasons anything that comes home with me from the market tastes oh-so-much better.

Watching the other market goers who, just like me, have huge grins on their faces is another reason I get giddy about going to the market. We swarm around like a big school of fish grabbing our cheese here and our eggs there as we fill up our sustainable shopping bags until they are brimming with bounty. It’s a chance to gather your grub while enjoying a local adventure all wrapped up into one earthy package.

Seattle is blessed with farmers markets aplenty. There are probably at least a dozen on the west side of the pond (Lake Washington) and a number of markets on the east side too. I’ve visited several of them and they each have their own unique features and charm, but of course there’s something pretty cool about having a farmers market that’s practically in your own backyard.

Opening day for the Madrona Farmers Market was as perfect as it could be. The sun warmed my shoulders. I got to catch up with old friends (hello Wilson Fish!) and make some new ones (nice to meet you, Lucy). A couple tomato plants accompanied me home and are now enjoying their new digs in one of our raised planter beds, and Big Papa and I enjoyed the fruits from my market foraging all weekend long. Summertime and market memories here I come. A fine way indeed to spend a Friday afternoon.

Eat your veggies and more on Wanderfood Wednesday!