From Chef Lesley Stiles:
Corn Fritters
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 tablespoons each chopped parsley and chopped basil
Mix flour, powder and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and put eggs, oil and milk in center. Whisk together and add corn and herbs.
Put enough oil in a frying pan to grease well.
Fry the fritters a few at a time until golden on each side.
Serve with Sweet and Sour Tomatoes.
Sweet and Sour Tomatoes
2 pounds of assorted heirloom tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons of chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons of honey
1/4 cup of seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon spice mixture (recipe follows) or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Put tomatoes, green onions and cilantro in a bowl and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add spice mixture and heat until bubbly, about 2 minutes.
Slowly add honey and rice vinegar. Cook for 3 more minutes or until a little thick and gooey.
Pour mixture over tomatoes, cilantro and green onions. Season with salt and let sit for about 5 minutes before using.
Spice Mixture
1/2 teaspoon cardamom pods
2 teaspoons fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 cinnamon sticks, crushed
2 star anise
3 tablespoons of cumin seed
Place all spices in a dry, non stick saute pan.
Turn temperature to medium high heat and toast the spices until the seeds begin
to pop and the pan is lightly smoking. This should be extremely fragrant at this
point. Do not burn the spices. Remove from heat and let cool. Grind all together
in a coffee grinder. Store in a tightly covered jar in a dark place.
Lesley Stiles is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy and the Community
Relations person for Contra Costa Certified Farmers' Markets. She can be reached
at chef@cccfm.org, or the market hotline at 925 431 8361.
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From the General Manager, Jessie
Neu:
2007 Farm Bill update from the California Coalition:
Half of California's Congressional Delegation Urge Expansion of Healthy Food, Organic Farming and Conservation Programs in an unprecedented sign of unity and concern for how the Farm Bill will affect urban and suburban communities.
26 members of California's Congressional delegation sent
a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Ag. Committee urging the Committee to significantly expand programs that increase access to fresh and healthy foods, support family farms, promote local food systems and protect our natural resources.
In addition to urging expansion for Food Stamp and Nutrition programs, the letter highlighted California Coalition for Food and Farming's (CCFF's) core Farm Bill priorities, including significant expansion of the Conservation Security Program, support for Organic Transition, expansion for Organic Research and Cost Share Programs, the Community Food Project Grant program, Value Added Producer Grants, the Healthy Enterprise Development Program; local preferences in government food purchasing; support for beginning and minority farmer programs among other things.
Adequate funding for these programs is at risk given the failure of the House Subcommittee to enact substantive commodity reform that would free up resources for these important programs.
Read commentary on this disappointing outcome on
these blogs: environmentaldefenseblogs.org and mulchblog.com.
The House Ag Subcommittees have concluded their work on the Farm Bill with no substantive changes to the Commodity title, despite widespread pressure for reform. The final House Bill is still far from finished.
To send a message to Congress go to healthyfarmbill.org.
For more information go to calfoodandfarming.org. Stay
tuned and write to your representatives.
Farmers are our Heros!
Many Thanks to Jan and Ron
Clark for sponsoring
the Pleasant Hill Farmers' Market in the use of
their beautiful 1939 Ford truck in the Pleasant
Hill -July 4th Parade!
Welcome: "Gold Rush Kettle Korn" in
Martinez
The Green Bags have arrived!
All our markets are now stocked and ready to
sell recycled "Green" Shopping Bags at the market
information booths.
Support our fund raiser for these very reasonably
priced bags and reduce your carbon foot print.
Get yours this weekend!
Join us for our 25th
Season Celebration in Walnut Creek!
Edible East Bay editor Cheryl
Koehler & author, Barbara
Kobsar will be signing cookbooks and will be doing a cooking demonstration this Sunday.
Look for chef Nader Sharkes, Director of the Culinary Program at Contra Costa College to come out with a bunch of students to work magic on some summer produce. Samples and recipes are included.
Pie Contest
Bring in your favorite baked fruit pie along with the recipe to the market on July 15 for our party and we will be judging them with a cook book and market basket prize for the best one!!
Look for a second band "Diablo
Dust" at the Walnut
Creek market this week!
A great American was lost this week. Lady
Bird Johnson, wife of the President died at age 94.
