It’s Food Literacy Month! If you support the farmers markets, you likely support sourcing locally and sustainable farming. Learn the true impact of your choice to shop at local farmers markets!

Tomatoes are a romantic summer fruit, (yes, they are a fruit!) Find them in a slow-cooked sauce over pasta, or a tangy, spicy salsa enjoyed with chips and a beer. They add a gentle sweetness to sandwiches, and are a summer balm sliced on toast with a little pepper, salt and basil. Tomatoes are certainly beloved, and where you source them is likely more important than you realized. 

Richard Ness and Mary Young-Ness of Kittitas Valley Greenhouse have magical powers- They can make summer come early. Or at least that's how it feels when they arrive to market with big, beautiful tomatoes way at the beginning of May. The secret is less of an alchemy and more of a science, (stop reading here if you want to preserve the image of farmer Rich waving a wand)…

Which came first, the farm, or the tractor? In Farmer Ryan’s case, definitely the tractor. ”About 10 years ago I purchased an antique tractor, and that kind of started my farming career.” Learn more about what’s going on at Steel Wheel Farm and the creative folks behind it.

When you think of watermelon, do you imagine a technicolor picnic with family and friends under a bright blue sky? This has been the hallmark vision since at least the 50s, but the iconic melon has gone through several rebrands during its estimated 5,000-year history.

Fuzzy, adorable and delicious, peaches are one of the most popular fruits farmed on the planet. A quintessential summer treat, there's more to this glowing pink orb than meets the eye, and a history that precedes the beginning of time.

The uses for eggplant are as versatile as they are global. It’s easy to find incredible, eggplant-forward recipes inspired by cuisines from across the globe. Take a trip with us for this week’s recipe round-up!

Sweet Corn is a quintessential summer veggie. Its deliciousness is evidenced by how willing we are to take time to shuck it and remove all the little hairs. (Can you think of a more popular and more labor-intensive vegetable staple?) We love corn on the grill or in a salad, but also wanted to get creative! Try something new from this week’s recipe round-up.

Apricots are true sunshine in your palm, and their soft and buttery texture can complement both sweet and savory dishes. Whether you prefer under or over ripe apricots, there’s something for you in this week’s recipe round up.

Sweet, floral, and refreshing, there is nothing quite like juicy plums to quench summer heat. Check out our plum-centric recipe round up, including sweets, savories, toppings, and beverages!

Summer squash, or Zucchini, is perhaps the most popular member of the gourd family worldwide. This versatile crop is delicious in everything from soups to stir-fries to salads. As much as we love summer squash today, the history of its cultivation has deep roots in the Americas.

What on earth are microgreens? With all the buzz around “super-foods” like big, bushy bunches of kale and spinach, why should we care about produce that’s micro? It turns out there’s more to microgreens than meets the eye. Read on to learn more about why microgreens matter!

Cristina and Kevin of K&C Farms grow orchard fruit and row crops. Kevin is partial to stone fruit, while Cristina prefers tomatoes and cucumbers. Cristina’s love of cucumbers is absolutely infectious. She’ll often send market staff home with her latest favorite variety, just so they can try it! Learn more about the wonderful family behind K&C Farms.

Residents of Washington State for more than a decade, The Cabreras are a beautiful family of four who preside over ten acres of land at Viva Farms, a Farm Business Incubator and Training Program established in 2009. Read on to learn more about Cabrera Farms!

This is a love story. Yes about a young couple, yes about a passion for farming and working the land, but mostly about a sweet pup named Gracie. Read on to learn the story behind Gracie’s Greens.

Okra is a southern staple that has, against all odds, taken root on farms here in Washington. While we’re sure glad okra has made its way into the American palette, its journey to the U.S. speaks to this country’s history of violence and subjugation. Read on to learn the history of this locally and globally beloved ingredient.

The Alvarez family is as community-conscious as they are environmentally conscious, donating the majority of their leftover market produce to food banks throughout the Puget Sound area. Alvarez Organic Farms is a true Farmers Market and community staple, though their successes did not come without extremely hard work and determination. Read on to learn the history of Alvarez Organic Farms.

Simultaneously crisp and soft, sweet and tart, blueberries truly have it all. Here in Washington, blueberries are usually found at local farmers markets June-September. The first successfully cultivated blueberries weren’t developed until 1916, just over 100 years ago. Read on to learn more about this relatively recent addition to agriculture!

As much as the Barraza family of Big Brother Farms has learned at the farmers markets, we, in turn, have learned a great deal from them. Their positive and caring attitudes are wonderful to spend time around, and watching this multigenerational operation grow with such joy is an inspiration. Read on to learn more about Big Brother Farms.

Whether you throw them on the barbecue, add them to a stew, or enjoy with cocktail sauce, nothing pairs with the warmer months quite like fresh wild spot shrimp. Read on to learn more about our featured ingredient!