A Glorious Market

The heat of last weekend was tamed. There was a breeze. It was bright and sunny. What more could I ask for?

The tomatoes are in full swing. Justin and Ute of Capay had some incredible and huge heirloom monsters. I walked away with four beauties, $11 worth at $2.50 per pound. With all the drugs in the sports news of late, I jokingly asked Ute if these had been tested for steroids. It brought up a related issue. Evidently, Justin has been watching out for what he calls the 'organic pirates'. He has found this especially common at one of the other markets he works (thankfully not my regular market). These are non-certified producers who may or may not actually be following the standards, but say they are. Tsk Tsk...

Robert of Robert Lambert saw my mother of all tomatoes in one of my bags and remarked on its beauty and opulence. His exact comment was, "I could live in there", referring to the tomato. But alas, this 'there' is no more. It was a lovely, simple dinner an hour ago.

There was quite a line at RoliRoti. The chickens were going fast. Thomas and Luis Ricardo were sweating up a storm behind the counter. Evidently, last week Thomas nearly had heat stroke as the air temperature behind the counter was over 130 degrees. Doug of Prather Ranch had to tell him to go home before he hurt himself. Thank goodness he took Doug's advice. Today it was a mere 109 degrees. Thomas' regular customers are quite patient. Once we had a reason, we got to chatting about how much we love his chickens and how we think he is almost a decent guy, even though he is a temperamental Swiss and makes us wait. Of course, I kid.

Doug and Scott were busy next door at Prather. Interestingly, Doug has been busier since he has had help from Scott. He thinks it is because people who might otherwise walk past are stopping instead because there is someone who can help them. This is really terrific. The more people realize that they have options to conventionally raised meats, the more we will support existing producers to go humane and organic. It is safer, healthier, and better tasting. The picture on the left is Scott grabbing something out of the unique Prather freezer trailer.

Well, that is just about it. In the next couple of weeks, I am going to give a colleague of mine who just moved up North a market tour. I am looking forward to it. It can take a while to develop your vendors and learn the ins and outs. While we ultimately will all find our own favorites, it is great to have a head start. In the meantime, enjoy that summer produce!

An exciting moment...

This past Tuesday, a new bakery, Flour Chylde, opened in downtown Novato. Now Flour Chylde has been a presence at the farmer's markets for quite a while and finally they have a permanent kitchen and retail space. That they have located in my home town is all the more glorious. The story goes, as I am best able to put it together, that Katherine, a veteran business executive and excellent home baker, needed to make a change. She and her husband, Dion, planned Flour Chylde. Initially, she would bake in rented commercial kitchens and he would sell at the local farmer's markets. They developed a loyal following with their exceptional little cakes, cookies, and breads. So about a year ago, Dion mentioned they were planning to open a retail space. After what must have been an oddessy, they have finally made it and we could not be more thrilled. They will still sell at the markets and will eventually expand their cafe offerings. If you are on Grant Avenue in Novato, you should stop in and try a sample. Good luck, Flour Chylde!

I missed the market...

As I wrote last week, I was at a seminar today and, sadly, could not make the market. On my drive home from the seminar, we stopped at Whole Foods to grab a late lunch and some staples for the week. Now Whole Foods evokes a lot of strong reactions from people in these parts. Until I became a regular at the market, I relied on Whole Foods extensively. But now I see things differently. Whole Foods is a large for-profit corporation. Their first mission should be to make money. If I was a shareholder, which I am not, I would be concerned if their mission was anything different. Along the way, if they wish to attempt to promote sustainable agriculture, organic produce, and humane farming that is wonderful, I will applaud them loudly. Until it is clear that WF is making real efforts to achieve these ends and not simply using clever marketing approaches, I remain unconvinced. As a consumer wishing to use my purchases to create wonderful meals, a better world, and sustainable, humane, and fair food production, WF is a luxury I cannot afford.

Last year, I reviewed the Whole Foods in San Francisco's SOMA district on yelp.com. This review helped me to articulate most clearly how my view of my personal responsibilities as a consumer has evolved. I think the prediction I make at the end of the review about the future of organics is already upon us, much sooner than I might have guessed. FYI, yelp.com reviews are rated one through five stars, in addition to the text commentary.

Whole Foods 399 Fourth Street San Francisco -- Three Stars
"In the world of Albertson's, Target, Costco, and Safeway (an aside - Do people actually find the idea of getting their food at the "safe way" appealing? I mean if safety is the question??!?!), Whole Foods is the best, the Goliath, the superstar! In that world, it is five stars.

