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What’s at the Farmers Market Today?

Did the first asparagus just come in? Are you up to your ears in rutabagas? Talk here about what’s growing in your neck of the woods fields and how you like to cook it.

13 Responses

  1. Major scores today at the Temescal market in Oakland. Happy Boy farms had cherry tomatoes! And Pinnacle had corn! Those were the big treats, since it feels a little early for them, but I also got a huge bag of stone fruit, broccolini, some pea sprouts and sprouted lentils, many cucumbers and radishes, green beans, and snap peas. I’m gonna bring a salad to work for my lunch every day this week. Yum.

    Comment by lisajervis — June 21, 2009 at 5:07 pm

  2. At the Tuesday Berkeley market yesterday I got an extra bunch of yummy carrots for a $1 from Blue Heron! Gotta love showing up at the end of the day.

    Comment by Colin — June 24, 2009 at 3:08 pm

  3. On Saturday, I was going to a friend’s house in SF for a beer-making/bbq party. So, I stopped at the Ferry Building Farmers Market to pick up some vegetables for grilling since I knew meat would be well represented already. I was very excited about the summer squash because I found different colors (green, light green, yellow, green and yellow!) and small sizes. (Ask me about why smaller is better for squash if you don’t already know.)I purchased very large and plump turkey figs and another kind of fig whose name I forget, but it’s green and beautiful. Lastly, I got a giant head of frisee. If you’ve ever heard of grilled radicchio, you can grill any lettuce. The bonus, a friend working at one of the stands threw in an heirloom tomato. I love buying food from people I know!

    Comment by Eleanor — June 29, 2009 at 8:02 pm

  4. I want to know why small is better for squash! Do tell.

    Comment by lisajervis — June 29, 2009 at 9:07 pm

  5. Oo! Oo! I’m so glad you asked! Basically, smaller squash is better because they’re more flavorful and less watery. Squash is one of those vegetables that will keep growing and growing if you let it, which while can make for impressive size, leads to it being watery (think bloated), seedy, and fibrous.

    To quote wikipedia:

    When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under 20 cm (8 in.) in length and the seeds are soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long, but are often fibrous and not appetizing to eat. Zucchini with the flowers attached are a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit, and are especially sought by many people.

    I feel the smaller it is, the more concentrated the flavor. I tend to go for the squash that’s 4 in. or smaller.

    Comment by Eleanor — July 10, 2009 at 12:30 pm

  6. At the Temescal Market today, I wanted to get a Soul Food chicken from Prather Ranch. Unfortunately, they told me this week’s batch of chickens were eaten by coyotes, so no chickens for sale. Instead, I was seduced by the samples of many varieties of stone fruit from Kashiawase. I went home with 3 yellow nectarines that tasted like nectarines (opposed to tasting sweet, tart, etc.). They’re pretty and delicious.

    Comment by Eleanor — July 12, 2009 at 5:41 pm

  7. Oh man! I can’t believe I forgot to say the best part about the market yesterday. I got a watermelon for $5 from Happy Boy. They had all of their watermelons, any size, for that price. Thank you Lisa for pointing it out and helping pick a delicious one!

    Comment by Eleanor — July 14, 2009 at 1:36 am

  8. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. Probably obvious, but the tomatoes just arrived 3 weeks ago and we were suspicious — too early? We bought some and they were delicious. Fresh salted tomatoes on whole grain toast, yum.

    Comment by Janet — July 22, 2009 at 2:47 pm

  9. Figs, round two!

    Comment by Eleanor — August 19, 2009 at 12:34 am

  10. @Eleanor, OMG I got figs the other day too, purple ones from Full Belly Farm. They were unbelievable. Firm and soft at the same time, super-complex, sweet but not overwhelmingly so, a little musky. They were definitely some of the best fruit I have ever eaten in my life.

    Oh, and I am super-happy to now have an explanation for why smaller squash is better. Before it was just an instinct.

    Comment by lisajervis — August 19, 2009 at 10:07 am

  11. Okay, I know I sound obsessed with tomatoes. But they had ready-to-burst ripe tomatoes yesterday for a $1 a pound. For sauces. So this post isn’t really about tomatoes at all, it’s about keeping your eye out for Farmer’s Market bargains.

    The avocado stand always has half-priced super-ripe avocados (guacamole!) and I’ve heard rumors about the closing-up sales in the last half hour the market is open. This is my new personal reality game show: hunt the bargain. There’s always at least one.

    Comment by Janet — August 31, 2009 at 5:30 pm

  12. At Heart of the City (aka Civic Center) market this morning, I got a few Gala apples (which I love this time of year before apples become the only fruit around and I get bored of them), a couple yellow peaches (end of the season but still sweet and super peach-fuzzy), and my first Bartlett pears of the year (firm and juicy and delicious!). I love the farmers market!

    Comment by Mavis — September 16, 2009 at 5:06 pm

  13. I was in the (Temescal) market for fruit today, and I scored big! Piel de Sapo melons from Happy Boy Farms have made me reconsider my long-held aversion to melon. They are so sweet and their texture is not mealy or unpleasant in any way. I got one to share at brunch, and one that’s all for me!

    Also, even though my Flavor Grenade pluots were nowhere to be found this week, I got some Emerald Beaut and Betty Anne plums from Kashiwara Farms. I heard them say that next week might be their last until next year, so I’m glad I caught them before they’re gone.

    Comment by Erin — September 27, 2009 at 7:11 pm

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