This is the Weekly E-Newsletter of Contra Costa Certified Farmers' Markets for Friday, September 29, 2006
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NEW RECIPES

vegetables


We have added 2 exciting new recipes to the recipe page on CCCFM's website:

Vegetable Pot-au-Feu

Homemade Ricotta

The recipes are from a cooking demo at the Walnut Creek Farmers Market on September 17, 2006 done by Chef Nader Sharkes, Chair of the Culinary Program at Contra Costa College.

In this Issue:
UPCOMING EVENTS
Martinez:
Music: Liedstrand Family Band.
Managers: Janice Faust & Karen Stiles. E-mail: mmarket@cccfm.org
From Karen Stiles, Co-Manager:
Many thanks to all who made our first fundraiser a success! The food was outstanding and as fresh as can be thanks to our generous vendors and Market Chef Lesley and her helpers. The Farmers Market exsists with the volunteer effort of our Board and their help is also greatly appreciated.
The seasons are changing and our produce changes with the season, so come to the market and see what's new..
For more info

Orinda:
Music: Bill Lombardo.
Manager: Janice Faust. E-mail: omarket@cccfm.org
From Jan Faust, Manager:
Greetings Orinda Shoppers,
It looks to be another sparkling bay area Saturday so be sure you get outside and make your way to the Orinda Farmers' Market. I have been really enjoying the fall fruit. The grapes are outstanding, and nothing says fall like a crispy, sweet apple. But this past week I had one of the sweetest, juciest peaches ever. I know they won't last too much longer so I am eating my fill, and buying a few for friends. Sort of a final farewell to summer. The Market gets a little smaller this time of year as various crops end their season and things seem a bit quieter. It's always hard to say good bye but the upside of a smaller market for me is that I get a chance to spend more time chatting with you, our faithful and much appreciated cusstomers. The people of Orinda are wonderful!! Thank you for your continued support.
Keep on shopping. See you at the Market.

Marie Simmons, the Award winning cookbook author and Contra Costa Times columnist, will be discussing and signing her book Fig Heaven on Saturday, September 30 at the Orinda Farmers' Market from 10 to noon. This is the definitive book on all kinds of figs and a must have for anyone with a fig tree or a major love of the mysterious and sensual fruit. The Orinda Farmers' Market is located on Avenida de Orinda off Orinda Way in Orinda Village. More info 925 431 8361.
For more info

Pleasant Hill:
Music: Paulette Rene
Manager, Karen Stiles. E-mail: pmarket@cccfm.org
From Karen Stiles, Manager:
As our summer season changes so does our produce. The grapes are the sweetest at this time of year and the winter squashes are starting to come in as well as pomegranites and apples. On October 8 our market chef Lesley will cook up some of the winter vegys and give us some new recipes. Rose Lane Farms from Brentwood has some very interesting gourds for your autumn decorations and winter squashes that - although delicious - are really quite decorative also. The last day for the Pleasant Hill Farmers Market is October 28, so come on down and enjoy this wonderful community experience while we can.
See you Saturday!
For more info

Walnut Creek:
Music: Growiser Band
Manager: Keith Farley. E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
From Keith Farley, Manager:
Hunter Holding of Holding Angus will be out for a few more weeks. I will let you know when he plans to return. If you need to contact him hunter@deerhillranch.org.
The Mighty Frequent Shopper Cards to return! Starting in November I will begin to pass out the Frequent Shopper Cards. A new thing this year will be only one per family. Stop by and get yours in November.
For more info.

A New Sister Market in NZ by Jessie Neu, General Manager

I attended a farmers' market last week in Oak Park, a suburb in the city of Chicago. The market is in its 31st year. Oak Park is famous for all the homes that were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The market is located in a church parking surrounded by community activities... including a girls field hockey game across the street, and the must have church fundraiser donuts! The ladies at the information booth were very helpful and friendly. One had been to our Walnut Creek Market and she said she loved it. A few years ago at the same market, I met a beekeeper who was the subject of the famous photographer Richard Avedon and the UC Davis Entomology Department. You might know the black and white picture of a thin, pasty, bald headed man covered in bees... he became famous too... it's a great story.

