As we make our way through Seattle’s third heat wave of the summer, we’re in the mood for a sweet treat to help us cool off from the sun. Nothing hits the spot quite like a fresh Seattle Pop!

Seattle Pops is a locally owned and operated popsicle business. They make all-natural pops with a hyper-local & organic ingredient focus. You’ll even recognize some of our farmers and vendors on their list of ingredient suppliers.

The dominant idea of food influencers conjures imagery of clean marble countertops and aggressively white plates, everything neat and orderly. J. Kenji López-Alt does not fit into that box. And that’s what his fans love about him. Kenji is known for his down-to-earth GoPro cooking videos, cookbooks, and Instagram account, where he share his cooking skills, explaining the steps and the techniques he’s using in a way that feels accessible and personal.

Did you hear the bells ringing? At the August 2 City Council Meeting, Councilmember Sarah Nelson presented a proclamation announcing August 7-13, 2022 as Farmers Market Week in the City of Seattle!

Supporting vendors at the farmers markets is a special experience, because you get to have a moment of connection with the person who grew or made your food. “That’s what shopping small business is. You’re making an investment into somebody’s life and somebody’s story,” Tony Wilson of Papa Tony’s Hot Sauce says.

“The goal is to feed people,” Teresa Shiraishi says, eloquently and simply explaining the motivation behind Tampopo Farm, the 2-acre Sequim-based farm that she runs with her husband, Matt Rohanna.

Teresa and Matt grow a variety of vegetables, as well as some flowers, using organic practices, with the goal of becoming a no-till farm within the next few years. Their growing practices center around the soil, with good-quality soil being the most important factor in the success of their produce.

The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was a catalyst for change for many people and the way they work. Sean Dominoski of Ritzville Breads adapted creatively and rose (no pun intended) to the challenge. Before the pandemic, Sean was a corporate contract chef, mostly providing food services for tech companies on their campuses. When people began pivoting to remote work, the tech campuses emptied out, and Sean was laid off.

One of our recent farm visits brought us to Left Foot Farm, an amazing oasis 40 minutes from Mount Rainier. Owner Jeremy Foust raises goats and chickens on the farm with the help of an ever-rotating crew of WWOOFers (Word Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or travelers who work on the farm in exchange for a place to stay), interns, and his sons.

Bryan and Natalie Mesa’s small-scale urban market garden is one of the most efficient uses of space we’ve ever seen. Their farm, De La Mesa Farms, is 2.5 acres and they are working towards using every bit of it to grow beautiful and delicious produce to bring to the farmers markets every week.

If you look at Sydney Victor’s life now, it’s hard to believe that she grew up not liking mushrooms as a kid. Now Sydney grows and sells a wide variety of mushrooms at the Columbia City Farmers Market. Sydney is from the Midwest and didn’t get a lot of exposure to different types of mushrooms growing up, but as she got older and tried different varieties, she realized just how delicious and versatile they can be.

Mayra Sibrian is the owner, creative, and baker behind Selva Central Goods. Running the small business entirely on her own, Mayra will often wake up anywhere from 2 to 4 am to start baking, to ensure that every item she sells is baked fresh that day.

Among farmers, there is always talk of weather. You might hear them refer to February as “mud season” or May as “irrigation time.” In this business, the weather is all at once predictable and full of surprises. That’s farming. This year however, is noticeably different.

It’s no secret that farming is not a job for the faint of heart. From the ever-changing climate to intensive manual labor, taking on farming has to come from a place of passion, drive, and resiliency. Kimmy and Emma of Eternity Farm certainly exhibit all three.

Moving to a new city is never easy, and moving in the middle of a pandemic is an even bigger challenge. When Wenting Chang moved to Seattle two years ago for her job as a Software Engineer, she knew that she would need to find a community outside of her work and focus on a work-life balance.

After growing up eating fruits and vegetables from her family garden, Krissi Pearson learned what food was supposed to taste like, and the importance of eating seasonally. “You can get beautiful strawberries from the grocery store in January, but they’ll taste like nothing,” she says.

“Have you ever had Ethiopian food?” Jonathan Sinton asks farmers market customers as he hands them a sample of injera, or Ethiopian spongy flatbread. 70% of them say no, they haven’t, or say that they’ve tried it once. Once they try the sample, however, the food speaks for itself.

It’s 8:59 on a Saturday. Joany Higgins pushes her 5 month-old daughter in a stroller down rows and rows of fresh fruits and vegetables on The Ave. The time changes to 9:00, and the sound of the farmers market opening bell rings out above the din of the early-morning shoppers, getting ready to snag the best fruits and veggies.

When Suzy Knutson says that food access and supporting local farmers is important to her, she means it. When she’s not working on community relations for Fresh Bucks, (a program that we partner with to make fresh food accessible to everyone), she can be found at the University District or Capitol Hill Farmers Markets, experimenting with new recipes in her colorful kitchen, or working in a community garden that donates to local food banks.

Winter celebration season is upon us and we want to help you get the perfect gifts for everyone on your lists! Over the next few days, we will be sharing our official NFM gift guides for everyone (yes, even the one who has it all).

There are so many amazing gifts available at the markets this year, so not all of them could fit into one of our special categories. Here is a list of some of the other great gifts you can pick up for anyone on your list!

Fermentation is a crazy scientific process that can drastically change the flavor and shelf life of foods. No one has mastered the art of fermentation quite like Jessica Huszar of Haxan Ferments. Haxan Ferments makes delicious fermented hot sauces and vinegars that are flavored with local produce to create super unique sauces.