From Chef Lesley Stiles:
WINNER:
"American
Pie" Recipe
- By Ellen and Alan Osmundson, mother and son
To see the recipe, please get the
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Suncrest Peach Crisp
- By Marilyn Kushner
Please download the
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Sour Cherry Pie
- By Deborah Crow and Caroline Crow
Please download the
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Deborah's
Gazpacho
- by Deborah Sandler
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 purple onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 sweet red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 T chopped fresh parsley
2 T chopped fresh chives
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 t sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 or more drops Tabasco sauce
1 t Worcestershire sauce (omit for vegetarians, it has anchovies in it)
4 cups tomato juice
Combine all ingredients, blend slightly to desired consistency. Place in non-metal,
non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and store overnight to blend flavors.
Some comments about this recipe: As part of the 6 tomatoes, I put in a couple
of yellow and green heirlooms so it looked like a rainbow. I didn't chop them
very fine so they showed up. I tripled the garlic (I really like garlic). I didn't
have Tabasco sauce or Worcestershire sauce so instead I put in a can of Snap-E-Tom
(tomato and chili cocktail mix) which is spicy. I also used a very flavorful
olive oil, probably stronger than I would use for regular sauteing. The soup
was delicious, but I would probably have preferred it just a little bit spicier.
I have never had gazpacho with chives or celery in it, but they both were excellent
ingredients for this recipe.
Enjoy!
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From the General Manager, Jessie
Neu:
Welcome:
Alhambra
Valley Olive Oil - in Pleasant Hill, Orinda
and Martinez.
It was quite a party at the Creek!
Thanks to everyone who coordinated, attended, participated and helped at the
Walnut Creek Celebration! Special Thanks to all the Chefs for their cooking demos.
Thank you to the Authors.
 The dunk tank made a big splash... Thanks to Mr. Keith and
Jim Neu for being
good sports ... dunkees.
Board member, sales lady, Bonnie Wakeman, Thank you for helping
us kick off our "Green Bag" sales promotion.....she sold the heck out of them!
Congratulations to the pie contest winners! The entries were
delicious and beautifully decorated ... one with "25 yrs" and another with a
US flag. Fabulous creations!
Thank you City of Walnut Creek for the beautiful mention in the Walnut Creek "Nutshell" newsletter. The customer attendance was spectacular!
Sign a friend up for the e-newsletter today.
2007 Farm Bill Update
The Coalition for Food and
Farming continues to
battle for the State of California and sustainable
programs. The Coalition is asking for everyones
help in contacting our elected representatives.
Please take a moment to read the letter sent to House Speaker Pelosi regarding
her vote on the 2007 Farm Bill proposal. Unfortunately,
House majority is supporting the status quo by
awarding the biggest payments of farm subsidies
with no payment caps to the largest industrial
farms in the nation. The bill will remain in place
for the next five years. Get
informed.
Be Californian, Buy Local.
Buy California Grown.
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 August 10.
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Martinez:
Music 7/29: Paulette Rene
Music 8/5: Bryan Harrison
Manager: Joey McNaughton.
E-mail: mmarket@cccfm.org
From Joey McNaughton, Manager:
 Ever
eaten Chiquita bananas?
You may have heard earlier this year about the fruit company Chiquita
admitting to have paid about $1.7 million to a paramilitary group considered
a terrorist organization by the US State Department. This is just another
reason to be wary when we buy from the supermarkets. Do we really know
what we're buying from the big chains? Not only do we have to wonder
about the farming practices being used but we must also ask ourselves
where the money is going. Although I haven't personally asked any of
the farmers, I have a feeling there's no paramilitaries involved with
the farmers market! The market is a beautiful place to buy good food
and feel good about where your money is going. You're supporting the
livelihood of some very hard workers! If you'd like to read more about
the lawsuit against Chiquita check out Time and Democracy
Now.
For
more info |
Orinda:
Music 7/28: Bill Lombardo
Music 8/4: TBA
Manager: Janice Faust.
E-mail: omarket@cccfm.org
From Jan Faust, Manager:
It's going to be another beautiful Saturday morning at the Orinda Farmers' Market so plan to come down and join the fun. The grapes are in and they are fabulous and abundant. Try them at Hamada
Farm, Mora Farm, Lone Oak Organic Farm and J
and J Orchards. I am partial to the red flame variety but Hamada Farm also has a delicious Concord grape with unbelievable flavor. Be sure to check out the heirloom tomatoes at Smith
Farm and Rose Lane Farm. There are so many colors, shapes and patterns that the tables holding them look like a beautiful mosaic. Of course they taste great too! Alhambra
Valley Olive Oil will be with us for the first time this week with their locally grown products. Also, Empi will be back this Saturday with those empanadas everyone loves. Holding
Ranch will be out of the Market until August 11 due to a combination of prior commitments. I hope to see you at the Market. Please stop by the Manager's booth and say "hi".
For
more info |
Pleasant
Hill:
Music 7/28: Jane Decuir
Music 8/4: Growiser
Manager: Karen Stiles.