She was one of the first most influential environmentalist
of our time. Her mission was to "Keep America Beautiful".
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 27.
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Martinez:
Music 7/15: Flutopia
Music 7/22: Prairie Rose
Manager: Joey McNaughton.
E-mail: mmarket@cccfm.org
From Joey McNaughton, Manager:
'Tis the season to preserve! With all this mouth-watering
bounty there's no end to canning, jamming, and drying. It's work
but it's a good kind of work, the kind where you know you will
be rewarded later when it's colder and wetter and the only fruit
you can find are the tasteless living-dead found in that sad section
of the supermarket. It's the kind of work that makes you feel
human, with the smell of boiling fruit filling the house and the rich,
sticky juices all over your hands as you prepare a tray of apricots
to be dried. It's a great way to use the surplus and overly ripe
foods rather than throwing them in the compost or worse yet–the
trash! Ahh!!! It's always a shame to have to throw away such
good food (moment of silence, please)… This is the first season
I've dried strawberries and the taste test gives two red thumbs
up. I haven't been able to grow as many vegetable crops as I
would like this season, compost crops have taken center stage in my
garden as I prepare to send some soil tests to the doctor. Luckily
there's always the farmers' market when the garden tests ones
patience.
I've been getting my cukes from Vang
Farms and making
sweet and dill pickles. They may not look as nice and neat as the ones
you buy from the store and the skins are a little tougher but the taste
makes all the difference! If you're new to fruit and veggie preservation
e-mail me and I can send you the basic guidelines. Snack while you
shop with our latest Gold Rush Kettle Korn addition
to the market. There's an interesting
article from Barbara
Kingsolver in the last Mother
Jones magazine if you want to read more…
For
more info |
Orinda:
Music 7/14: Growiser
Music 7/21: Liedstrand Family Band
Manager: Janice Faust.
E-mail: omarket@cccfm.org
From Jan Faust, Manager:
 Hi Orinda Shoppers,
July is here and with it along comes corn and field tomatoes. For those of you
who have been waiting, Smith Farm is back with a variety of
ripe, juicy tomatoes. I have begun my yearly tomato eating orgy starting this
week with those sweet little sun golds which are my favorite. Speaking of sweet,
I have been loving the tender corn from Ratto Farm, Sou
Vang and Ibarra
Cruz Organic Farm for the
past few weeks. We also have a dazzling array of stone fruits and I saw the first
grapes at Hamada Farm this past Saturday. It's
been a little chilly with the fog lingering a bit late these past few Saturdays,
but don't let that keep you from coming down to the Market. Grab a sweater and
the kids. All of your Market friends will be waiting for you. This Saturday we
will enjoy the smooth groove and positive message of Growiser. This band has
become a favorite among customers, and growers alike. Managers too!
I have been asked by the city of Orinda to give a friendly reminder to our customers that whenever possible, please save the parking spaces at Rite Aid for their customers. There is parking
available in the library lot, the old library lot (up the hill), on the street at both ends of the market as well as the community center lot. In the true neighborly spirit, thanks to all for your co-operation.
The Orinda Market on YouTube:
The band "Diablo Dust" is recorded on video playing at the Orinda
Market. Check
it out on YouTube!
I hope to
see you there.
For
more info |
Pleasant
Hill:
Music 7/14: Jeff - Big Dog
Music 7/21: Bryan Harrison
Manager: Karen Stiles.
E-mail: pmarket@cccfm.org
From Karen Stiles, Manager:
 Wow! What a great 4th of July Parade in downtown P.H.!
Ron and Jan Clarke let us use their "cherry" red 1939 Ford
truck for a market float and we had fun decorating with bushel
baskets loaded with fruit and veggys hanging from an A frame
in the bed of the truck plus sunflowers and corn stalks and
a couple of shovels, all bedecked in red, white and blue.
Hot fun in the summer time. There was FOUR marching bands
and many more floats etc. Come on down next year it really
is fun.
Our frequent shopper cards are available at the manager booths
and I know some of you are starting on your second and last card for the season.
We are limiting the cards to two per season to save some $.
