When I boarded a plane in Los Angeles for Lihue, Kauai, on Sunday morning, my mind was filled with images of tropical fruit and sunshine. Little did I know that my journey would first take me on a rather different detour…

Faced with a several hour-long layover in Seattle, my partner and I hopped on the light rail from Sea-Tac airport towards downtown to Pike Place Market. It was a chilly, gray morning by Puget Sound, but Pike Place was bustling and vibrant. Seafood may be the market's most iconic product, but we (and especially I, a vegetarian!) were delighted to discover a farmers' market taking place on the streets outside the building.

We had stumbled into the thrice-weekly Farm Days on the Cobblestones, where local growers sell fresh vegetables, fruits, honey, and more. Though our unexpected visit left us wanting more, we had great fun seeing what's in season in this part of the country — super-sweet late-summer stone fruits, colorful peppers, fall apples and gourds, root vegetables, and gorgeous purple garlic. We rounded out the visit with a taste of artisan cheeses at the nearby Beecher's Handmade Cheese and then returned to the airport (whew!).

Pike Place Market's Farm Days on the Cobblestones runs through September 30 this year. For information on other Seattle area farmers' markets, visit Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance. We'd love to hear recommendations from our Seattle readers, too!

Related: A Food-Lover's Guide to Seattle

(Images: Emily Ho)

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