In This Issue Mad for Melons Pick a Perfect Pepper Farmers' Market Week Food Festivities Market Highlights Market Events Cookin' the Market Locavore Fresh Approach What's in Season End of Summer Recipes Your Community National Farmers’ Market Week is August 4 to 10. Communities are converging to celebrate a simple miracle: farmers coming together to share a harvest that’s feeding local families. The result? Farmers' markets are bolstering local economies, improving community health, and bringing diverse groups of people together through a shared social space. We're celebrating with contests, cooking demonstrations, photo exhibits, and other events. To learn more visit the Farmers’ Market Coalition and stop by your farmers’ market information booth. Food Festivities Gravenstein Apple Festival Saturday and Sunday, August 10 & 11, Ragle Ranch Park. Live music on two stages, delicious food, cooking demonstrations from local chefs, arts and crafts booths, a petting zoo, pony rides, apple pie contest, and so much more. Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival Saturday & Sunday, August 24 & 25, at 16885 Bodega Hwy. Enjoy a juried fine art and craft marketplace, a variety of foods with an emphasis on seafood, three stages of entertainment and large dance floor, kids games, and wine and beer tastings.  The "Freshest Cargo" Mobile Farmers’ Market is here! This 22-foot truck equipped with on-board cold storage will take the ‘cool factor’ of the food truck movement and apply it to fresh fruits and vegetables. The truck is designed to sell fresh produce procured from local farmers in food deserts in Contra Costa County’s Richmond, San Pablo, Pittsburg, Brentwood, and Concord areas. Keep up-to-date on the Freshest Cargo Facebook page, on Twitter and Instagram! Locavore Strong ties have always existed between small family farmers and their communities. There is an organization that strives to continue to keep farmers and consumers in close contact. The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a non-profit organization that advocates for California’s family farmers and sustainable agriculture. One of their most popular programs, and one of the most recognizable, is the Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign which connects producers and consumers by publishing regional editions of the Eater’s Guide to Local Food, providing marketing assistance and materials to businesses and farmers, and running public education and awareness campaigns to promote local food. Please join with them in their efforts to keep the connection between farmers and consumers. See how you can help! What's in Season Fruit: Apriums, blackberries, figs, grapes, melons, nectarines, peaches, plums, pluots, raspberries, and strawberries. Vegetables: Artichokes, beets, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, corn, cucumber, daikon, eggplant, garlic, green beans, herbs, hot peppers, kale, leeks, lettuce, longbeans, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes. Coming Soon: (September) Apples, pears, winter squash. Your Community San Francisco Street Food Festival, Saturday, August 17, 11am to 7pm, Mission District on Folsom St. from 20th to 26th, 21st and 25th from Treat St. Food and music that celebrates street food and the people who love to make it. | |  Mad for Melons Cut a big slice of juicy watermelon and dig in! Summer is in full swing when melons appear at your farmers' market. Big watermelon, fragrant cantaloupe and honeydew, and a variety of specialty melons like Persian, casaba, canary, and Crenshaw, just to name a few, are available. Each has a distinctive sweet flavor and each is a must-try this season. Cube into fruit salads, blend into a smoothie, or eat out of hand. Enjoy! Read more here. | Pick a Perfect Pepper From the sweet bell pepper to the hottest habanero, there are pepper varieties for every taste at your farmers’ market. Like peppers mild? Try bell peppers in red, green, orange, yellow, and yes, even purple! Sweet Italian peppers and banana peppers have a mild flavor as well. Like a little hotter pepper? Try pepperoncini or Anaheim pepper for a little zing in your recipes. Or move higher on the Scoville hotness scale to the jalapeño, poblano, or the yellow wax chili pepper. Want a five-alarm chile pepper that’ll make your eyes water? Then brave the habanero, the Scotch Bonnet or the little Thai chili peppers. There's a pepper for every taste and every recipe at the market! More on peppers here.  | | | Market Highlights  Cipponeri Farms: Wonderful stonefruit like peaches and nectarines, apricots, and plums. They also have nice big juicy watermelon and cantaloupe! Olive Healthy: California olive oil at its best. Several varieties can be sampled and questions answered. They're delicious - and heart healthy! Rhizome Urban Gardens: Pretty little succulents, seeds, seed starts, and starter plants like herbs, strawberries, squash and more. La Selva Taqueria: Fresh homemade beans and rice, slow-roasted chicken right from the grill in halves or whole bird; agua fresca in strawberry, honeydew and watermelon for refreshment. Yummy stuff! FlourChylde Bakery: Artisan breads, baguettes, cakes, cookies, and other baked goodies. Yum! They have gluten-free, too. Quick 'n' Ezee: Gourmet Indian food sure to please the discriminating palate. Spices, chutneys, 'naanwiches,' and other delicious Indian foods. Market Events  August 7 to 21: Facebook "Love My Market" Photo Contest! Send us a photo of your farmers' market to lovemymarket@pcfma.com and you could win some great prizes! ►Keep up-to-date! Check the farmers’ market Facebook page for event updates or changes. Cookin' the Market - Chef Anna Buss Moringa/ Malunggay: The farmers’ market is not only a place where I can find the most delicious tasting produce around, it has also become a “farmacy” for me. The other day I was out at the farmers' market in search of produce for the next cooking demonstration. While I was strolling along I noticed that people were flocking to buy leaves and long thin green pods labeled Moringa (it can also be found labeled as Malunggay). It turns out Moringa, also known as the “Miracle Tree,” offers an abundance of medicinal properties. Every part of the plant is edible including the bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and gum. The Moringa leaves are high in vitamin C, and vitamin A. They are also a good source of protein and are high in iron and calcium. Besides being called the “Miracle Tree” Moringa is also known as the “Horseradish Tree” because of its horseradish-like flavor. The leaves can be tossed in a salad, soups, or used as spice for a main dish. They can also be dried and saved for later use. Next time you are at the farmers’ market buy some Moringa! ►Look for recipes, cooking tips, tricks, and more on the Cookin' the Market Facebook page! Summer's End Recipes Melon Salad with Basil Vinaigrette A tangy sweet salad served chilled. Eggplant, Pepper & Feta Salad Great for picnics and barbecues. Peach Chutney A real sweet tangy taste of summer, great on toasted baguettes or as a topping for meats and chicken. Corn Stuffed Tomatoes A summer favorite, light and refreshing, great for a cool dinner. Find more great recipes on our website! And pick up the Summer Produce Guide at your market's info table for tips on how to purchase and store your fresh summer produce. | | |   Upper Haight Farmers' Market Wednesdays, 3pm to 7pm, through October 30, Waller and Stanyan. Forward this message to a friend 800.949.FARM, www.pcfma.com | |
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