Walnut Creek Hours:
May-November - Peak Season
8 - 1
December-April - Winter Season
9 - 1
From Chef Lesley Stiles:
Risotto Rosa
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
2 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 cop chopped onions
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2 whole fresh beets, peeled and diced
1/4 cup light cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 T chopped fresh parsley
Bring broth to a simmer in a saucepan and keep warm.
Heat butter and oil in heavy 4 to 5 quart saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion and sautee for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add rice and using a wooden spoon stir until grains are coated.
Add wine and stir until absorbed.
Add diced beets and begin to add broth 1/2 cup at a time - stir frequently - stir in additional 1/2 cups of broth as it absorbs - approximately 15 to 20 minutes - hold back 1/4 cup broth. Rice should be slightly al dente.
Turn off heat and immediately add reserved broth, cream and parmesan and stir rice well. Serve immediately.
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From the Director, Jessie
Neu:
Winter Market Hours:
The market hours change for the winter
in - 9am to 1pm.
Effective - December - April
The value of "Word of mouth!"
"Rumor has it........ "that
there is change in the air! Our Mooving
Campaign is shifting into high gear as we
enter December. Our great posters are ready
to go up this week at the market. In the
next few weeks designated vendors will be
given the informational handout that will
be put into shopping bags that are expected
to be brought back by the shopper/recipient to
the new location on N. Locust. We will hold
raffles beginning on opening day and each
Sunday through the month of January. Be
ready! The goal is to bring everyone
with us and transition to the new location
without missing a step! I have a great feeling
about this new beginning for the next 25
years! If you care about this market.....
become proactive! Start the Rumor
mill!
Take Part in the Survey! We
are very interested in your opinion! We
have been conducting a survey at each of
the 4 markets. So far, the survey has gleaned
some very interesting results to help us
learn about our shoppers opinions and how
they get informed regarding the markets.
The information can be a reality check ....
and a wake up call to those of us
who care and are intimately involved in
making sure we succeed in keeping these
markets strong and viable..... especially
with this move! Hearing detailed information
from our customers' perspective is very
enlightening... as Keith writes in his piece
people were not aware that the Walnut Creek
Market was being relocated. The work
is just beginning!
The most noticeable response from people
who shop at the seasonal markets was that
they received most of their information
about the markets through word of mouth.
So those of you who are already shoppers
are our biggest advocates! Please take a
moment to fill out our short survey to help
us. If you read this e-mail please take
our survey and bring a friend to the market
and sign them up for the Lettuce Leaf e-newsletter.
Your participation is the key!
Thank you for shopping at our markets and
for being our best Cheerleaders!
Take Action and complete the survey now!
Jessie Neu can be reached at ed@cccfm.org |
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In this Issue: |
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Next issue of The Lettuce Leaf Newsletter will be on December 14.
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Walnut Creek:
 Music 12/2: Idyll Frets
Music 12/9: Bryan Harrison
Manager: Keith Farley.
E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
From Keith Farley, Manager:
The clock is ticking on the relocation of the farmers' market
there is less than four weeks. During a recent survey
of shoppers at the Sunday market, I found out that 24 of
25 shoppers surveyed had no idea the market was being relocated.
That's distressing! We have gone to a lot of effort to get
the word out to the citizens of Walnut Creek and all of
the surrounding areas so that when we move, you and your
neighbors will know where to get your fresh fruits and veggies.
I hate to think that shoppers will drive by the library
lot and say, "gee whiz, I guess the farmers' market is gone" when in reality we will be a short two blocks away from our current location.
 Newspaper
and magazine ads do not seem to be reaching the
necessary eyes. I want to challenge everyone
reading this to print out the first page of the
Lettuce Leaf, make several copies, black and
white are fine, hi-light the information below
regarding the move, hand it to all your friends,
and have them do the same. I cannot think of
a bigger sin than people not knowing where their
farmers' market is due to a lack of information.
Talk to everyone about it!
The Walnut Creek Farmer's
Market is MOOOOving soon. December
23rd will bring to a close an institution in
Walnut Creek and begin a new one! The Walnut
Creek farmer's market is leaving its longtime
home (25 years) in the library parking lot on
the corner of Lincoln and North Broadway and
will open in its new location January
6th on North Locust between Giamona and Lacassie. January
6th begins a new era for our beloved market.
Get the word out and join us!
For
more info. |
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FROM
OUR MARKETS by
Chef Lesley Stiles |
Has anyone noticed the flavor intensity of the cold weather tomatoes? The texture is a little mushy but the flavor is great. Perfect for pureeing to kick up soups, stews, risotto, polenta... whatever suits your fancy. As the mercury dips expect the last of the summer produce to fall by the wayside and open wide up for the riches and jewels made readily available to us by some pretty amazing and hard working farmers.
