Walnut Creek
New Hours:
December-April - Winter Season
9:00am - 1:00pm
Market will be closed
on December 24 & 31
These programs are
now available in Walnut Creek:
The Frequent Shopper Card (from
Nov. thru April);
Year-Round
Parking Validation;
The Veggie Valet booth.
For more info
Non-profits "troops" are
coming!
Once again the non-profit groups have joined us for a few weeks to fundraise
for their respective causes. Your help is needed!
Boy Scout Troop 202 will be selling Wreaths.
Amigos De Las Americas will be selling Grapefruit and Poinsettias.
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From Chef Lesley Stiles:
Winter Root Vegetable Stew
1 large celery root, peeled and cubed
1 garnet yam, peeled and cubed
1 red potato, cubed
1 turnip, cubed
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup chopped butternut squash
1 cup sliced fresh shitake mushrooms
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Sauté onion, garlic, and shitake
mushrooms in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add
rest of the vegetables and sauté for
4 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a
simmer. Let simmer 30 minutes. Add parsley
and oregano and season to taste.
Alternately
you can put the whole thing into a big
roaster and put a lid on it and cook the
whole thing in a 350° oven for an hour
or 2 and finish with the herbs and seasonings
like above.
Serves 6.
Printer-friendly version
Fresh Pumpkin Puree for pies,
cakes and cookies
Cut pumpkin or squash in half and seed.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking
sheet. Brush the cut sides of the squash
with olive oil and place cut side down on
the sheet. Bake in a preheated 400° oven
for about 45 minutes or until soft. Scrape
pulp out of skin and puree in a food processor
or by hand with a large wooden spoon. Use
the same amount of fresh puree for your recipe
as you would canned.
The yield will be determined by the size and shape of the squash.
A 4 pound pumpkin will usually yield about 4 cups of pulp.
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More
recipes
Lesley Stiles is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy and the Community
Relations person for Contra Costa Certified Farmers' Markets.
She can be reached at chef@cccfm.org, or
the market hotline at 925 431 8361.
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Walnut Creek:
Music: Bryan Harrison Band
Manager: Keith Farley. E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
Market Hours:
On Dec. 3rd the winter hours change to 9am to 1pm thru
April.
From Keith Farley, Manager:
 I look forward to seeing all of you back this Sunday after the Thanksgiving holidays. The market was a bit sparse this past weekend, but a nice day nonetheless. Thanks to all who came out. The rain held off until the last hour but gave us a good rinse before we packed up. No Rain this Sunday though it may be a bit cold, grab your coat and grab a hat and come on down. Hot coffee awaits.
We will back to full strength this week all our growers and vendors should be
back. Bakesale Betty will be back this week along with Hunter Holding and his
wonderful grass fed beef. I would be surprised if strawberries will be there
given the rain last week so don't expect them, the season is over for them. Barriani
Olive Oil will be in this week and may be the last chance to stock up before
the holidays.
Crafters will be on hand for gift ideas, soaps, jewelry, clothing and more, all unique and affordable gifts.
The List of Crafters for WC:
Peggy - felt hats & scarves
Carla - Delta Moon Soap
Mary Jane - Presents from Paradise
Muggette Rene Designs - stone jewelry
Marilyn - sweat shirts, scarves, blankets
Sergio - crochet table covers
Eve - Flipabill-wallets
Happy Holiday Gift Shopping Ideas!
New this week! Cathy Schrieber brings her delicious "Truffle & Macaroon Kits". Market Fundraiser long handled "Market
Shopping Baskets". Great in summer for the beach! Buy a "Market Basket" at the market information table and fill it with goodies from the market such as: oils and vinegars, nuts, citrus, kiwi, honey, pomegranates, persimmons, and cookies. How about a knife sharpening gift certificate, wonderful goats milk soaps, gorgeous jewelry choices, and fun unique bamboo bowls, hats, scarves and table top covers?
Market will be closed on December 24 & 31.
A poll was taken of the market participants and they agreed to close the market
for 2 weeks to be with their families over the Holidays.
The market will reopen on January 3, 2007!