But I hate shopping here, because I do not live in that world. If I am forced to go to Whole Foods, it means I missed one of the ubiquitous Bay Area Farmer's Markets or did not take the time to set up an organic produce home delivery service or do not know of any farm stands anywhere. I want to buy my food close to its production. I want to know the people selling it to me by name. I want to be able to learn something new about the products I am purchasing from the people who make and sell them when I have questions. I want to know who I am spending my food dollars on. I want to know how they treat the people they employ , the animals they raise, and the vegetables the harvest. THIS IS MY ORGANIC MANIFESTO! It is about humanity and humaneness, quality and value, reality and locality!

And this earthbound, encumbered, Austin-based corporation is great in a pinch and when winter weather closes those wonderful seasonal Farmer's Markets, but something wicked comes this way (a Wal-Mart Superstore full of organics)."

A First Taste...

The attractions of the farmers' markets are not limited to the wonderful farmers' and their produce alone. The Sunday market at the Marin Civic Center has wonderful food purveyors. We had a little vanilla ice cream from Three Twins leftover from having company yesterday. So we thought we would finish it off. Fortunately, I had a bit of Robert Lambert's Mexican chocolate sauce left. Robert Lambert is a excellent producer of a variety of gourmet speciality items, including chocolate sauces, fruit syrups, and salt-cured citrus. He is set up near Doug at Prather so I see him often and stop by when I have a hankering for something special.
Let me tell you this Mexican chocolate sauce is amazing. It is made with pure 99% cacao with a hint of cinnamon. The day I bought my jar, Robert told me a wonderful story. Earlier that day, a mother had come by with her six year-old son. Her son was severely allergic to milk and did not consume any products that contained milk. So this little boy had never, ever tasted chocolate. But Robert's Mexican chocolate sauce has no milk products, so this little guy got his first taste of chocolate. Of course, it is not a surprise that he asked his mother if they could buy some to take home. What a moment!

Robert can be found at the Marin Civic Center Farmer's Market or at his website, www.robertlambert.com. His Meyer lemon syrup is awesome. I was a little disappointed it had corn syrup in it, not being a big fan of that stuff, but the syrup has a wonderful consistency that I cannot achieve making a simple syrup. I think it also mixes better with it.

He's back!

Today we had a nice surprise. Paul of Nana Mae's Organic Foods who grows apple and berries in Sonoma County returned to the market with his early black berries and plums. It is always nice to see a friendly and familiar face, especially when this means that the start of apple season is only a few weeks away. Paul said the heavy Spring rains delayed the season a few weeks. He expects to have his first few boxes of Gravensteins to sell within the month.

Here is a great picture of Paul with his wife and son planting a tree. His hat is perhaps a bit too Davy Crockett. Regardless, he grows wonderful fruit and presses excellent juice. His knowledge about the produce he grows and the handling of fruit is also impressive. Welcome back!

I also had a nice visit with Kathy of Juliet Mae. Kathy goes by the moniker "the spice lady" around my house. She sells an amazing variety of spices, spice blends, peppers, and salts. She is extremely well-informed about food and spices. She helped me with my rather unusual recipe for Devil's Lemonade by suggesting a new pepper. My Devil's Lemonade or Limeade (most recently) is a mixture of lime juice, squeezed fresh by Paul of Extreme Juice (I will get around to writing you about Paul soon), maple syrup, and cayenne pepper to which sparkling water is added. Now cayenne works nicely in this recipe, but I wanted something a little different. So Kathy suggested the Peruvian pepper Aji Amarillo. I do not know much about peppers and the little that I do know I have learned from Kathy, so I am very excited to give this a try. In addition to using it in my Devil's Limeade, I am also going to throw some into the seasoning mix for grilled shrimp tonight.

It was another beautiful Sunday. The market was in full force. Unfortunately, I cannot make it next week due to a professional development seminar I am attending. Thomas of RoliRoti was appalled to hear this. He really understands me. He knows it is not a coincidence for me that this market is on Sunday. Thomas' suggestion was that I tell people I had to leave the seminar early to go to Church. I told him I would see him in two weeks -- at Church.

