Green Day - Sedro Woolley Farmer's Market

I took these photos a couple summers ago in Sedro-Woolley, WA - I'm not sure if there is a Farmer's Market there  - or if it is in this location - but I just couldn't resist the paintings. The building is neglected and empty, maybe visited by the ghosts of the people in the mural.

Our friends Tony and Julee live in Sedro  Woolley and we often meet them there for breakfast (and then some thrift shop fun) and we always make sure we drive past this mural on our way home.

The name Sedro-Woolley you ask -  how did a town get that name?  Well - the first settler wanted to name the town Bug because of the unbelievable number of mosquitoes there - and Julee agrees - too many mosquitoes.  But the settler's wife didn't like the name, so they chose instead Cedro - which is Spanish for Cedar, the most prolific tree of this area, and the settler changed the spelling to Sedro so it was easier to pronounce for non-Spanish speakers. 

A nearby town of Woolley was eventually merged with Sedro and the hyphenated  name came about - not without a lot of discussion and underhanded hijinx to give each town top billing.

Farmers from long ago .  .  .

I like the idea of a Farmer's Market that is open into the evening  - a nice stroll downtown to get fresh produce and visit with friends and neighbors.

Corn and pumpkins - vast fields of these all over this area.  We often see a sign that says "CORN" and we stop and get a bagful.  We put our money in the little can or box left by the ears of corn in a cart or on a table.  No one seems to worry about their money being stolen.  Sometimes there is a young boy or girl sitting with the corn and they will bag up the biggest ears for you. We always leave a nice tip for them - maybe they have figured that out and want to earn a little extra money for their summer.

Now that's a cabbage!  The boy in the background seems amazed too.  Or maybe he is waiting for Grandpa to bring the cabbage in the house so it can be cooked and eaten in so many good recipes - I think tonight he is dreaming of cabbage rolls.  

Bagging up the potatoes, a hard and dusty job.  .  .

Bags of potatoes - and more potatoes on the ground, ready to be bagged.  Oh the delicious suppers they will make.  Potatoes are one of Washington's main crops and the flavor of the Washington potatoes is the best we've ever tasted (sorry Idaho)

On the bottom of this photo is our ever present blackberry.  It is rampant in this part of the country, it loves our rainy, warm summers.  In California, Luther Burbank brought the berries over from Europe (called Brambles in Europe, as I understand it), to cross them with raspberries to form a fast growing, hardier berry. Well he certainly did, the plants escaped from Southern California and now are rampant in Northern California, Oregon and Washington.  If not checked, they will overrun a building and pull it down in no time - but those berries - oh how delicious they are.

Pies, jam, tarts, scones - so many things to make with blackberries.  We find them along quiet roads and pick gallons for the freezer each summer - making pies and jams in the winter from the frozen berries.  But watch out for those thorns - wear thick pants, long sleeves and take along the hedge clippers to get to the best berries.  Now I want a blackberry pie.  I often mix blackberries, blueberries and raspberries in a pie for Bumbleberry pie.

Pumpkins - vast fields of them shining in the sun - thoughts of Halloween and pumpkin carving - and Thanksgiving with pumpkin pies stacked in the pantry and on the table.

And that is our tour of the Farmer's Market sign in Sedro-Woolley - stop by and see it in person if you are nearby.

Linking to Green Day