From Chef Lesley Stiles:
Napa Cabbage Salad w/ Fuyu, Feta and Lemon Oil
1 head of Napa cabbage, thinly sliced 1 Fuyu persimmon, quartered and sliced thin
4 scallions, thinly sliced ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro ¼ cup crumbled feta
2 tablespoons of Big Paw Lemon Oil
1 tablespoon of Big Paw Blond Balsamic
Sea salt and pepper
Toss everything together in a bowl.
Fresh Pumpkin Risotto
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped fine
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup white wine
7 to eight cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups fresh pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely grated parmesana reggiano
2 tablespoons lemon oil
In a medium saucepan, heat the stock. Heat olive oil in a wide heavy pan.
Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes and add the rice.
Sauté the rice until opaque in color. Add the pumpkin. Add the wine
and let simmer for a minute. Add the stock a ½ cup at a time allowing
it to absorb after each addition stirring constantly. The rice will become
creamy. Taste occasionally to check for tenderness. Stir in half of the cheese.
Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with other half of cheese and drizzle
the lemon oil on top. Serve at once.
Serves 4 to 6.
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This week's essay is from
Cooper Ogden of Walnut Creek in the
under 18 category.
What the Farmer's Market Means
to Me, my Family, and my Community
Cooper Ogden, Age 9, Walnut Creek
The Farmers' Market is important to me
because I can
get natural fruit there. The Farmers' Market
is fun
to me because I get to ride my bike there and
get good
exercise.
I like talking to the vendors like Bakesale
Betty and
Michael, Bridget the Cookie Lady, Michelle the
Apple
Lady, the Hamada Farms guys, and Jim the Orange
Guy.
I also like talking to Hunter Holding, the Meat
Guy.
Bob, the Knife-Sharpening guy, is also nice.
I like buying things from the Chicken Teriyaki
Guy and
the Tamale People.
Some things I like getting from the Farmers' Market:
peaches, apple juice, baked goods, meat, Brazilian
cheese bread, blueberries, and banana bread from
Bakesale Betty.
Sometimes I see my friends from school there.
We liked the empanada people and wonder where
they've gone.
I enjoy the Farmers' Market every week.
For
more essays
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A word about political campaigning at the markets... Our policy
is to really make every effort to protect our markets
and make them a "Political Free Zone". Some folks have
the decency to ask for our permission to set up near
the markets, others don't...! We apologize if you were accosted
in Orinda! The question we ask is: Would the major super
market chains allow you to approach their customers in their stores? |
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Orinda:
Music: Jane Decuir
Manager: Janice Faust. E-mail: omarket@cccfm.org
From Jan Faust, Manager:
Take time to stop by the Farmers' Market this Saturday to pick up
all the healthy stuff your family
needs for the week. Whether you're watching sports, playing,
coaching or driving kids to games,
this is an active time of year. We have the market cornered
on fresh, healthy and nutritious
snacks for every activity. We will be looking for you every
Saturday, rain or shine, through November
18. This week, why not bring a friend? See you at the Market.
For
more info
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Walnut Creek:
Music: Prairie Rose
Manager: Keith Farley. E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
From Jessie Neu, General Manager: The mice played last weekend! What a beautiful
fun day it was indeed! I saw you... but you could
only hear me... you couldn't see me... camouflaged.
The participating farms really went over the top in their
efforts to out-do each other in the costume and booth
decorating contest. They each had a good campaign to
make sure their customers voted for the best!
Barbie and Megan of Ratto Farms were the big winners!
They made terrific witches and went the extra mile to
cover all the bases in "WitchVille".
Michelle of Rainbow Orchards pulled
in 2nd place with her interpretation of an "Apple Tree"
in the orchard environment! Good imagination!
Pirate Shirley from Cabrillo Farms came
in an impressive 3rd place. She has been the winner for
the last few years.
Congrats to all and thanks to all the customers who took
the time to vote. The prize was a free booth on that
day for the winner. I'm working on the participation
prizes...
The Idyll Frets played music and they were great. This
was their first time to play in their home town and they
sure clogged the passage with admirers. They said they
had a blast!
November brings us into our new look as our farms begin
to finish with their crops. We will say farewell to our
good friends from Alhambra Valley Pears in WC. They will
still be in Orinda for 1 more week. If you get a hankerin'
for their pears... go see them there.
With the closing of the Pleasant Hill and Martinez Markets,
the Walnut Creek Market will have the addition of artists
and crafters coming in this week.
Make sure you visit them and the rest of the market by
shopping down the Critical Edge Isle and the "Creek-side"
vendors where you'll find Curtis and his "Jammin Kettlecorn",
Hawaiian Coffee, From Sea to You, and Aidells'
sausage, Ledesma and Ruvalcaba Farms.
I'll see you again this Sunday!
A word from.. Tibet - Mr. Keith is Alive
and Well.
He will be back on Nov. 12.