Rainbow Farms of Camino has their blueberries in the market
and they are quite a treat with breakfast or anytime. I think we have seen the
last of the cherries so if you didn't get enough stop by Cottage
Kitchen and taste some of her new crops of jam.
Penny of Rose Lane Farms in Oakley is delighting us all with
her abundance of heirloom tomatoes. Ortiz is bringing in some
sweet blackberries and Anna at J & J
Farms is keeping a steady supply of summer fresh nectarines. Have you
tried Lone
Oak Farms' Pluotes? We are truly lucky to have such a variety of fresh
fruit and vegtables so easy to access. Thank you farmers and thank you shoppers!
See you Saturday!
For more info |
Walnut Creek:
Music 7/15: Capricious Accordion
Music 7/22: Jeff - Big Dog & the Bite
Manager: Keith Farley.
E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
From Keith Farley, Manager:
Hey! It's party time in Walnut Creek! This Sunday is our 25th
anniversary celebration and you are invited, heck,
everyone is invited. There is going to be so much to do
you had better plan on spending the whole morning there.
We are going to have two
cooking demonstrations, book signings, clowns, music, and
all what you expect from your favorite farmers' market.
The Golden State Warriors Cheerleaders will be on hand
for pictures and autographs. I have been made to promise
I will not wear a cheerleader outfit and apparently, my
boss does read my articles. What a way to start the day,
coffee, scone, and a cheerleader. The dunking
tank will
be in operation and we are still in search of dunkees.
I will offer myself up as first target and with my luck,
it will be cold as the dickens in the morning.
In addition to everything else, Howard the Coward, world renowned
Certified Public Accountant and part time Daredevil, has agreed to attempt the
never before seen in Walnut Creek stunt of jumping his Vespa Scooter, The Yellow
Streak, over two tables of organic vegetables in an attempt to break his record
of never having done it before. Sounds Risky! (Howard's appearance is subject
to cancellation if he can't get the keys from his mother.) Just another reason
to be in Walnut Creek, Sunday the 15th!
The parking lot will not be open for this event. We will close
it off to traffic and handicap parking will be located across the street from
the market on North Broadway. So please make full use of the garage validation,
Veggie Valet that will be set up at the driveway entrance and all the surrounding
parking in Civic Park, North Main, Civic and of course, North Broadway. We only
do this every 25 years. Carpool down, bring your neighbors, and make an event
out of it.
I will have a host of volunteers stationed around the market to assist you with
whatever you need, they will have nametags or be wearing bright yellow vests.
They will also have radios to contact me if need be. The market will be in full
operation as normal and all your favorite sellers will be there.
Bring your dancing shoes and I will see you Sunday!
For
more info.
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FROM
OUR MARKETS by
Chef Leslie Stiles |
 Hope
everyone had a nice independence weekend. Jan
and Ron Clark of Pleasant Hill teamed up with
the Pleasant Hill Farmers' Market to have a really fun float
in the parade with their 1939 Ford
pick up truck named "Barn Baby" brought out from
Minnesota. Karen, Jessie and I had a blast with
Jan and Ron and their neighbor Gwen dressing
up the old truck like a farm stand with produce,
flowers, flags and hay bales. There was quite
an agricultural theme to the parade this year
equating farmers growing food to soldiers in
Iraq as true heroes. A huge thanks to our new friends Ron
and Jan Clark for the chance to use their truck and work
with them to promote the Pleasant Hill farmers'
market as well as another huge thanks to the
Mangini's for some really nice corn stalks and
sunflowers for our decor!
It is all about corn, squash, peppers and eggplant at the markets right now.
Sounds like ratatouille in my book. That was some marketing
genius opening that movie right when the season is perfect for the namesake.
Regardless of the hype, the silky texture of luscious eggplant sauteed alongside
sweet red peppers, corn cut right off the cob, diced assorted summer squashes
and fresh picked basil, once slowly eaten can be like drowning in moonlight on
a balmy summer's eve.
