A Bowl of Cherries
May is cherry season and the farmers' market is filled with brightly colored piles of sweet local cherries. From Bings and Burlats, to Brooks and Rainiers, these cherries will sweeten your springtime! They're available only in May and June, so get some now! For more about California fresh cherries click here.
Fabulous Fennel
Fennel is a marvelous vegetable that isn’t used very much but should be. It’s a celery-like plant with a large white bulb and feathery leaves which resemble dill. The base and stems can be eaten raw or cooked. Fennel is often mislabeled “sweet anise,” causing those who don’t like the flavor of licorice to avoid it. However, the flavor is sweeter and more delicate than anise, and when cooked, becomes even lighter. Read more about fennel here.
Market Highlights
NEW! Blue House Farm: Coastal organic vegetables like Napa cabbage, garlic, lettuce, broccoli, beets, carrots, onions, and more. Get out the grill and roast with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Yum!
Swallow Valley Farm: A picturesque Marin farm that produces grass-fed lamb, fresh cage-free eggs, and succulent sweet strawberries. Stop by and say hello.
Garden Variety Cheese: Incredible sheeps milk cheeses. Try some of their creamy Black-eyed Susan cheese or the tangy Cosmos feta. They're having a farm open house on Saturday, May 5 so visit their website for details.
Underdog: Delicious local and organic sausages ready to toss on the grill for Memorial Day. There are several varieties and flavors, even vegetarian and vegan.
Metropolis Baking Company: A wide assortment of baked goods from Berkeley. Try the rosemary potato bread or their sweet Italian baguettes.
Market Events
May 2: Fun Day! Make some recycled paper airplanes!
May 9: Find the secret word of the day on the market Facebook page, mention the word to the market manager and receive a fresh market prize!
May 16: Wellness Wednesday. Christina, The Nice Nutritionist, will be here to answer all your diet and nutrition questions.
May 23: We're Cookin' the Market with Chef Mario who will prepare fresh and simple recipes using market fresh produce. Taste a sample and pick up a recipe. And enter to win a big bag of seasonal produce.
May 30: Come check out thee serenading musicians at the market - live and local!  There are some crazy delicious greens at the farmers’ market you really should try. These are some of my favorites for color and taste (and conversation from your guests): Collard Greens: Cholesterol lowering properties, cancer protection benefits and tasty - what more do you want? You can braise it, steam it, or blanch it in salted water and toss it in pasta. Dandelions Greens: Spicy, bitter and grassy. The leaves have been found to support kidney function and act as a diuretic and the roots promote liver detoxification. Make a potato salad and toss some dandelion greens in. Make sure you dress it with enough vinegar to balance out the bitterness. Endive: Endive is enriched with a good amount of vitamin A and beta-carotenes. Both of these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Braise endives to bring out its sweetness. Mustard Greens: High in vitamin K (most Americans are deficient in this nutrient), the spicy greens are good for your blood and bone strength. Try them as the Greeks do: boil and then toss with a little virgin olive oil and lemon.
Mother's Day Dinner Recipes
Let Mom relax on Mother's Day and prepare a simple elegant dinner for this hard working lady. Fresh ingredients mixed with love make the perfect meal!
Turkey Breast with Raspberry Salsa
Fresh Pea, Goat Cheese & Herb Salad
Honey Poppyseed Biscuits
Bing Cherry Crisp |   | | In this Issue
A Bowl of Cherries
Fabulous Fennel
Market Highlights
Market Events
Artichoke Festival
Fresh Approach
Cookin' with Mario
What's in Season
A Thoughful Read
Mother's Day Dinner
Your Community
Castroville Artichoke Festival
Thistle Be Fun! Saturday & Sunday, May 19th and 20th, Castroville Park. Agro-art competition, parade, live music, children's activities, and artichokes fried, sautéed, grilled, marinated, pickled, fresh and creamed in soup. There will be cooking demos, and field tours to nearby artichoke farms.
Fresh Approach
Market Match Helps Stretch Food Dollars
Market  Match is up and running in the Upper Haight Farmers’ Market. CalFresh recipients who purchase at least $10 in tokens with their EBT card at the farmers’ market will get an additional $5 in tokens to use on fresh fruits and vegetables. Market Match helps to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, healthy locally-grown produce at their local farmers’ market. The program continues through October 24. Market Match is made possible through the support of Roots of Change and the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Your Community
San Francisco Cinco de Mayo Festival, Saturday, May 5, 10am to 6pm, Dolores Park. Live entertainment, mariachis, dancing, salsa, great food and more.
What's in Season
Fruit: Blueberries, cherries, oranges, raspberries, strawberries.
Vegetables: Artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocados, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, garlic, green beans, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach.
Coming Soon: Apricots, blackberries, bell peppers, summer squash, tomatoes.
A Thoughtful Read
Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All by Oran B. Hesterman. It's an enlightening and inspiring guide to changing not only what we eat, but how food is grown, packaged, delivered, marketed, and sold.
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