Capitol Hill cooks looking for local ingredients for their Tofurky Day feast contributions will find some new additions at the tables at Sunday’s Broadway farmers market. Here’s the list of items making their market debut this week:

Parsnips – The colder it gets, the sweeter they become.  Give them a try roasted, boiled or sautéed.  They are available at all three markets from Willie Green’s Organic Farm.

Pears – White Doyenne are new from Booth Canyon Orchards.  They are available alongside Bosc, Comice, D’Anjou and Olympic

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 Freshly Ground Flour – Organic hard red wheat is being freshly ground by Nash’s Organic and is being sold in 4 pound bags at the U-District market.  The wheat was planted in the spring of 09, harvested in September and is being fresh ground every week for market shoppers.  How can anything be fresher?

Matsutake Mushrooms – from Foraged and Found – at the U-District and West Seattle markets.

HOLIDAY TREES AND WREATHS– We are excited to welcome back Three Tree Farm to the U-District and Broadway markets for the next 4 weekends.  The Noble and Blue Spruce trees have been freshly cut and come in all sizes.  Beautiful holiday wreaths are also available from Alm Hill Gardens at all three markets.

The market runs 11 AM – 3 PM in the parking lot behind Bank of America at Broadway and Thomas.

The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, by the way, is also sponsoring a Thanksgiving contest that rewards cooking skills, a dedication to locally-sourced ingredients and having your stuff together-ness (entering takes a little doing and more organization than CHS is capable of in the kitchen). Here are the details:

Thank-Your-Farmers Harvest Feast CONTEST!

    Announcing the “Thank-Your-Farmers Harvest Feast” CONTEST for the best and most direct-from-the-farmers-market Thanksgiving Dinner of 2009!

Grand Prize: a meal cooked in your home by award-winning Chef Tamara Murphy of Brasa Restaurant for you and up to 5 guests!!*

Second place prize: $100 shopping spree at any of our seven Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets*, plus two bottles of wine from market farmers, and a Farmers Market apron.

Third place prize: $75 Farmers Market gift certificate, one bottle of wine and a Farmers Market apron.

The Grand Prize will be awarded to the host/cook who makes the most farmers-market-sourced, delicious, unique and beautifully presented Thanksgiving dinner for 2009.  As much as possible, everything from the wine to the centerpiece should be sourced directly from local farms at the Broadway, U-District or West Seattle Farmers Markets.

1. It’s easy! Host a Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 26, 2009, of any size, featuring ingredients sourced from either one or all of these three Farmers Markets: Broadway, U-District, West Seattle.  The dinner can be pot-luck style or cooked all by you, but you (and your group) must be prepared to provide written recipes of all dishes served, and the source of all the ingredients.  (This contest is about supporting these three local winter farmers markets, which keep numerous small, diverse local farms in business.)  Also, as much as possible, the ingredients that you cannot purchase at the farmers markets should be locally sourced (eg, check out Stone Burr’s line of Washington-sourced flour, available at various Seattle grocery stores).  Also remember: the original harvest feast held by the Pilgrims featured what was available, including fish, deer and other game.  Turkey and pumpkin pie are traditions that were only invented in the late 1800’s.  SO, celebrate what’s local, and be creative!

2. Take pictures of the dishes and the table setting, and also of the preparation in the kitchen (you don’t need to detail every step of the process, but enough to give us an idea of what you did).  Write down your dinner menu and all recipes, plus where all the ingredients were sourced, including the drinks, wine and any decorations such as bouquets, etc.  Write down the name of the farm, and which farmers market the ingredient was purchased at.

3. Your entry will be judged on: the extent to which ingredients were sourced directly from local farmers at these three farmers markets, the quality of the recipes (they need not be elaborate to be good – simple can be exquisite too!), the uniqueness/creativity of the overall menu, and the presentation (again, simple can be just as beautiful as elaborate).  Our judges are nationally-known Chef Tamara Murphy of Brasa Restaurant, one of our market farmers, and local food writer Cynthia Nims (www.cynthianims.com).  It can be dinner for two or for twenty, elaborate or simple.

4. Submit your photos and written menu/recipes to the NFMA by December 4, either via email or snail mail, or by dropping it off at the info table at any of the three farmers markets.  Winner will be chosen by December 16, and first, second and third-place entries will be posted on the NFMA website as well as displayed at our winter markets, to inspire others to think creatively and locally for the holidays.  Please also give your dinner a ‘name’ – eg., the Smith Family Feast, or the 34th and Yesler Street Party.

5. This contest is open to home cooks only please, not professional chefs and cooks (i.e., anyone who makes their living via catering or cooking or restaurant).