Our first NEAR Italian Feast fundraiser was a success! We are so happy! The metamorphosis was something to see. The gorgeous food was prepared by a power house of cooks! The cool, calm, collected Chefs Lesley Stiles and Diana Glassman lead the cooking team which also included Barbara Kobsar and Gigi Walker. Thanks to all our generous farmers and vendors who donated their beautiful products. Thanks to LITA of Contra Costa who donated the Mata Ortiz pottery for the auction. Many thanks to all the auxiliary volunteers who picked up the product from the markets, washed, cut, prepped, decorated and cleaned. It was an impressive group effort. Thanks to all of you who bought tickets to attend our first Fundraising Event. Special thanks to Haute Stuff Restaurant owner Pat English and Chairs for Affairs. We are very grateful to the Raffle Prize Contributors: Calypso Twist, Chars Flowers and Alternative Business Solutions.

Our farmers' market organization is reaching across the Pacific to extend our hand in another California Connection to "A Sister Market". This market was started with the help of one of CCCFM's own founding fathers who now lives in Nelson New Zealand. Some of you remember Geoff Fullick & the English man & we joked about the show "Are you being served?" Mr. Geoffries was the market manager before Mr. Keith. This October the Founders Market will be celebrating their 1st year anniversary. Their spring is our fall & and we will begin planning our 25th anniversary. Interesting!

For us... these markets are the precious & similar to the eggs that were cared for in the movie "March of the Penguins." They have to be handed off carefully, supported and nurtured to become sustainable. Below is the press release from the Nelson group:


logoA 'sister market' connection has been forged between the year-old Nelson Provincial Farmers’ Market and the longstanding Contra Costa County Farmers’ Markets (CCCFM) in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. The relationship has been made possible through the friendships of Geoffrey Fullick, a founding member of the Nelson Farmer’s Market.

Geoffrey came to New Zealand five years ago to be near his children, who had emigrated with their mother several years earlier. Before this, Geoffrey had been instrumental in starting the first Farmers Market in Contra Costa County 25 years ago. This market started small, with backyard growers selling their excess produce. It was soon so successful that it attracted commercial growers who eventually made the markets their principal outlet. It also sparked the start-up of 3 more markets in the county within the next 2 years. Almost 25 years later, these markets are still thriving. Geoffrey managed all the County markets at one time or another and also assisted with advertising copy and newsletters.

Geoffrey has been a keen vegetable gardener himself since working in gardens as a child in England, during World War 2. He is committed to the philosophy of Farmers’ Markets, which incorporate fresh, local, seasonal produce brought to the market by the growers themselves. He enjoys getting to know the growers and their stories. After a career as a freelance writer and commercial filmwriter, Geoffrey, a fit and healthy 79 years, now contributes articles profiling the Nelson market’s stall-holders to the monthly newsletter.

The adoption of the Nelson Farmers’ Market by its Californian counterpart, comes along with some financial support from that market’s Board of Directors as well as individual stall-holders pledging funds to support the further development of the Nelson market.

"We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the Contra Costa County people" said Carol Duncan, Chair of the Nelson Farmers’ Market committee. "They have supported our market because they feel strongly about the value of the farmers’ market movement, wherever it’s happening, and also because they admire the passion and dedication of Geoffrey. We are really lucky to have had Geoffrey’s experience to assist with setting up our market."

The Nelson Provincial Farmers' Market operates every Sunday, 9 – 1, in the grounds of the Founders Heritage Park. It celebrates its first birthday on Sunday 29 October with music, a cooking demonstration and a succulent selection of fine Nelson produce.

Did You Know? by Keith Farley, Manager, WC

Keith FarleyDaylight savings time is on its way out and we'll * fall back * on the 29th of October. Already the days are getting shorter and on Sunday mornings in Walnut Creek we have been setting up in the dark so you early birds please be careful. The seasonal markets, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, and Orinda will start winding down in a few weeks.

There is a sense change in the air, not only in the weather but in the way folks think. I start thinking about soups and stews, hearty foods that keep you warm on those chilly days. I have spoken to many who share the same feelings and it leads me to wonder if there isn’t an instinctual mechanism that sends us in that direction. You know, like canning your favorite fruits and vegetables. There has been an almost fanatical run on tomatoes this year, perhaps due to the odd spring weather and crop delays, boxes and boxes of tomatoes have left the market over the past few weeks. For stewing and saucing I presume.

