|
When anticipating a holiday one can sometimes feel burdened by the details of the preparation. This year, with our commitment to local foods, we instead looked forward to the adventure of gathering the ingredients together for our Thanksgiving meal. What's the most important part of the Thanksgiving table? While I might argue that it's the mashed potatoes, most would say that the cornerstone of the meal is the turkey. Ours was coming from a farm near Sequim this year, and that meant that we had to go and fetch our bird ahead of time. We decided to make a day trip out of it and explore some of the many 'foodie' spots of interest that Pt. Townsend has to offer.
Our first stop, bright and early, was the Pt. Townsend Farmer's Market. We arrived shortly after opening and already the market was buzzing with customers. Kids were sitting on hay bales, mouths full of pastries, listening to live music, and adults milled around burdened with bags of produce. We walked straight through the market and made first for Olympic Pastured Poultry to pick up our turkey. Farmer Theodore said that he produced fewer (and smaller) birds than he anticipated and had to return the deposits of a few customers who had ordered later. We were luckily not one of them and watched as he hauled our bird out of the cooler. It was smaller than expected, but we were pleased to be serving a turkey that had lived a happy life and would pass on its good nutrition to us.
After stashing the turkey in our cooler, we headed back out to fill our bags with some vegetables.
The Pt. Townsend Market hosts many local farms which result in a large variety. We picked up some beautiful chard and spinach, bought an onion simply because it was the largest that we had ever seen, and couldn't pass the table of jam without purchasing two. Nash's Organic Produce had a large stand on the end and while I was eagerly dishing out my brussels sprouts, another lady said to me, relieved, that she was “so glad to see these back.” I agreed (and reached past her for the carrots.) We ended up with some freshly pressed cider and then headed over to Tiny's for plums. (Oh, my, plums!) Besides many farms with produce, the Pt. Townsend market had a lot of products for sale: locally roasted coffee, crafts, seafood, and Mt. Townsend cheese.
We were ready for an early lunch after the market and decided to try something new. Many restaurants in Pt. Townsend have menus that feature local ingredients, but we settled on Sweet Laurette, which was steps away from the market. They advertised a local selection of produce on the front of their menus, and we were seduced by their wordy promises. It turns out that it was hard to nail down any answers about where some of their meats and eggs came from, but the morning's featured omelet did indeed feature produce from the farmer's market. Breads on the menu came from Pane D'Amore, a bakery that also had a booth outside their store in the market. The bread was superb and was the highlight of the meal.
We skipped the town's shops and the waterfront views and continued our quest for good food. We headed down to the Pt. Townsend Co-Op. We were curious to find out what was behind the doors. Could anyone shop there? Would they instantly spot us as out-of-towners? It turned out to be a very friendly and small-sized organic grocery store. They had a large bulk section, complete with helpful cookbooks, and all the other aisles that you would expect to see in any small market. Produce was very clearly labeled, down to the name of the farm, and in some cases, the farmer. A quick perusal of the milk and meat section showed local milk and eggs, but few local meat options.
Our last stop of the day was inspired by a small sign at the farmer's market, inviting us to see the new retail facilities of the Mt. Townsend Creamery. Being devoted fans of this cheese, we were happy to stop by this small, but conveniently located shop. About two months ago, Mt. Townsend Creamery formally opened this space, which continues to evolve. Now, customers are warmly welcomed into the shop and are encouraged to watch and ask questions about the cheese-making process. We were greeted by Bryan, who showed us around and talked about their upcoming plans. Soon, customers will be able to stop in and collect everything they need for “a good cheese board.” He hopes to have fresh baguettes and has already stocked many other necessary supplies such as wine, crackers, cheese from other local makers, jams, and Theo chocolate. Matt, one of the owners and fresh from cheese-making, joined us and both continued to talk passionately about the cheese process and the details of their relationship with the local community. It was easy to see how much these two care about their product and their customers.
We arrived home with our car full of food and our minds full of recipes. Gathering ingredients for our Thanksgiving meal had turned into an adventure. It was inspiring to really talk to the people who were directly responsible for putting food on our Thanksgiving table. What a delicious way to shop!
The ample Pt. Townsend Farmer's market is open on Saturdays, May through November, and Wednesdays, June – September.
See pictures of those turkeys before they became dinner.
Go explore! This city guide has a list of restaurants.
You'll find information about the co op here, but this website also has some wonderful lists of 'what's growing.'
Hungry? Luckily, you can find Mt. Townsend Creamery cheese in the T&C.
|