The mighty "Frequent Shopper
Cards" will
be available starting this Sunday. Bring your purchases
to the table to have the folks at the Info Table sign
your card once a week. Once the card is signed 5 times
you'll be rewarded with 3 market bucks for being a frequent
shopper. Remember that there is one card per family and
remember to bring your friends and neighbors to the market
with you every week... even in the rain. We'll be
there every Sunday rain or shine!
For
more info. |
Martinez
& PLEASANT HILL:
Markets closed for the season |
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FROM
OUR MARKET by
Chef Leslie Stiles |
By Halloween it is officially chilly at night,
in Pleasant Hill anyway. You can set your clock
by it and not be disappointed. Just chilly enough to get the
bug to invite some friends over and come up with
a fun way to use up the pumpkins you may have
acquired from Penny and Vince, at your farmers'
market or grown. I like to whip up a big luscious,
creamy pot of pumpkin
risotto. Studded with bright orange chunks of sweet pumpkin, bits
of reggiano and lovingly ladled back into the
pumpkin shell or a Turban squash this is sure to get you at least one
or two nice friends to spend an evening with. This is a great dish
for a Rhone style wine such as Pinot Noir or Syrah. A couple logs in
the fireplace... Now if that don't warm you up you might want to call
the MD. When pumpkin is roasted in lemon olive oil and a little sea
salt it definitely loses any resemblance in word it may have with a
can of burnt umber weirdness. You can also roast pumpkin with a little
butter and turbinado sugar, purée
and now you have your own version of the weird
stuff from the can.
I am happy to say that I will be representing Contra Costa Certified
Farmers' Markets at the Ferry Plaza farmers'
market this
Saturday at 10:30 by doing a chefs cooking demo there. Now I can
see how the big girls do it. I get to go early and shop there for
my class and they have three people to assist me. Their demo area/kitchen
has 3 six burner stoves, 2 convection ovens, a walk in etc. This
is going to be a little weird as I am really used to an ez up in
the parking lot. I like street cooking but I may be able to gel with
this set up too.
The best part is I get to shop there and go
to the source for some Humboldt Fog, a few dozen different varieties
of Miette's sandwich cookies, orange flavored olive oil and
a few other things to go with my risotto. Can you say FIELD TRIP!
For all you Pleasant Hill shoppers that have been
so loyal and kind all season we thank you for
all your support of the market this season and for coming out the last
day. I have the recipe for or cabish or lettuce salad that I made ala
minute the other day. I still don't know what that stuff is called
but it is an amazing mix of cabbage and lettuce. Sweet, nutty and a
little spicy like cabbage but really soft and velvety like leaf lettuce.
A mystery to be addressed for next week's solutions. I found it at
Chong Vang’s stand
and they are now only in Orinda at the farmers'
market. The market is Saturday from 9 to 1 on
Avenida de Orinda off Orinda Way.
Thanks go out to Martinez as well for a great
season of support from all you healthy, vibrant,
loyal farmers' market shoppers. We had a good
one and hope to continue to grow the market when we open again in
May BUT until then, don't give up your remarkable season of
sustainability just yet! Get over to Walnut
Creek even if it is a
pain in the rump and continue to obtain the
freshest, tastiest and most sustainable produce you can get. This
can be a year round never ending cycle of massive yum. Walnut Creek
is Sunday from 9 to 1 in the library lot at the corner of Lincoln
and Broadway. You are not going to be sorry.
The days are numbered for hiking and walking
on any dirt. I recommend taking advantage of
the dry trails and getting out there. You get
rewarded with some amazing natural color schemes, a lot of hawks
swooping down and flying low getting a lot of snakes off of the trail
for you - and best of all a nice, sore butt.
Use it or lose it.
Footnote: Read "Julie and Julia, My Year of Cooking
Dangerously." Very amusing and highly recommended.
Lesley Stiles can be reached at chef@cccfm.org or on the market hotline 925 431-8361
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News
From Our Sister Market in Nelson, New Zealand |
Thanks to an alternate
indoor market site, our first anniversary celebration
complete with balloons, streamers and hoopla,
came off as well as could be expected. The reason:
We woke up to horrendous winds and gusting rain
and there went our outdoor program, as well as
fun for the kiddies in the shape of pony and
train rides, llamas, chickens and rabbits.
However, we survived indoors with our regular stalls, live guitar music,
cooking and tai chi demonstrations, and a new
touch, cooked bratwurst on the barbeque, all
wrapped up in a hotdog bun with onions, sauces,
etc. They sold well, too. Our coffers will sparkle
with part of the revenue, as well as the money
from the raffle with a prize of a market bag
full of goodies, plus a bottle of wine and a
four pack of organic ale from the brewery next
door.
We ended up with a round of 'Happy Birthday' with everyone present treated
to a slice of chocolate cream cake. We're not
out of the woods yet by a long shot, but yesterday,
even with its seeming adversity and thanks to
a bunch of spirited people, projected its own
special shaft of light.
Glad you got to see some of your advertising gift in action.
Happiness. Geoff.
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