While the Queen Anne Farmers Market is closed for the season, that doesn’t mean Queen Anne-ers will have to go back to buying their produce at other neighborhood markets, or (gasp) the grocery store. Enter the FarmBoat, the newest addition to Seattle’s farmers market scene.

With the goal of re-kindling Puget Sound’s historic maritime delivery routes, the FarmBoat folks set off to build a year-round “transient floating farmers market fleet that visits public docks in many Puget Sound waterfront communities selling fresh produce and other local products right off the boat just as it was a century ago.” From the FarmBoat website:

This is how farm goods were sold in port communities a century ago. It was more than just sustainable. People flourished here and the Northwest became what it is today. FarmBoat is about turning the clocks back and sharing a traditional and colorful maritime heritage. Back to a time when fruits and vegetables where picked at the peak of perfection and transported over the cool waters of Puget Sound to the cupboards of northwest families. Small family farms still exist among the islands and near port towns all throughout the Puget Sound region. We connect growers and producers with consumers in a venue that is enjoyable, educational, conducive and commensurate with the superior quality of their products.

FarmBoat’s winter floating market is kicking off this Thursday, November 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. aboard Seattle’s historic steamship “Virginia V” docked at Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave N. (moored at the park’s Historic Boat Wharf), and will continue every Thursday through December 23, (except for Thanksgiving).

Check out the FarmBoat’s list of vendors here. Interested in signing up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) produce delivery? The FarmBoat has one of those too—check out the CSA program here.

While FarmBoat is just getting its start, it has some pretty ambitious plans. Take a look at the market’s proposed delivery routes, which it plans to use to facilitate trade across the Puget Sound region, from Bellingham, to the San Juan Islands, and all the way down to Olympia. Happy farmers marketing!