Food fare is on the minds of football fans everywhere. – where to shop is easy since the Sunday Walnut creek market opens at 9 am, but what to serve is another question!

Anything red and gold is sure to add to the 49er festivities this Sunday, whether you’re serving hors d'oeuvres, barbecuing or preparing a full course meal. Add a sea food flare to your big game banquet with some fresh Oysters from Point Reyes Oyster Co., local Dungeness Crab at From Sea to You....or try a really fresh approach and order sushi from Hiroshi's Catering!
See all our sea food specialists on Sunday morning!

Chards are plentiful at the market and picking out a bunch of Rainbow chard with red, orange and gold colored stems is perfect for soups or side dishes. Separate the leaves from the stems to add to a favorite lentil or vegetable soup- just add the chopped stems about 5 minutes before the end of the soup’s cooking time and the chopped leaves about 1 minute before the end of cooking time.

Mix up a pasta salad by adding together cooked corkscrew pasta (from Il Pastaio), sautéed mushrooms and garlic and a mixture of 2 tablespoons olive oil (Bariani) and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Finish with a handful of finely shredded chard leaves – they add a nice spinach like taste.

Use Little Ball (a true baby red beet) and mild golden beets, sliced radishes or slices of tropical tasting blood oranges (Hamada, Lone Oak, Rojas Family Farm) to brighten up a green salad. Cook and cool beets before slicing. Wash well and leave the skins intact, along with the stem and root so the beets do not “bleed” their color. Wrap beets in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 55 minutes depending on size.

Potatoes might be the ultimate comfort food. Just remember to use waxier potatoes like red or gold creamers or fingerling potatoes if you want them to hold their shape when cooked in soups, and flakier, drier potatoes like Russets for making French fries and baking.

You can make up a quick dipping platter with Ediths foccacia bread (cut into1 inch squares) and dipped in Bistro Blends Sun Dried Tomato Balsamic – delicious!

Medina Berry Farm from Watsonville is currently bringing in fresh picked strawberries. New coverings on the fields are protecting the berries from winter rains and luscious red berries are ready to serve!

Bunches of flowers at Ruvalcaba Nursery are ready to put on the finishing touch.

Enjoy and see you at the market!