There it is. A shot from inside the Pike Place Market. No it’s not the guys throwing salmons or the busker with balloon animals or the explosion of flower bouquets. The Pike market is a historic public market that has long been more of a tourist attraction than a place to buy fresh fish and produce. That being said, I still like walking through the market at all times of day. Even the sunny weekends when the tourists cram the isles and crowd the fish stand, cameras poised, waiting for a salmon to be tossed. The problem with being a tourist is that you can’t do anything with all the great groceries you can buy there. Sure you’ll be inspired to cook something but then you realize you don’t have the kitchen you need to work with your purchases.

I do have several spots I like in the market. I like the magazine stand, DeLaurenti, the pumpkin cookies, Beecher’s cheese curds, the smell inside the original Starbucks, Sur la Table, the buttermilk cherry stick at the bakery by the salmon throwing guys, and ending the mayhem with a pint or two of Pyramid Hefe Weizen at Cutters. I have very fond memories of Cutters because my first visit there was when I was 12 and I had foccacia for the first time. They have a great Happy Hour and decent appetizers and sushi to carry you over to dinner later on.

I’ve seen this market in near shambles and I see it today – strong and evolving to meet the needs of all of those who visit. It really is the center of any visit to Seattle.

Monday was the annual Galimax Farm Tour. Rudy Knitnel brings products from select Southern Alberta farms into the city and every year he hosts a tour of some of the farms he draws from. I can’t think of a better way to spend the day than hanging out on farms talking to the farmers and the animals.

Something struck me this year as we toured Broek Pork Acres, Vital Green Farm, and Fairwinds Farm. The animals on these farms are intelligent, content, and well cared for and they are a lot of fun to be around. Ben at Fairwinds commented to me how much he enjoys being around the goats. How smart they are and how fun their different personalities are.

We watched mother sows protecting their young, a calf stand up for the first time, Berkshires rooting in mud, had two week old kids nuzzle on our fingers, and scratched the noses of the cows we get our milk from.

Luckily I was surrounded by cooks who not only love the animals on the farm, but they also appreciate how good they taste. I too love these animals and it is great to know that they live very good lives before they become food for us. It is important to have a deep respect for them and the life they give the farmer and us as co-producers in local agriculture.