Beets are available in all the rhinestone colors. Have you tried roasted topaz beets with a bit of orange peel and juice? Been beguiled by ruby beets roasted with a bit of fresh fennel turning everything in their path as brilliant as themselves? Generous in color and depth of flavor and not to be missed as they are also the best gall bladder cleaner you can eat!
Shred sweet winter cabbage along with Fuyu persimmons and toss with toasted walnuts, olive oil and lime juice for a real day brightener as well as a nice tasting fiber boost.
 Have you noticed Jim McKeown's citrus? He has limes, Meyer lemons,
grapefruit, oranges, this guy's stand looks more like peak season now than it
did a month or two ago. He grows all of it on 1 acre in Danville. This is what
I am talking about. Ask him about the walnut people.
He is not the only citrus grower either. There are many shopping us vitamin C at the farmers' market. Look out for Satsuma
mandarins developing loads of natural sugar as it gets colder keeping an eye open for blood oranges, Cara Cara, tangelos with their peppery flavor and loads of other varieties all produced in our fair state.
Apples are still holding strong, mostly cold storage at this point but not picked more than a month ago, grown locally as opposed to the year long storage and fuel wasting shipping of those who will not be named large grocery chains.
Seventh graders at the Troy Spencer Memorial Garden finished
putting in the winter garden a couple of weeks ago planting all 273 four inch
pots of peas,
carrots, radishes, lettuces galore and broccolini that the sixth graders
had started from seed in September for their soil comparison project. Yahoo.
To date we have had almost 600 of the 800 something kids at Pleasant
Hill Middle School working in the garden and it ain't even half over yet!
We plan to enlist the 8th graders to harvest, wash and prepare the goods for
the cafeteria all year. The leadership class is busy moving the endless pile
of mulch and the art classes can draw the amazing, brilliant winter salvia blooming
in the garden.
College Park's organic garden
is thriving with the winter garden that the Special
Ed students have planted and continue
to plant as we speak. They are already harvesting
and sauteeing broccoli
rabe and peas. The lettuce will go straight into the cafeteria as will
peas as production get crazy.
Took my annual stroll up Mt Diablo for Thanksgiving with about
20 other folks. An amazing trek to say the least. We are truly fortunate indeed
to reside in Northern California and be able to partake of the glorious beauty
and superb weather, not to mention PRODUCE! Get out there!
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 |
December means it's gift giving season and the perfect time to check local artisans returning to the farmers market. You'll find your favorites down the center isle at the Walnut Creek market along with olive
oils, cookies, breads, preserves, Afghani and Indian foods - all ready to help you create your own clever gift baskets.
 Carla from Delta Moon Soapworks offers friendly advice to find just what you're looking for. Decorative
gourds, French linens, hand knit sweaters, beautiful jewelry and gift certificates from The
Critical Edge knife sharpening service are really worth having a look at this week.
Down the produce isle it's time to get reacquainted with leafy greens - a hardy group of vegetables that thrive in our cooler weather. Some, like kale
and collard, are members of the cabbage family, while others like turnip
greens are simply the tops of root vegetables. All are low in calories and nutrient rich.
AND when brought fresh from field to farmers' market they're a tasty bunch to consider. Only when left to linger too long in the field or fridge do they turn tough and bitter. Ratto
Farms from French Camp (about 6 miles south of Stockton) brings a dazzling array of leafy greens all winter long.
The robust flavors of kale and collard greens spice up winter soups and stews or blend well with brown rice, potatoes, pasta or beans. A quick blanch in boiling water for a few minutes helps to moderate any bit of bitterness.
I like the "bite" of mustard greens and find Oriental or Chinese varieties to be the best choice. Wild
dandelion greens are very bitter, but cultivation practices have produced larger, thicker leaves with a less assertive flavor. A warm vinaigrette is the perfect partner for a salad made with dandelion greens.
Turnips and beets do double duty by producing both the root vegetable and edible leaves. The leaves are excellent sources of Vitamin A and C with turnip greens being an important source of folic acid and calcium, and beet greens supplying valuable amounts of magnesium and potassium.
If necessary, store leafy greens in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Rinse thoroughly just before using.
By all indications our tomato season is ending and the long hiatus before the next field of vine ripened heirloom tomato returns has begun. But enjoy what's in-season and fresh each week at the market - there's still plenty to choose from.
Barbara Kobsar can be reached at cotkitchen@aol.com or
call (925) 933-2552.
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