ArtFest paints a delicious menu

Strolling around looking at fine arts and crafts all day can make anybody’s stomach start to grumble.

Luckily, there’s no shortage of food at this weekend’s ArtFest.

Many of the old favorite vendors will be on hand at Coeur d’Alene Park Friday through Sunday, but this year a couple of local specialty food-makers will set up shop alongside them.

Spokane’s Summit Tea Co. and Auntie Jane’s Jam will be at ArtFest for the first time, says Karl Hollander, executive director and CEO of the Spokane Art School, which puts on the event with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

Hollander decided to invite the specialty food producers after noticing the similarities between what they do and fine art.

“Within the specialty food market, they’re creating their own signature kinds of pieces,” Hollander says.

He hopes to see more specialty food-makers at the event next year.

Here are some of the other food vendors scheduled to be at ArtFest this weekend: Old Fashioned Country Kettle Corn, Pizza Rita, Azar’s, SideWok Asian Café, Mary Lou’s Ice Cream, Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle, Leonardo’s Bistro (Caribbean cuisine), Island Noodles, Baja Babes Tacos, AAA Concessions (Italian sausage and pulled beef, pork and chicken), and Huli Huli Chicken.

It’s that time of year

If you’re a salmon-lover, you know what time it is: Time for Alaskan Copper River salmon.

The first-of-the-season catch of this delicate and flavorful fish started showing up in supermarkets just in time for Memorial Day grilling.

Here’s a quick recipe, courtesy of Albertsons. Combine 3 tablespoons light soy sauce, ¼ cup white wine, ½ cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger. Add 1 pound of Copper River salmon steaks and marinate for 30 minutes. Grill fish over low heat until it flakes easily, about 4 to 6 minutes per half-inch of thickness. Serves four.

Organic acreage growing

More and more farm land in Washington is home to organic crops, according to a new report from Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Certified organic acreage in the state has grown by as much as 70 percent since 2002, the research found. And in 2005, Washington came in second only to California in organic vegetable acreage.

Demand for organic dairy products is also leading toward growth in that area, as well as organic beef and poultry, the report found.

For more on sustainable agriculture, check out next week’s Food section, which will feature a story on the growing Slow Food movement in Spokane.