From Chef Lesley Stiles:
Cucumber, Orange and Strawberry Salad
4 cucumbers, any kind, peeled, seeded and sliced
2 oranges, peeled, cut in half and sliced
7 strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 sweet red onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chiffonade
1/4 cup Big Paw Strawberry Vinaigrette or 4 tablespoons olive oil and 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Toss all in a bowl and serve immediately.
Serves 8.
Variation:
Instead of cucumbers or in addition to cucumbers use a head of thin sliced fresh
green cabbage!
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From the General Manager, Jessie
Neu:
Let's make a difference in reducing our carbon footprint
by...
Shopping at a Farmers' Market NEAR you.
Riding your bike when you shop
at the Farmers Market... add baskets to simplify
the transport.
We are working with the cities to bring bike racks... close to our markets.
Carpooling with your neighbors to the market.
Taking BART... especially to
the Orinda Market.
Walking to the markets... bringing the family to share quality time,good food
and help carry the loot home!
It's Summer Time in California...
Please remember to be a good steward and conserve...
WATER IS OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE.
The Blood Bank is in need our help... Participate in the daily Blood Drive and
Donate Blood and save a life. The Pleasant Hill Market is just across the street
from the blood bank on Cleveland. They are open at the same time as the market...
10-2
In the News:
Welcome Back:
Gorgeous Blue Berries!
Sebastopol Berry Farm - in Walnut
Creek.
Rainbow Orchards - a special Thanks
to you for participating at all 4 markets! Martinez,
Pleasant Hill, Orinda, and Walnut Creek.
Congratulations to Future Farmers of America!
Following in their parents' footsteps, Barbie and Nick....
Michaela Ratto, age 11 and Nickolas Ratto, age 13 of Ratto
Farms... represented the Ripon 4H at the San Joaquin County Fair last
week in their Swine Project. They have been hard at work feeding, grooming, cleaning
pens, and practicing showmanship since February. Well Done Kids!
 July
4th 2007-Honoring Heroes.. The American Flags and the Pleasant Hill Market Banners
on Contra Costa Blvd ... are a very beautiful site ... they go together like
peas and carrots! Come to the parade and give us a waive .... We'll be the truck
full of produce!
 Community
support.... The non-profit - Diablo Valley Quilters Guild will
be selling tickets for their "Opportunity
Quilt- Nutcrackers Sweet" at the markets beginning in Orinda on July 14, in Walnut
Creek on July 15 and in Martinez on July 29 and TBD in Pleasant Hill. This group
teaches the skills of quilting and uses the funding from the ticket sales to
benefit community outreach efforts such as auctions for women suffering from
breast cancer, a neonatal hospital unit, fostercare, the Bay Area Crisis Nursery,
the Red Cross and many other worth while causes. Contact information - Dianne
Barnett 925-837-1863.
A first in entertainment for CCCFM...
The Golden State Warrior Cheerleaders will be signing autographs
at the Markets... on 7 July in Orinda and in Walnut Creek on July 15 at the 25th
Celebration!
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 July 6.
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Martinez:
Music 6/24: Eddie Williams
Music 7/1: Growiser
Manager: Joey McNaughton.
E-mail: mmarket@cccfm.org
From Joey McNaughton, Manager:
Hey folks, don't forget to pick up the last harvests of cherries, this
will probably be their final week. While you're doing that you can get
a bite of a teriyaki sandwich or hot dog from Meyer's Fine Food.
We'll be welcoming
Rainbow Orchards to the down-town family with the first blueberries
of the season. And yes, we have corn! Check out Swank Farms for
the first of the season's corn harvest. Could life be any sweeter? See you Sunday!
For
more info |
Orinda:
Music 6/23: Jose Reynolds
Music 6/30: Diego Jamo
Manager: Janice Faust.
E-mail: omarket@cccfm.org
From Jan Faust, Manager:
I love this time of year at the Market. Every week brings
something new. Last week, we saw the first corn at Sou
Vang Farm. This week we will be joined by Rainbow
Orchards with the first blueberries of the season.
What will be the next first? Bring a friend on down to the
Orinda Farmers' Market and see for yourself. Whatever you
find is going to be the freshest and the best available,
brought to Market especially for you by our local producers
and family farms. This week our music will be Jose
Reynolds,
always a market favorite. I hope to see you there. Stop by
the Manager's stall and say "hi".
For
more info |
Pleasant
Hill:
Music 6/23: Bill Lombardo
Music 6/30: Paulette Rene
Manager: Karen Stiles.
E-mail: pmarket@cccfm.org
From Karen Stiles, Manager:
Thanks to all our loyal market shoppers. The request
for more vendors to participate is a constant, however
in order to invite more vendors... we need more
shoppers to come to the market each week... one group depends
on the other. So, the favor I am asking from you is
to tell a friend about our Pleasant Hill market. If we have
more shoppers... then we can add more vendors.
We check to see how they did at the end of the day to see
what is being taken back to the farm. When they are loading
empty crates... then we can add more... participants. It's that simple!
Please mention to your friends that you can't get fresher
produce than this... unless you plant, tend and water
a garden yourself! I used to do that, until the water bill
came and I realized I got a better deal buying from the farmers plus
the produce is as good as homegrown. The flavors are much
more pronounced than store bought. Ask the farmers about
their growing practices... As a compost gardener,
I have found that the farms I buy from use the same
kind of gardening techniques I used. Not all our farmers
are certified organic, but I can assure you they
are very conscientious, so get to know your farmers
and ask them how they grow the produce you buy.
