Courtney Potter

Well, better late than never, eh? With the winter/cooler-than-normal (so it seems) spring weather lingering up until, oh, last week, local strawberries are finally ready! One local farmer stated a couple weeks ago that this has been the coldest June he can remember.

What a way to think local/be local. These red gems are incredibly flavorful and are heavenly atop ice cream or with shortcake and whipped cream. I've been craving these babies all month. Yummm...so good, so good.

Here in Whatcom County alone, at least a dozen farms will be open for strawberries, and soon the raspberries and blueberries will arrive. This weekend is Boxx Berry Farm's Strawberry festival featuring wagon rides for the kids, berry specials, a bbq, and free strawberry sundaes! www.boxxberryfarm.com

McPhail's Berries in Lynden grows 12 varieties and has a great store on site with jams, homemade pies, and other treats for sale. They're annual pancake breakfast is slated for July 4th and I'm sure will be a hit. http://www.mcphailberries.com/

Enjoy the heat and local produce this weekend!

Belltown is now a full-out trendy, hip, new, uppercrust, and expensive section of Seattle. I came across a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article recently (May 30, 2008) about a venerable club in the neighborhood -- the Catholic Seamen's Club, originated by the Archdiocese of Seattle in 1939 -- that still hangs on. The venue serves as a haven for sailors coming to Seattle ports, offering recreation, relaxation, and low-cost meals.

Largely starting in the mid 1990s, Belltown began its transformation, and soon thereafter, many other areas of town changed similarly. The edginess and grit of Seattle's iconic neighborhoods such as Belltown and Ballard have nearly all disappeared as the maritime, logging, and fishing industries have further downsized and become obsolete.

Belltown 1992: "That was back when the upscale El Gaucho restaurant about a block away housed the Service Employees International Union. The operating engineers, the plumbers and pipe fitters, and the Sailors Union of the Pacific also were in the neighborhood before rents rose and pushed them out."

Gone are Sunset Bowl and Crocodile Cafe; hanging on are the Seamen's Club, Hurricane Cafe, and Mike's Chili. The land is incredibly valuable these days and it would be difficult not to sell to a developer, let alone pay rent. My hope is to retain this long-established character and feel that gave Seattle its identity.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/365119_sailor30.html

It's about time again for the monthly all-you-can-eat Swedish pancake breakfast at the Sons of Norway Hall in Bellingham. It takes place this coming Saturday, May 17, from 8-11 am. For $6, you get an initial plate of ham, eggs, 2 pancakes with lingonberries & whipped cream, and an orange slice, plus plenty of coffee, oj, and tea.

You may ask, "Swedish pancakes served by Norwegians?" Well, to put it simply, the Hall includes all things Scandinavian. Come on down for these delightful flapjacks, people watching, visiting, and enjoying Emil Aanestad on the accordian. If you can't make it this time around, the breakfast is held on the third Saturday of each month. Perhaps I'll see you out and about, as I will be serving Saturday.

May 17 is also Norway's Independence Day (Sittende Mai) so I suspect things will be quite festive. This and June are the last dates to hit up the pancakes until September.

Norway Hall: 1419 N Forest St., downtown Bellingham