originally uploaded by Fecki.

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

 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).

CHS will feature coverage this week of the 10-year anniversary of the WTO protests in Seattle with a focus on Capitol Hill's role in the events. As part of the remembrance, we are sponsoring a new kind of civil disobedience. There's still a place for facing down jack-booted thugs and noxious gas -- but we also admire people who get their point across in more subversive ways.

In that spirit, CHS is proud to co-present The Yes Men Fix the World at Northwest Film Forum. The film documents the work of two pranksters who put technology and empty-headed bureaucracy to work to infiltrate the modern media loop and hijack corporate and governmental posturing in the name of social activism. It's like Borat with purpose beyond watching a skinny man wrestle a fat man naked. Seeing one of the Yes Men portraying a government official addressing the community in storm-ravaged New Orleans and making promises that are entirely doable but also entirely outside the realities of government is both funny and heart-breaking. But it's also inspiring when you see the residents catch on to the message, get the 'joke,' and join in on bashing the mind-blown politicians and media who have been punk'd into playing their parts in the stunt.

The Yes Men plays November 27 through December 3. Friday's opening night showing is a benefit for WTO +10, with Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum and other guests in attendance at both of the evening's shows. Bichlbaum will also attend screenings on November 28 and 29. And CHS will be in the house to say hello before most screenings.

WTO_Demo2.jpg,
originally uploaded by ntisocl.

On November 30, 1999, Capitol Hill became a battleground as police clashed with protesters and the city's downtown core erupted in confrontation. The World Trade Organization had come to Seattle bringing all the world's problems with it -- and exposing plenty of Seattle's along the way. Not every moment was warfare. Much of the protest and activism was the kind of thing you see here. Regular folks taking a stand. Or a sit. Of course, regular folks also fought back. We'll have more of that story this week -- if you have memories you'd like to share, please add to these posts in the comments -- but, first, let's focus on a present-day gathering of activists on Capitol Hill.

Next weekend, Seattle University, New Hope Baptist Church and Town Hall host a free series of workshops and events to mark the anniversary of the protests. Here's more from Seattleplus10.org:

THE PEOPLE’S SUMMIT Nov 27-29

WTO+10: Global Justice Forward!

On Nov 30th the World Trade Organization (WTO) will host a “restart” meeting in Geneva – 10 years to the day from when we shut down the Seattle WTO! On Dec 7th, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change opens in Copenhagen. These are uncertain times and much is at stake: Join us to reclaim and amplify our voices with the vision we have for a healthy planet and people. Let’s harness the spirit of the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle with a renewed commitment to move global justice forward!

Friday Nov 27 through Sunday Nov 29: three days of plenaries,  workshops and a cross-sector strategy session, held at Seattle  University, New Hope Baptist Church and Town Hall. Visit www.seattleplus10.org for a full list of speakers, plenaries, and workshops!

Back in September, we told you about a new retailer coming to Pike/Pine and joining the scene inside the Odd Fellows building. We noticed that the store was taking shape this week and a quick check of their Web site reveals Nube Green opens on Monday. UPDATE: It's open! From Josh in the comments:

Although their website says they aren't open until Monday they were actually open today and I think they will be tomorrow (the owner said the website is just hard to change).

Its a great little shop. Some really interesting stuff including some very cool cardboard lanterns made by a group just down the street.

The new retailer is targeting "ecologically minded consumers" and plans to "provide a strorefront for local artists." Nube Green is the creation of Ruth True. She and her husband Bill opened the nonprofit art gallery Western Bridge.

Here is a snippet from a press release explaining the new store's concept.

Also on the ground floor -- sandwiched between the popular OddFellows Café and Molly Moon's, and right next to flora and henri -- Nube Green plans to open the doors on its 2,300 square foot mercantile store in November. This retailer will carry a broad array of simple, fun and elegant gifts for the ecologically minded consumer.

The store will only sell products that have not crossed any oceans, including locally made items from recycled and sustainable materials. Nube Green will also carry its own line of products.

Top shelf children's clothier Flora and Henri also moved into Odd Fellows recently.

Meanwhile, down the street, CHS also noted 'sign' of an existing business doing some upgrades for the holidays. Looks like Seattle Running Company got a new sign for Christmas.

Pike/Pine isn't the only area on the Hill with some good biz news. CHS reported yesterday on some cool changes for the People's Republic of Koffee over on 12th Ave. Meanwhile, beloved Broadway bookseller Bailey Coy is officially no more.