Our Sister Market
I would like to take a minute and welcome the Nelson Provincial Farmers’ Market as our sister farmers' market. See Jessie Neu's article above for the complete story. Geoff Fullick, former Walnut Creek market manager and my mentor as a market manager and Ms. Carol Duncan, Chair Person of the Nelson Farmers' Market Committee deserve a Hearty Well Done on their one year anniversary. By all accounts, the past season went very well and the upcoming season promises to be even better. CCCFM is proud to be affiliated with you folks down there, keep up the great work. I look forward to hearing about your opening day.
Say, Ms. Duncan, I hear you may be looking for a market manager...
Cheers!

TO ALL FARMERS' MARKET SHOPPERS
With the ongoing investigation into the E.coli contamination, we are all missing the spinach in the markets. It is a reminder that our food supply is vulnerable. At the time I wrote this it looks like DOLE is the culprit, a large factory farm. More reason to buy local and from trusted sources. Below are a few thinking points to consider when thinking about where your food comes from.

Protect our safe and responsible food supply.
California has enacted laws providing for high food safety standards, tough pesticide regulation, and good wages and working conditions for farm labor. Our farmers are the most regulated farmers in the World. But our high standards and tough regulations add to the cost of farming in California. If we demand a safe and responsible food supply, then we need to maintain and support our demands with our food-purchasing dollar. We should not be supporting agricultural systems in other states and countries, that do not pay the same wages or provide the same working conditions for farm labor that is provided here.
That use pesticides that we have banned in California, and are not regulated with the same food safety standards.
We need to be loyal and fair to our California farm families.
Let's put our money where our mouths are.
Let's Support California farmers with our food-purchasing dollar.
Invest in a safe, responsible food supply.
Invest in the state where you raise your family.
Buy only California-Grown.
‘til next week, buy local and see you at the markets.

Keith Farley can be reached at wmarket@cccfm.org

NEAR Fundraiser by Chef Leslie Stiles

Lesley Stiles The NEAR Fundraiser was an amazing success and I want to thank all the people that support us and our programs. I really want to thank Gigi Walker, Diana Adkins-Glassman, Barbara Kobsar, Diane McNally and her husband John, Bonnie and Gary Wakeman, Chuck Carpenter and Jessie along with her amazing family Jim, Jessica, Tim and Taylor who were there from the beginning of the day to the bitter clean up end! This event would not have been possible with out the invaluable help of these people.
Also thanks go out to all the market managers, Keith, Karen and Jan for gathering all the incredible produce for us to cook.
The generosity of all our farmers and vendors brought tears to my eyes as the produce and baked goods just kept rolling in the door. We cooked almost all of it that was brought in and had some very happy people walking the streets of Martinez.
As with anything like this event we learned a lot and hope to make next year even better and raise even more money for our great Agricultural and Nutrition Education in the area.

CCCFM hosted a farm tour out to Rose Lane Farms for the senior group Coffee and Conversation with the Lindsay Wildlife Museum this week. It was great. Penny and Vince Granburg opened up their homes to us and gave these folks a great tour of their farm along with tomato and almond tasting as well as some amazing rose smelling. These excellent people sell in Pleasant Hill, Orinda and Martinez. We ended our day at Brentwood Olive Oil Company tasting olive oil and vinegars grown and produced on the property. This is amazing stuff here. Check them out at www.brentwoodoliveoil.com.
My garden mate Cindy Rubin and I will be attending a Watershed program next week about getting more out of your school garden while keeping with the California standards. Should be able to glean some good stuff there.
We are having a work day for the College Park Garden on Saturday, September 30 from 8 am to 1 and need volunteers. We especially need an electric saw as we are putting the sides on our garden boxes and have the wood and all materials but not a saw yet or the person to work it!

What about this heat wave. Who knew? This is going to extend our growing season and keep us in our sexy fruit stage a wee bit longer. The figs are still going crazy and they are good. Pears and stone fruits are on the wane so you better get your jams made and your freezer full soon.

You do not want to miss Marie Simmons at the Orinda Farmers’ Market this Saturday signing copies of her book, Fig Heaven. This is the book about figs and we will be doing some kind of fun stuff from the book for a little fig demo. Event is from 10 to noon and the market is located on Avenida de Orinda right off Orinda Way.

Amidst all this activity I have still been hiking a lot. This is my favorite hiking weather. It stays cool longer and the mornings have this sharp quality to them that is felt only this time of year and only around here. Evenings have the same affect except the air is a little thicker and feels just perfect on your skin. So get out there and get some walking and hiking in while you still can!

Lesley Stiles can be reached at chef@cccfm.org or on the market hotline 925 431-8361

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