Quickly caramelize chopped onions, garlic and diced eggplant on high heat making
sure that the eggplant is cooked through. Throw in the rest of the diced veggies
and saute quickly leaving them a bit crunchy. Toss into a bowl and deglazes
the pan with a half and half concoction of seasoned rice vinegar and balsamic
vinegar. Pour over the vegetables and throw in a large handful of chiffonade
basil, sea salt and pepper. This is amazing tossed with al dente pasta, cous
cous, orzo, quinoa or alone. Try grilling organic chicken or local fish just
until done and let it rest atop the ratatouille releasing the juices into the
vegetables. Aaahhhh.
I know that feed corn from the Midwest is a hot button issue
currently, basically raised for fattening up cows as well as humans, getting
us all drunk and pretending to be the new answer to oil, but the super sweet
white corn coming out of Brentwood and the valley is pretty dang good. I really
like to flex my organic dollar with corn because the pesticides, herbicides and
chemical fertilizers used for corn can be especially damaging to the environment,
not that all of the chemicals aren't, but there seems to be a ratio here that
is especially unbalanced between corn output and damage. But tell me this...
what happened to the yellow corn? Seems like another swell marketing strategy.
Is this the same kind of situation as white peaches and yellow nectarines?
The Troy Spencer Memorial Garden at Pleasant Hill Middle School
is busting at the seams with awesome produce to be sold to some very
special restaurants. Our current line up for takers is Nibblers in
Pleasant Hill, Haute
Stuff in Martinez and Red Brick Pizza in Pleasant Hill. Lucky customers
here eating at these fine establishments and promoting a local lifestyle. Also
spotted shopping at the farmers' market every weekend are Eric, the executive
chef at Left Bank in Pleasant Hill, chefs from Prima and Lark
Creek in Walnut
Creek, Luigi in Martinez as well as the aforementioned Daniel and Tracy
from
Nibblers in Pleasant Hill at the Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek farmers'
markets. Most of these chefs go a bit further too, for example Mike Romak from
Haute Stuff who actually buys all year from Rose
Lane Farms utilizing the best
almonds around for their Chinese Chicken salad among other things. I am starting
to spot a pretty special little pattern here! When I am choosing a place to spend
my food dollars at their philosophy regarding local sources and what is on the
food swing my vote.
As the summer heat returns as slowly and steadily as an attentive paramour, it
is especially important to keep hydrated throughout the day. Carry your water.
Do your exercise early or later in the evening. Wear sunscreen, hats and sun
glasses, whatever you need to stay comfortable, but do not for any reason skip
your weekly farmers' market visit because it is too hot!
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 |
 On July 15th Contra Costa Certified Farmers' Markets
will be celebrating 25 seasons in Contra Costa
County. We are proud to be part of the communities we serve and to
support local and sustainable agriculture, bringing fresh produce
direct from farm to table.
Contra Costa Certified
Farmers' Market Association has been operating successfully
since July, 1983 when the first market opened in Pleasant Hill. The lot at the
corner of Taylor and Morello remained the market site for several years before
relocating to Oak Park Boulevard and then Pleasant Hill City Hall on Gregory.
Construction and parking restrictions initiated a move to Diablo Valley College
for a few years, but since May of 2001 City Hall is where we call "home".
In June, 1984 Walnut Creek opened its market as demand for fresh produce increased. Some charter members of the organization (Barbagelata
Farms & Devoto
Farms) continue to bring their fresh picked produce weekly to this market , which is now home to 40 to 50 growers and vendors during peak season.
In July, 1997 CCCFM welcomed Orinda as its newest member. The newest location on Orinda Way in Orinda Village is working out exceptionally well for shoppers and growers alike.
In May of 2002 the Martinez Main Street Sunday market opened its doors. This market is a bustling combination of growers, vendors, families and fun events.
All the farmers' markets are at their peak of perfection during the summer months.
The many varieties of tree ripened stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums and
pluots) are bursting with exceptional flavor, and heirloom tomatoes are arriving
by the crate full. If your plans include purchasing several pounds of tomatoes
be sure to bring a cardboard flat to set them in a single layer. These tomatoes
are fragile and can crush under their own weight.
My cherry preserves are now sold out for the season, BUT I'm cooking up some
White Nectarine & Plum and Suncrest Peach preserves in the next few weeks. Stop
by for a sample.
Enjoy and see you at the market!
Barbara Kobsar can be reached at cotkitchen@aol.com or call (925) 933-2552.
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