09 May Flower Children: A Mother’s Day Visit to Pike Place Market
It’s hard to believe a year has passed since we were sipping medium roast and talking foraging in Seattle. Another memorable excursion during our weekend in the Emerald City was our visit to Pike Place Market on Mother’s Day. Fish and flowers — how can you go wrong? All weekend, we saw people walking proudly down the street with bright bouquets wrapped in paper, bouquets from one of the oldest farmers’ markets in the U.S., a Seattle institution famed for its mackerel-throwing ways. 
A Pike Place fishmonger in action.
When we entered Pike Place Market, we were boosted by what we saw: king salmon, Dungeness crabs, halibut and clams on one side, and tulips, lilacs, irises, thistles, produce and handmade goods on the other. And, of course, the peonies! Much ado about the peonies, newly in season. 
Seasonal blooms like tulips and lilacs join to make Mother’s Day magic.
Peonies, the springtime obsession of recent years, were a hot commodity.
These spring blooms were sold and celebrated under the banner of the Flower Festival, which happens every Mother’s Day weekend, including this Saturday and Sunday. Featuring 40 flower and produce farmers, the event is free to the public and will also include a booth for making your own Mother’s Day card. Learn more about it here. Want to grab an own impromptu bouquet of your own? (Or a mouthwatering hunk of candied smoked salmon? Or some morels?) Our market shots below are blooming with Mother’s Day ideas… Here’s to one mother of a weekend! —TH 
(This was about as close as we got to the very first Starbucks.)
Dutch irises light up the gray Seattle sky.
Tulipomania!
We know a few moms who’d appreciate these slices of smoked and candied salmon.
