From Chef Lesley Stiles:
This salad is great for an entire meal with grilled shrimp, fish or chicken. Perfect for outdoor dining with a glass of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. The early red onions are ideal for salads right now with all the sweetness you would expect from them. You can not use too much fresh chopped mint or cilantro in here either!
Syrian Fatoush Salad
1 head of nice market lettuce, washed and torn
2 medium sized cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
1 basket of cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 small red onion, sliced into small half moons
½ bunch of fresh mint, chopped fine
½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup of pita chips, (Trader Joes)
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives chopped.
Toss all together in a large salad bowl with Lemon – Cumin Vinaigrette.
Lemon – Cumin Vinaigrette
¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar
¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of freshly toasted and ground cumin seed
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh garlic
Whisk all together in a bowl and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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From the General Manager, Jessie
Neu:
CCCFM is participating in and again being represented by
Chef Stiles in "The CHEFS Summertini
Fundraiser" that is on June 22 from
6 to 8 pm at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
in SF. Very big fun. 17 restaurants, seasonal
fruit martinis, huge auction w/ a ton of dining
items. Cost is $80 per person and benefits the
CHEFS Program (Conquering Homelessness w/ Employment
in Foodservice). More info: Helena Lukas at 415
487 3736 or email hlukas@ecf-sf.org.
The 2007 Farm
Bill kicks into high gear on Capitol
Hill in June. Please take part in helping to influence legislation that will shape the entire food system.
The California
Coalition for Food and Farming organizational sign on letter urges our California Senators and the leadership of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to support programs that increase access to fresh and healthy foods, support family farms, promote local food systems, and protect our environment, please read and sign on to the letter. The deadline to sign has been extended to June 8.
For more information go to:
www.calfoodandfarming.org
Read the cover story: "The
Science of Appetite" in the June 11 issue of Time Magazine on health.
Nutritional science professor, Barbara
Rolls has a best seller on the shelves
talking about "volumetrics".
"Eat big portions of fresh fruits and vegetables".... to displace the urge for
pleasure seeking foods with "sensory-specific satiety". www.time.com
Brazilian Cheese Bread is back in Walnut Creek... Their products have recently been reviewed by the National
Foundation for Celiac Awareness and are working on a new partnership with NFCA.
For more information go to:
braziliancheesebreadco.com and www.celiaccentral.org
Welcome back!
Smith Family Farms - in Orinda and Walnut Creek.
Welcome:
Meyers Teriyaki in Martinez
DVC Dental Hygiene Program - Students are looking for State Board Candidates and will have a table in Martinez this Sunday. These potential patients would help them with their State Board Exams in July.
Secret Garden Plant Nursery - in Pleasant Hill - Congratulations to the Osteens... and their new market baby!
The Walnut Creek Garden Club will join us to share their knowledge and distribute information "All
about Bees" this Sunday.
Main Street Martinez is sponsoring their "Community
Street Sale and Jump House" this Sunday. Come down and join the fun!
CCCFM has been recommended for a Civic Pride Grant allocation from the City of Walnut Creek to help assist with the relocation of the Walnut Creek Farmers' Market!
We are deeply grateful and thankful to work with and in such a great City!
Jessie Neu can be reached at gm@cccfm.org
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In this Issue: |
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Next issue of The Lettuce Leaf Newsletter will be on June 22.
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 Martinez:
Music 6/10: Jose Reynolds
Music 6/17: Leidstrand Family Band
Manager: Joey McNaughton.
E-mail: mmarket@cccfm.org
From Joey McNaughton, Manager:
The market keeps growing, we've expanded into the 700 block, the East
end of the market up from Starbucks, so be sure to look there for your favorite
vendors like Delta Moon Soapworks, Ken's Therapeutic Massage,
Big Paw Grub, East and West Gourmet Food, The Cottage Kitchen, Upper Crust Baking
Co., Granny Jan's Homemade Fudge, and Soaps of Provence. Old
World Sausage will be in this week.
