Adventures

Sep 12, 2010

Road Trip to Yakima for Farm Fresh Produce

Each year we like to head to Yakima for the bountiful and affordable produce. It's an overnight road trip to get away from the city, have some authentic Mexican food, and bask in the farm fresh vegetable glow. We always head first to Jones Farms produce stand in Zillah, WA.Ornamental squash for the season.
Jones Farms has several beans, legumes, and pulses. We grabbed white beans, ceci beans (garbanzo/chick peas), and yellow lentils.
Apples, peaches, pears.
At the Yakima Farmer's Market (the link worked on Friday, cuz I was on it getting directions. Today, no luck with the link. It's been "suspended"?) we shared a "shaker cup" of huge blueberries. We also made a major score or two on various peppers and romas. Peppers got roasted. Romas are slow-roasting as a I type. Ultimately, the romas will reside in the freezer too. Freezing is an easy way to preserve and extend the harvest. Post on the roma roast to follow. Posts involving roasted peppers to follow all winter.
Misu wonders why the stem on the kabocha won't yield to her mighty claws.
Part of our haul.
Look at the size of these peppers form a stand at the market. Price - 3/$1?! I bought a very large bagful. As soon as we got home I lit the grill and roasted them and the eggplant (not pictured). After they cooled I peeled and seeded them. Now I have several freezer bags full of home-made roasted peppers for the winter. These will liven up soups, chili, frittatas, and just toast. The big, long green ones are aconcagua peppers. The grower said she would normally let them ripen to red but some were picked prematurely in error. No matter. They will taste very nice stuffed.

4 comments:

The Rowdy Chowgirl said...

Beautiful pics--and I couldn't help noticing that the prices on the fruits were in cents! Not dollars! Amazing.

It's definitely the time of year when I start wanting to squirrel away food for winter like an ant (to mix some metaphors).

feedyourself said...

Rowdy,

Yes, the prices can't be beat. The squash was $.40/lb. Yes, we drove all the way to Yakima for it but it was part of a get-a-way. We enjoy the drive and the time spent there visiting farms and markets. We'd take a drive anyway, might as well buy straight from the producer.

Cristina said...

OMGosh - gorgeous produce. The size of those peppers and squash...just amazing. I'm so ready for Fall and you've inspired me to look for some pumpkin patches/stands this weekend. They won't be anything like that though! Have a great weekend. :)

feedyourself said...

Cristina, get thee to the markets! Any markets. We have great produce in the greater Seattle area too (not sure where you are shopping). Enjoy the harvest!

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