 The
Pleasant Hill Farmers Market is the oldest farmers' market
in Contra Costa County. We are celebrating our 25th
year! Because
the market was moved six times, I fear some people
may not realize we moved to our beautiful permanent location. So,
if you have friends and family that aren't shopping with us...
tell them about the strong flavors of fresh produce, picked
the day before coming to market and never having to sit in
a cooler waiting to be trucked miles. Tell them how much
better the flavor is, challenge them to taste and see the
difference. Not only will they get the freshest, tastiest
produce but also the experience of community shopping, good
live music and the chance to say hi to neighbors and friends.
Thanks again for all your years of support and don't forget
to tell a friend about us.
See you Saturday!
For more info |
Walnut Creek:
Music 6/24: Lacy Baker - jazz
Music 7/1: Bill Lombardo
Manager: Keith Farley.
E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
From Keith Farley, Manager:
Here it is just a few weeks from our big 25th
anniversary blow out and the line up is getting
better everyday. I just got word that the Golden
State Warriors Cheerleaders will be there to sign
autographs and meet and greet fans. Now there is a reason
to get your bones out of bed and sprint to the market.
Again the date is July 15th. There will be loads of entertainment,
fun for the kids, great food, book signings, cooking demos
with local chefs and some cheerleaders. Wish I didn't have
to work that day, maybe I'll call in sick, yeah that's
it, then I can join in all the fun. The boss never reads
my article and I know you folks won't blow the whistle
on me. I'll need a disguise, I wonder if the cheerleader
outfits come in "husky" sizes?
The past few weeks have been overwhelming in the amount and quality of the fruit
and vegetables coming to market and I noticed this has not escaped your eyes
either. The crowds have been fantastic and so many children coming with their
parents. It warms the heart to see a toddler trying to negotiate the daunting
task of eating a giant strawberry and walk at the same time. Make sure to bring
the kids, there is lots to see, do, and taste.
On a serious note, with the crowds getting ever bigger, that means more traffic
and less parking. I have reserved the close in parking for seniors
and the handicap. If you can park elsewhere, please do. I recommend the garage
on the corner of N. Broadway and Cypress and as always I will validate your parking
at any city garage. There will be times during the summer that I will have to
close the parking lot to traffic when it is full so traffic doesn't back up and
block the streets, the local residents and police get a little tense when they
cannot drive down Lincoln st. Please don't block the road to try to wait for
the lot to re-open. Those who can walk to the market, bike or even carpool with
your neighbors should make every effort to. You will have my undying gratitude!
See you Sunday! Stop by and say Hi!
For
more info.
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FROM
OUR MARKETS by
Chef Leslie Stiles |
 School is out for summer, for lucky ones anyway, but everyone still needs to eat lunch and farmers market fruit is where it is at. Fruit from the market is picked when it is ripe at the peak of natural sugar. I have heard more than once of late that the cherries aren't so great this season. I absolutely adore asking folks where they are purchasing their cherries. Inevitably their answer is not the farmers market. This stands to reason because fruit and veggies that need to be graded, packed and shipped physically can not be picked when they are ripe as they are rotten by the time they finally make to the consumer. A sad tale, but true. Cherries have a week or two left according to Clifford
Hamada.
We have enlisted the On Tracks Program, a three times a week
class for adults with acquired brain trauma, through the Mt. Diablo Adult Ed,
to hang out in the Troy Spencer garden this summer. They are being moved from
the Loma Vista Campus for the summer due to construction. Good for us!! More
people to bring over to the farm side!
I bought some of Penny Granburg's cherry tomatoes at the Pleasant Hill market last week. Very first of the season and they were really tasty. Looking forward to more this week. I tossed them with basil, green garlic and olive oil along with baby mozzarella balls for a nice appetizer served with fresh made croutons. I know this sounds tedious but I always slice my cherry tomatoes in half when I am serving them. It lets the marinade flavors really get in there while making it easier for your guests to eat them without the inevitable bounce off the plate when you try to jab a fork in them. It looks nicer too. I do the same cut in half thing with grapes. I stopped caring a long time ago about being called names.
It is some hot going around these here parts. I speak for me when I say that the long silky nights around a candle in the yard are the reason I put up with the interminably scorching days. Also the fact that summer heat means sweeter tomatoes and fruit! It really is all about food when you get down to it. If you haven't already, it is time to get out of the kitchen and fire up the grill. Apricots split in half and lubed up with some luscious Big
Paw lemon oil and placed on a sizzling hot grill are a phenomenon. Sprinkle with a little fresh thyme and drizzle with a little teeny bit of balsamic. Same goes for peaches and nectarines and they each portray their own character in the show so having all three at the same time makes it three times better. Everything works on the grill. If you have something that is going to either fall through or spit too much for your liking, put it in a pan. I have the same pan that I relegated to the BBQ a while ago and it is trashed on the bottom so know that you are going to basically use this pan only for outdoor cooking. I put whole chickens in it to save the juices it releases. I rub the chicken with olive oil and stuff the cavity with lemons and rosemary. Salt and pepper generously and leave it for an hour or so. Meanwhile you can grill some veggies on the side. Do extra for a nice grilled chicken and vegetable salad the next day. Toss lettuce with lemon oil and rice vinegar and add the leftovers along with a little feta. Can you say Vionger and candle light on the patio?
Don't stop walking because it is hot, just get out of bed earlier. The evenings after a scorcher can only be rivaled by the early mornings before things get shaking!
Move it or lose it!
Lesley Stiles can be reached at chef@cccfm.org or
on the market hotline 925 431-8361 |
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