I had grand plans for my Dark Days meal this week. I was going to make a breakfast strata, after I was inspired by Brittney’s meal last week.

I woke up this morning, excited to spend a leisurely morning in the kitchen and try something new. And then I read the recipe. (Why do I always leave this until just before I cook?) The key point was Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours, or over night…” Oops.

Time to reconsider my breakfast plans. This, it turned out, was not hard at all. My husband, Jerry, and I had visited the University District Farmers Market the day before, and we had a glorious selection to choose from.

(A side note: I love the UW Farmers Market, and I’m sad it’s so far away. Does anyone know what efforts there have been to get a year-round market anywhere near Everett?)

Without even trying, we soon had a nice, local meal. Jerry fried up some smoked ham to go with fried eggs and bread. The ham was from Sea Breeze Farm. I can’t say enough good things about this ham. It was expensive, yes, but it was glorious. The nice guy who sold it to us told it was very flavorful, and he wasn’t joking.

I also am upset by the conditions in factory pig farms, so it’s nice to know the pig led a normal life.

The eggs were from pastured chickens in Monroe. (My girls aren’t laying right now.) The bread was made by me with flour from a Fairhaven Mill and butter from Bow.

I also enjoyed a nice granola (mostly local ingredients, from a company in Seattle) along with a new yogurt discovery. My friend Katie pointed me toward the yogurt from Grace Harbor Farms and it’s fantastic. The yogurt is on the milder side, with a nice creamy flavor. The milk is not homogenized, and so when you first open the container a nice layer of rich cream is at the top. Katie picked the yogurt up at Whole Foods, but I just saw it for the first time in the Sno-Isle Co-op.

Next week, I really will make that strata. Now that’s I’ve actually read the directions, it should be so much easier.