Olympia Farmer's Market

Can I just go ahead and admit that I want to live in the Olympia Farmer's Market? Kthx. Back at the end of April/beginning of May, a few of us set out for our friend BT's wedding, and I *believe* I let you all know how happy I was to leave town for a few short days. After spending the semester busy as a bee and not really even having time for a haircut let alone washing my hair, I was psyched to leave my work behind.

Although the food at most of the restaurants left something to be desired (I still haven't found much attention to taste or detail in the NW), the Farmer's Market was pretty darn awesome. A staple of the Olympia community, the Farmer's Market has the requisite food stands and fresh produce, but there were also stands devoted to natural health and beauty products (we like this) and fresh seafood from the Columbia River, as well as a wide variety of meats, whether farm fresh, organic or grass fed. Our first stop? The jerky stand.








I'm not sure how he does it, unless there is some invisible meat homing device installed in all men, but Ian managed to find the dried meats stand within seconds of entering the market. There was a great assortment: salmon, buffalo, beef, Hawaiian, jalapeno, and teriyaki jerky. Ian was like a kid in a....meat store. We settled on the Landjaeger, which was smoky with a bit of spice, but tasted to me
like a jerkied (is that a word?) hot dog.









While Ian made grunting noises and happily chowed down, I was marveling in the fresh seafood at a number of stands. The oysters and clams at one table had me kicking myself for not bringing a better cooler, and the Columbia River Chinook had me seriously contemplating gutting a fish in my hotel room.
















The focus for me was on the food, but the live music and responsible recycling and waste system, as well as the WSU Extension site's entrance garden (beautifully planned and executed) gave this market an aura that is missing from the Moscow Farmer's Market. Not that I'd complain--I adore my market!





If you're ever in Olympia, and you've tired of visiting the State Capitol (truly a beautiful one, by the way), the Farmer's Market is the place to be.