E-mail: pmarket@cccfm.org
From Karen Stiles, Manager:
Thank you all for bringing friends to the market! The more
the merrier! This Saturday we will have an old favorite vendor
back-Alhambra
Valley Farms, operated and owned by Darryl and Judy
Pereira and their family and friends. Stop buy and Judy will
set you up with Bartlett
Pears ready for you to eat the day you buy them or a
day in the future. Their farm is in Alhambra Valley and Alhambra
Valley Olive Oil is their neighbor. Sounds like a good start
for a salad or if your creative I think there is a cake in
that mix. We now are selling "green
bags". They are made of recycled material and the proceeds
of the sales go to support our market. Speaking of supporting
the market, we have room on our board for community
representatives. If you enjoy the market and have
a couple of hours a month to spare and share ideas to help
us better the market, stop by and I'll give you the information.
We have the new summer issue of The Edible East Bay at
the info. table. If you haven't seen this local market magazine
you should stop by and pick one up. I look forward to seeing
you and your friends Saturday.
For more info |
Walnut Creek:
Music 7/29: Diablo Dust
Music 8/5: Jim Caroompas
Manager: Keith Farley.
E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
From Keith Farley, Manager:
 It
seems I am a bit loquacious in my musings says the editor,
so I will keep it brief. With the 25th celebration behind
us and if you missed it, you missed a good time and yes
I got in the tank and was sent to the deep six about 8
times before I had to get back to work. A special thanks
goes out to all the volunteers, you people rock! The party
would have been a dud if you and your individual talents
had not been there. I took many pictures and will have
them up to view soon. It is time to look ahead to the future
and our new location and spend another 25 years in that
spot. All is proceeding smoothly with the move and it is
set to happen late December or mid January. We will saturate
you with info when the time gets a little closer.
Please avoid the parking lot if you can and leave it for those who truly need it. More and more I have to close the lot to relive congestion and sometimes gridlock. Let's save the few spots we have for the mobility impaired. Our new location will have enough close in parking for everyone!
See you Sunday!
For
more info.
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FROM
OUR MARKETS by
Chef Leslie Stiles |
CCCFM's 25th year celebration at the Walnut Creek Farmers' Market was a smashing success and a whole lot of fun. You forget how much it makes you laugh to see someone you know and love get dumped into the dunk tank. It never failed to make me and everyone else in the crowd guffaw as they went down. I know Keith and Jim Neu had fun and stayed cool while they were at it, getting dunked many times over. Thank you fellas!
Our pie contest was awesome. We had 3 contestants, hope to have a lot more competition
next year, and they each baked an amazing fruit dessert. Hearty thanks go out
to our competitors.
First place went to Ellen
and Alan Osmundson with their American Pie recipe.
The pie was decorated with an American flag made out of blueberry jam, strawberry
jam and apple slices in the shape of the flag. Second place was tied by Deborah
Crow and Caroline Crow with an awesome Sour
Cherry Pie and Marilyn Kushner with a delicious Peach
Crisp.
Big thanks to Nibblers Eatery and Wine Bar too. Daniel and Tracey
were out there at the crack of dawn, helped us set up, did a 4 hour cooking demo
and helped break down before going back to their restaurant to cook dinner for
the evening. They use all local ingredients in their food and if you have not
tried their place you should. Speaking of Nibblers, they will be doing a nice
cooking demo at the Pleasant Hill farmers' market Saturday from 10:30 to noon.
Come on down and get a treat.
One of our best farmers market customers and frequent recipe contributor, Deborah
Sandler has passed along a great Gazpacho recipe using almost
all market ingredients. Thanks Deborah for the recipe and the support.
Haute Stuff in
Martinez is featuring another farmers' market vendor on the menu this week. Big
Paw lemon oil will be complementing a great lamb dish. As always the
menu would not be complete with out Rose
Lane Farm tomatoes and J and J stone fruits to name
a few.
Hope you are enjoying your summer and getting your fill of all the luscious,
juicy stone fruits and berries as well as the amazingly sweet corn, heirloom,
basil... I could go on forever! See you at the market.
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 |
The end of July has typically been the time of
year I begin to see a slow but sure change happening
at the markets. Summer's tomatoes and stone
fruits are still going strong but bunches of
grapes and bins of apples are making their way
onto the scene, reminding me Fall is fast approaching.
No need to panic though - strawberries
abound until the first heavy rains arrive sometime
in October.
 Strawberries are one of the long-season fruits, picked many times over from early spring to late fall. Medina
Berry Farms, Mehl Berry Farm and Ortiz
Farms bring different varieties of berries from the Watsonville area. I like choices so I check them all out before buying the heaping full baskets or flats of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.
The Albion strawberry is the new kid on the block this season. This
berry promises a dark red color (internally and externally), a consistent sweet
flavor and consistent production (no gaps) during the summer months. There are
others to check out as well - Camarosa,
Diamante, Seascapes - something to please everyone's taste buds. Remember
the size of the berry does not affect its flavor - that's determined by growing
conditions, stage of ripeness when harvested and variety of berry. I know I can
always find something sweet and delicious at the farmers' market strawberry stands.
Strawberries crush easily under their own weight. If storage is necessary place unwashed berries in a single layer between paper towels. Place in a moisture proof container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Wash just before using.
If I find myself with extra strawberries I pop them into the freezer. Rinse, drain and hull the berries. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze and then place in freezer bags where they'll keep for up to 6 months.
Rhubarb is still my favorite sidekick with strawberries but fresh-picked rhubarb
is now finished for the season. Rhubarb does freeze well so I'm sure to get my
supply early to make my Strawberry
Rhubarb jam - 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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