Taste of The Market - With My Kids

Each year, our Olympia Farmer's Market has what they call "Taste of the Market." It's a fund-raising event that involves some Market restaurant vendors, plus lots of local restaurants. On a Tuesday evening, the Market is transformed into a very special place! Tables are set up under the covered Market area. Linens and china...centerpieces...real flatware - every year, it gets a bit fancier.

Each vendor who participates brings one or two items they are most proud of. We can take our plates around and around and around until either we are stuffed or the food runs out! Whole roasted pig, an incredible mushroom soup that is the stuff of dreams! Tiny Olympia Oysters Steamed in Beer! And micro brews and fine wines from local wineries!

The first time we attended, there were plastic table covers, paper plates, and plastic silverware (and the price was $35 each). Now at $60 a ticket, things are definitely more elegant, but it's one of just a few things I have a real passion for supporting so the money is well spent, in my opinion. I take my sons and their special people. Here's a shot of the festivities.

Here's a group shot of the kids and their peeps:

Here's my older son, Ben and his wife, Autumn. They have plates in hand, ready to "browse" the offerings. (P.S. - Ben made Autumn's wedding dress when they got married! I am going to post some pics as soon as I can find them - it was pre-blog for me....)This is Adam and his girlfriend, Terri, with her son, Kent. (P.S. - Adam sews too...shhhh, don't tell the Olympia Fire Department where he works...they just might tease him....)

Chowing down...the food was great!Look at the very cute box of bread items that one of the vendors supplied on each table - and they were delishusssss! Although, I have to say that SOME of us (who should have known better) took a couple of things from aNOTHER bakery-that-shall-remain-nameless-but-is-near-where-we-live...and I don't know who eats that stuff, but it's awful! It like...tastes like birdseed - actually I think birdseed tastes better! Also, there were some GREAT chocolates from a fancy-schmancy place...and while the one I took was fabulous, one of us took one that had SEA SALT on the top...SEA SALT and CHOCOLATE. I'm here to tell you...that was NOT a winner...

Here's the "remains" of some of our tasty little dishes...

This WAS a fabulous shrimp cocktail, plus a great little plate that WAS scallops in a puddle of rhubarb sauce with some kinda pickled thing (ginger maybe?), and some green stuff. It was perfection, even if I can't remember the entire combination. Who thinks this stuff up?And oh my....this is a Rocky Road Brownie from Wagner's Bakery. There's not much I can say about this except OMG! Can I just die happy now?