Pesto Crudo with Serrata Basil

On my way through the market, I stopped at one of my usual and favorites stands, County Line Harvest. I have written about them before. This Sunday, as I was walking away with my arugula and my salad greens, I realized I forgot basil. They had just been starting to harvest their basil the week or two before. County Line's basil is some of the best of the market. One of the things I like about their basil, in addition to its great flavor and freshness, is that they sell it loose rather than in bunches, so none of the leaves get crushed and you can get exactly as much as you want. So I asked Dave if they had any, he told me that they were out of the regular basil (genovese), but he said they had a new variety - serrata basil. Being a nice guy, he gave me a bunch and asked me to give it a try and report back. (This is one of the benefits of being a market regular.) The leaves are more ruffled than genovese basil leaves. As the name suggests, the edges are serrated and the flavor is a little sharper, a little more assertive.

With the cool evening upon us, my wife and I wanted some pasta, but had no meat sauce in the freezer. So she suggested we throw something together. Then I remembered the basil from Dave. So we got the water boiling and prepared the garlic and basil. Once the pasta went into the water, we grated some parmigiano, sauted the garlic in olive oil, and chopped the basil coursely. At the last minute, I threw a handfull of pinenuts into the sauteeing garlic, just before draining the pasta. I added the pasta back to the hot pan with a little of the retained cooking water and some added olive oil. I then threw in the basil, garlic, and pinenuts to the pasta pot. I added a little grated cheese and tossed. We then plated the pasta, topped it with the rest of the cheese and threw a few whole basil leaves to finish it off. While this was an exceedingly simple dish, along with a green salad with avocado, it made for a perfect weeknight dinner.

Outstanding In Their Fields

It was a glorious Sunday at the market. I got there on the late side, but not so late that I missed the bounty that is market in full bloom. As the seasons change, the availability of different fruits and vegetables overlaps. Right now, things are hitting a wonderful crescendo. We are starting to see the stone fruits as well as the continuation of the strawberries, the end of the cool summer season greens and the beginning of the basil.
But the wonder of the market is not the products alone. The farmers and vendors that work the markets are usually quite expert about their products and how they can be used. It is not surprising that many of these folks are real gourmands and food experts.

One of my regular stops is with Ute and Justin at the Capay Organic stall. Capay Organic farm is an ambitious farm with a farmer's box delivery program, a retail store in the SF Ferry building (pictured at the left), and, of course, a presence at our wonderful markets. Justin manages the Capay warehouse when he is not selling me squash, and when Ute is not discussing the merits of Dino Kale she is a personal chef. So these people know their produce. In fact, it is unusual that I do not learn something from all the various people I buy from on any given market day. At Capay Organic, they produce various crops throughout the year and, just to keep me on my feet, they often have new crops just coming into season. However, they almost always have their excellent walnuts, which should not be missed. As my posts continue, I look forward to sharing more of the little tid-bits that I learn from all the wonderful people that feed me and mine. Until next time...

Let's go to the mall!

Today my regular Sunday market took its' annual trip to the mall. You see when the Marin County Fair is running, the farmers' market held nearby gets bumped. So once or twice a year, we head over to the mall parking lot and enjoy a change of scenery. While almost all of the usual vendors are there, the usual order of things is mixed up. But everytime the market has moved, it has been an opportunity to find a new vendor. It is amazing how when one gets into a pattern, one can completely ignore all the unfamiliar goings-on. So with all the mix-up, I inevitably end up at a couple of new stalls.

Today I became reaquainted with Three Twins Ice Cream. I had tried their ice cream a couple months back and thought it was delicious, but their stand is out of my usual route so I have not stopped by again. In typical fashion, I actually thought they had stopped working this market when I was just overlooking them. We had their coffee ice cream for dessert tonight with some macerated fruit. Ute and Justin of Capay sold me some wonderful figs at the height of ripeness, which we mixed with some cut up peaches and some berries. After a light summer meal, it was a fantastic finish! My friend said it was the best coffee ice cream he had ever tasted. You can find Three Twins info here -- www.threetwinsicecream.com.

It is also a lot of fun to see other people make their "finds". I was hanging out with Doug at Prather Ranch Meat Co. and he was saying how he gets so many unfamiliar faces when the market travels. I hung around a bit and sure enough, he had new shopper after new shopper. Evidently, today was busier than it usually is when the market moves locales. All the vendors I asked said they were having good days. As it was a beautiful Sunday with great food to buy and great people to chat with I could not have asked for more.