Shaved asparagus salad with radishes; scalloped potatoes with leeks, spinach and artichoke; rhubarb pie. The produce in these delectable dishes is all in season at Puget Sound-area farms. And, in a few more weeks, you can add scrumptious strawberries to the list.
Vegetables are prized at this time of year. Juicy fruits make their appearance in late June through August. These early-summer veggies are currently available at local farms: Asparagus, radishes, potatoes, spinach, lettuce, Chinese vegetables and rhubarb (yes, it is a vegetable).
Puget Sound Fresh, a "buy local" website that supports our region's producers, offers easy-to-navigate tools to find local farms that sell certain produce, a month-by-month list of what is in season and tantalizing recipes from local chefs and farms (the abovementioned dishes included).
Later on this month, when more crops are ready to be plucked, round up your children for an afternoon out at a U-pick farm, taking in the sunshine and harvesting your own healthy food that will later grace the table. Several farms offer U-pick strawberries at the end of June, a popular area attraction. Some also provide educational tours, tractor rides and petting zoos to keep kids entertained. After you've taken in the farm, let the kids help prepare the meal to get the full effect of their work.
Although most farms only allow people to pick berries, there are a few that offer a variety of crops for U-pick. Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm in Arlington offers a six-acre U-pick garden with over 100 varieties of crops, including some of this month's seasonal veggies. Bailey Vegetables in Snohomish is another place to pick your own produce, although they don't open until mid-July.
So, add a U-pick farm to your to-do list for this summer. Your visit will not only support local farmers but offer an educational and fun outing for the family. Here are some farms that offer U-pick strawberries in the early summer:
Bolles Organic Farm in Monroe
Harvold Berry Farm in Carnation
Picha Farms in Puyallup
Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm in Arlington
Biringer Farm in Arlington
Dues Produce Barn in Marysville
Broers Farms in Monroe
Pigman's Organic Produce Patch in Olympia
Bjornstad Farms in Lynden
Harvest times may vary due to weather conditions, so be sure to call the farms ahead of time to verify availability. To learn more about local farms and produce, visit www.pugetsoundfresh.org.
Editor's note: This updated article was originally published in June of 2011.