More
info. |
Martinez, Orinda
& Pleasant Hill:
Markets closed for the season |
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FROM
OUR MARKETS by
Chef Leslie Stiles |
We are definitely cruising into the time of the year when you have to get creative with outdoor exercise. It is a little muddy on the trails and I have to say that I do not mind mud but it gets really heavy on your boots by about the third hill and that does get old after awhile. So you go about finding other ways to achieve the same level of aerobic and mental exercise which may include bike riding, street walking, jogging and anything else you can creatively think of. Possibly partner exercises are more to your liking. Definitely a personal choice.
The same goes for your vegetables and fruits. During this cold season we feel
pulled by an inherent desire to make thicker, richer food to stave off the blues
and substitute for the warm sun and balmy breezes that would normally kick off
the endorphins letting us know that all is well with us. Nature is amazing in
her ability to plan, as any good mother would, the right foods for us to cook
that are in season. Winter squashes beg to be roasted or mashed into lusciously
creamy concoctions to be smeared, oops I mean to be eaten alongside rosemary
and citrus roasted whole chickens or a big pot of cremini mushrooms and sautéed
greens. Quinoa literally jumps out of my freezer along with split peas and lentils
yelling to be put into a pot with carrots, celery and baby onions. Raw
turnips,
sweetly grated into a salad take the place of the cucumber temporarily and Fuyu
persimmons sit in for the tomatoes that have gone down for a well earned rest.
Sweet fennel and celery root are waiting to be roasted with oranges and fresh
walnuts.
 In
the warm weather it would be boneless breasts grilled or salmon filets grilled
but now all I want to do is roast everything, on high heat, really quickly. Alternatively
it is also a good time for low and slow cooking. Whatever you are going to cook
this way, you kind of use your oven as a crock pot and put a bunch of stuff such
as a cheap cut of Holding
Angus beef into an oven proof pot along with some vegetables, aromatic
herbs and stock and leave at 200 or 225 degrees for 3 or 4 hours. The slow cooking
makes the meat as tender as a ripe peach and incredibly flavorful by giving all
the fibers holding the meat together a chance to melt into each other and develop
all the gelatinous yum that comes with a well prepared stew or fricassee. Although
most people are beyond done with turkey, turkey legs and thighs are really good
prepared the low and slow way thrown into a pot along with dried apricots, onions,
a boat load of thyme and garlic. Fill half way up with chicken stock, cover and
walk away for a few hours. One of the most gratifying by products of the low/slow
movement is that it does heat up your house along with your spirit and the smells
ain't bad either.
In the time of shopping madness and party mania there are also some really good
shows popping up. Look in your paper and online for some seasonal treats. The
Blind Boys of Alabama put on a wonderful, extremely soul satisfying show at Davies
this time of year and there are fun once a year shows all over the place if you
dig a little for them.
Meanwhile a nice fire in the wall, pinot noir in the glass and some of this amazing
winter food and I may never leave my house again, except of course to exercise
and possibly the Blind Boys, and a little dancing and... you get the point. Life
does not stop when it gets cold!
Lesley Stiles can be reached at chef@cccfm.org or
on the market hotline 925 431-8361
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DID YOU KNOW? by
Manager Keith Farley |
 A Green
Holiday is possible?
I am dreaming of a green holiday. Well, in the winter around here a green holiday
is a sure thing. The "Green" I am talking about is food and gifts. In the
winter there is abundance of green veggies to choose from so that's a no brainer.
Green gifts, ok that will take some thought. Consider the gifts buy, are they
good for the environment? Are they something that will be used a few times and
thrown away? Can it be recycled when used up? These are things I’m thinking about
as I shop. I have changed over the past few years to this way of thinking. I
am by no means an environmentalist but I try to do my part. Even if it means
a little more work use your washable dinnerware at the family gathering and avoid
the disposable plates and utensils. You can rent more dishes if needed for next
to nothing. Buying gifts for the kids can be challenging because "the Hot Toy"
has to be under the tree. Look at how much packing material is used on item and
how much can be recycled when shopping. Kids these days are a lot more eco aware
than you think so talk to them about the gifts they want and buy and help them
make the greener choice. Have you considered a living holiday tree? Most nurseries
have them and you can plant them when the holiday is over. The giant evergreen
in the center of the parking lot at the market was just such a living tree that
was planted after the family Christmas, in 1947. Take a moment and ask Julia,
the silver lady, that owns the house next to the market about it, it's
a nice tale. This piece could go on for days but I think you know what I'm talking
about. This season lets’ use less and enjoy it more.
Have a wonderful holiday Season and think greener.
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