See you Sunday!
For
more info |
 Orinda:
Music 6/9: Capricious Accordion
Music 6/16: Diablo Dust - blue grass
Manager: Janice Faust.
E-mail: omarket@cccfm.org
From Jan Faust, Manager:
Hello fruit and veggie lovers of Orinda.
We're 5 weeks into
our new season and things couldn't be better. Every week
we add to our vendor line up, and it's been really exciting
to meet so many new customers. The fruit this season is amazing.
The cherry season is starting to wind down so hurry down
this Saturday and get some while they last. I look forward
to cherry season all year. I just can't get enough, and since
they are only here for a few weeks I really indulge myself.
This season they have been especially delicious, sweet, fat,
juicy and abundant. You can find them at Hamada
Farm, Mora Farm, J and J Orchards and Smith
Farm,
and they're all good. Enjoy! This week we will be joined
by our every other week vendors Spenger's Bistro
Blends, Steve's Bees and Empi.
Cottage Kitchen will return on June 16th.
It's going to be another
beautiful day at the Orinda Farmers' Market so grab a friend
and come on down.
See you at the Market!
For
more info |
 Pleasant
Hill:
Music 6/9: Growiser
Music 6/16: Jose Reynolds
Manager: Karen Stiles.
E-mail: pmarket@cccfm.org
CCCFM has donated large beautiful salads to the Simply
Salads Event for the past 8 years. Chef Lesley Stiles will do so again this year in representing the Pleasant Hill Farmers' Market.
For more info |
Walnut Creek:
Music 6/10: Flutopia
Music 6/17: Growiser
Manager: Keith Farley.
E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
From Keith Farley, Manager:
Some of you have been asking why I cut four more parking
spaces out of the senior & handicap parking.
The simple answer is the Contra Costa County Fire Marshall
requires that we keep a minimum of twenty feet from parked
cars and the closest open flame. Since the barbeque and
the kabobs both use open flames we had to close off those
spots. While it may seem like an easy thing to do, please
don't move the cones to use the spots. It's a safety
issue. The use of the parking validation stickers has doubled
since last year so I think the parking garage has finally
caught on, it is the simplest way to go and if you don't
want to carry your goodies to the car, I will watch the
goods while you get the car and come back to pick them
up. Ain't life grand?
We welcomed back Smith Family Farms (aka the tomato lady) this
past Sunday and are fast approaching the peak of the season a few months early.
Wow! Cherries have a few more weeks to go and the peaches and nectarines are
as sweet as I have ever tasted.
We had EMPI empanadas in for the first time and were overwhelmed by the response to their wonderful empanadas. Stop by and give them a try and make them feel welcome. Empi is also participating in the Pleasant Hill market and Orinda as well.
We are selling the canvas market bags fast and when gone... well you know the
rest. I am told that in the near future we will be getting the green bag to sell
at the market. The green bag is similar to the one you would get at Whole Foods
and will sell for a couple of bucks. As always any sales of items at the market
go directly to the market and support the continuing community activities like
nutritional education, school salad bars and gardens.
Be sure to mark your calendars for the 15th of July and plan
to spend it with us at the Walnut Creek market celebrating our 25th year serving
the community!
See you Sunday
For
more info.
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FROM
OUR MARKETS by
Chef Leslie Stiles |
Apricots and cherries are flooding the farmers' markets with colorful love reminding us why we eat seasonally and locally. What a difference it makes when fruit is picked ripe and in season. The flavors coming from these little babies are amazing. With the spring cold snap we have received a bumper crop of incredibly sweet stone fruits. Word from farmers is that the season will be longer than usual too. Yippee because personally I just can not get enough of this lusciousness. Strawberries are really putting on the taste show too. Every time I turn people on to strawberries from the farmers' market it is as if they are having a revelation of taste taking them back to when they were kids and fruit really tasted like that. It has all along been awesome if you have been shopping the farmers' markets for the last 25 years or so.
