• Upcoming Events
• From Our Markets
• New Recipes

The Pleasant Hill and Orinda markets are still going strong.  After talking to shoppers who double shop either market as well as Walnut Creek, they have had nothing but praise for both.  The variety of products and growers is the key to this praise.  The growers and vendors do a better job when shoppers are plentiful and when shoppers are plentiful there is a wider variety of growers and vendors.  Clear enough?  You are the key to it.  By shopping the seasonal markets as well as the Walnut Creek, one you boost the market and the community the market serves.  Cool, eh?  Keep it up!  Pleasant Hill and Orinda are open through November.

The Martinez Sunday market is open through October 26th.  With a month to go, the Martinez market will close on a high note with a Harvest Festival on the final day! This seventh season has been the most successful year thus far.  Again, good on you!

We are getting close to the elections and the presence of the various political organizations will only increase.  CCCFM is a politically neutral organization and as such we ask the groups that come out to the market to promote their cause outside the market.  I mentioned this during the last round of elections and want to reiterate, please feel free to ignore the pleas and requests and know you will shop inside the market unbothered by this. So far, they have been very respectful of our boundaries and I have had no complaints. If you have issues or there is a problem with any of the groups please let me know and I will try to settle the issue.  No matter what your views are, politically or socially, or economically, please exercise your right to vote.  There is so much at stake this time. Every vote will count so get out and vote this November.

Have you seen the new John Muir/CCCFM market bag?  It is the hottest thing at the Walnut Creek Market right now.  Stop by the market table and get yours this Sunday.

For more info.

Market hotline 925 431-8361.

It almost seems as if this summer will go on forever around here. We have a pretty sweet deal in the Bay Area when summer is ready to finally give up the fight and fall glides in. Cool mornings and evenings sandwiching deliciously warm days with air getting thicker as the nights grow longer. Welcome cooling trends bode well for tender salad greens as well as kales and chard. As tomatoes and corn wane, luscious butternut and other winter squashes slip in to take their places. Sweet or tart, crunchy and crisp, apples move into the limelight along with grapes of all colors and sizes. Sexy summer booty of peaches and white nectarines are still present but definitely ready to take a much needed rest until next June making way for the fuyu's. Peppers of any liking or heat are peaking with lavish displays bowing tables. We are fortunate in these parts to have such an amazing variety of seasonal, local produce that by summer's end we barely notice when one replaces another. Taste anticipation leads to satisfaction and the farmers' markets never disappoint with varieties that never seem to find their way to the large grocer.

Grilling is still very much a part of the routine, even by back porch lights. Using a pan that finds it's home on the outdoor grill, truss up a whole chicken stuffed with rosemary, savory and garlic, lube it up with olive oil, generously salt and pepper and let alone on the grill for about 45 minutes. Throw in some cut up squash, peppers and eggplant and let alone for another 15 to 20 minutes. When the legs pull off easily, take the whole thing off and let rest 15 minutes. Slice chicken off the bone and drizzle with a touch of lemon oil and sea salt.

For all the amazing varieties of apples at the market or off your tree, make a simple crisp using wheat flour and oats for a guilt reducing fall treat.

Roast whole grapes, cut corn and chopped onions by tossing in olive oil, garlic and salt. Place in a hot 450 degrees oven or on the grill, and let go for about 15 minutes, when all the onions and grapes are starting to caramelize. Throw over some cooked orchiette or another type of pasta that is a juice capturer, and toss with a touch more olive oil. The grapes will release juice blended with olive oil and the rest creating a sublimely light sauce. Season with chopped fresh thyme and a few chili flakes while grating copious amounts of dry jack over all. Mmmmmm, can you taste the changing of the seasons now?

Are you getting out in the morning or evening for a walk in your hills? Highly recommended.