 The Troy Spencer Memorial Garden is going crazy currently with big crops of eggplant, peppers, gourds, basil, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots and cucumbers to name a few. The 6th grade science classes started most of the plants from seed in small pots and will be planting them in the ground next week for a nice continuous summer harvest. We have lined up a few local restaurants to procure our goods over the summer keeping our garden self sustaining and going strong for next year's salad bar in the cafeteria.
The College Park High School Organic Garden has been supplying their cafeteria steadily for the last couple of months too. Not bad for a garden that was planted in January! We had pea mania and have put in many tomato plants too. We are going to use some of the starts from the middle school garden in the high school garden for another good summer display. You may see one or both at the Pleasant Hill farmers' market if we get enough going! At College Park the Special Day classes have really taken the ball and run with it. They have planted and harvested and made awesome signs for the garden. At some point almost every day you will find those kids and their teachers in the garden. This garden is finally on a timed water system thanks to Eric
Nelson from Kaiser in Martinez. This guy has really gone the extra mile to ensure that our garden receives plenty of aqua this summer and we are eternally grateful to him as well as Kaiser Permanente for giving him to us. You may have thought that once the water was done he would disappear, not Eric. He is excited about building us some compost bins and keeping a hand in the garden.
NEAR is also proud to announce our second salad bar up and running at Westwood
Elementary School in Concord. Another collaboration with Kaiser!
Of course Strandwood is totally digging their salad bar and all those kids are promising to see me at the farmers' markets so hopefully my subversive propaganda for eating locally is getting into these heads and hearts too!
Our amazing hills are golden now dropping their green almost overnight. I still love trekking up and down them regardless of color. Some cooler hikes can be had in the Oakland Hills now too. Use it and lose it!!
Lesley Stiles can be reached at chef@cccfm.org or
on the market hotline 925 431-8361 |
WHAT'S BEEN, WHAT'S IN, WHAT'S OUT by
Barbara Kobsar |
June is Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Month and has always been a fantastic month to celebrate at the farmers' markets. Shopping at the market keeps me in touch with what's in season and gives me more fresh choices than ever before.
Fruits and vegetables are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fibers and disease-fighting phytochemicals. Phytochemiclas are usually related to color. Fruits and vegetables of different colors - green, yellow-orange, red, blue-purple and white - contain their own combination of phytochemicals and nutrients that work together to promote good health. June is full of yellow and white variety stone fruits (peaches, nectarines and apricots), blueberries, pluots, salad greens and green peas.
I'll be picking up some red, luscious strawberries this week to help celebrate National
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day on June 9. I really don't need an excuse to bring two of my favorite fruits together but a pie is always a winner. On June 17th we celebrate Father's Day and a stop by the information table at the markets always turns up some recipes just right for the occasion.
The 14th Annual "Simply Salads" Fundraiser is gearing up for
another fun lunch time treat. Invite your friends, co-workers and family to this
popular event. On Tuesday, June 19th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm a wonderful variety
of salads and desserts provided by local restaurants and caterers will be served
at the Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive. All ages welcome! Chance
to win over 50 GREAT raffle-drawing gifts donated by local businesses and community
organizations. Tickets at the door or at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center front
desk in Bldg. 1 - 233 Gregory Lane. Cost: $8.00 General - $6.00 Seniors. For
more information call (925) 798-8788.
Proceeds benefit the Care Management Program, a free service serving seniors and their families living in Central Contra Costa County.
Our California cherry harvest will wind up in June. Apricots, another short-season crop, will dazzle me for a short while longer. Apricots are one of the most fragile of summer fruits. The flavor and aroma of tree ripened apricots is exquisite, but unfortunately at this stage not conducive to truck-travel. Many of the apricots I choose at market are near perfection and only need a day or two at room temperature to complete the ripening process. Pies, tarts, crisps, jams here I come!
Enjoy and see you at the market!
E-mail Barbara Kobsar at cotkitchen@aol.com or call (925) 933-2552.
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