farmers' market

JAZZ BEET

Honestly, I've always loved beets, long before the North Park Farmers' Market made it easy to bring a bunch home any fall or winter Thursday. Rows and rows of jars of pickled beets glinted like rubies in my grandmother's pantry, and she was always happy to slide a few onto a plate beside a sandwich or stain a salad with a few slices. 

My husband? His only memories of beets involved chalky cubes in paper cups in the school cafeteria. For decades, he wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole bean. One night I mixed some into a pan of roasted veggies figuring he could pick around them, but he came back for more of that candy caramelized version before he knew what they were. Then came thick sliced beets grilled to sweet and smoky goodness. Now he's hooked.

SAN DIEGO PUBLIC MARKET COMING!

London has Borough Market. Barcelona has La Boqueria and Clevelend has the Westside Market. Just like the weather, everyone talks about a Pike Place-style public market for San Diego but no one does anything about it. Until now. Get ready for the new San Diego Public Market, coming to downtown soon!

Dale Fitzmorris Steele started searching for a public market venue in 2000, entering into talks regarding the historic San Diego Police Station on Broadway before exploring a Liberty Station location.

SD Weekly Markets' Catt Fields White developed and manages the Little Italy Mercato, North Park Thursday and Pacific Beach Tuesday farmers’ markets, and sees a permanent venue combined with neighborhood markets as the next stage for local farmers, artisan food manufacturers and purveyors, chefs and craftspeople. 

Together, Steele and White's Public Market Group has leased a 2-acre site on National Avenue, just a few blocks from Petco Park and the Convention Center.There, San Diego Public Market will expand the local food system and offer community-based business incubation and education programs focused on food and nutrition.

“It is the first property we found that really offers the size and variety of architecturally interesting indoor and outdoor spaces we needed, ready to fill with our vision of weekly farmers’ markets, a permanent food hall, special event and educational programming in a dynamic location,” says White.

Fundraising underway now allows the public to contribute to the creation of a community food hub and gathering place. via memberships, sponsorships, a Kickstarter campaign, and pre-purchase of market shopping cards.

A weekly Wednesday morning farmers’ market will debut this month, focusing on selling to local chefs in addition to downtown residents and destination shoppers. A weekend market will soon follow. Like San Diego Public Market on Facebook for daily updates. 

24 CARROT BOLD

Crunchy carrots from Kawano, Suzie’s Farm and JR Organics at the North Park Farmers’ Market make the perfect snack anytime, whether you dunk them in raw garlic spread from Majestic Garlic, hummus from Lisko or Baba Foods, or any of the delicious Bitchin’ Sauce flavors.

Toss shredded carrots with  olive oil from the California OIive,  a squeeze of fresh lemon from Gilbert Quintos or Paradise Valley and a little mustard for a classic French carrot salad; add apples, almonds and raisins from Smit Orchards to give it an American twist (but skip drowning them in mayo ala the old school cafeteria version).  

If you’d rather cook  your carrots, try this gorgeous vegetable ribbon pasta recipe; you’ll want to add zucchini from Valdivia Farms, mushrooms from Kawano and butter from Springhill Cheese Company to your shopping list.  Don’t overlook the carrots’ edible green tops; grab some green garlic from Suzie’s and almonds from Hopins AG and whip up this carrot top pesto to spread on ciabatta from Belen Bakery or, better yet, drizzle it over homemade carrot soup.  That’s a bowl of 24 carrot gold!

CAULI IT WHAT YOU WANT

It has probably caught your eye at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market, that pale green kaleidoscopic vegetable that looks like a cauliflower gone wild at the Suzie’s Farm stand. It’s called broccoli by some (due to the flavor) and cauliflower by others, and no, it’s not some crazy, hybrid, new millennium veggie, it’s all natural, Baby.

No matter what you cauli it, rich in vitamin C and K, it’s more tender than most cauliflower, making it perfect for crudites dipped in Baba Food’s Baba Ganoush or Majestic Garlic's sprouted hummus. (We love that veg on veg action.) A quick trim and steam or slow roast is all it takes to cook this slightly nutty cauliflower variant. For an incredibly eye-catching side, steam for around 15 minutes and serve it whole, with the slightest drizzle of Springhill Farm's fresh butter.

Not ready to make the leap? Classic recognizable cauliflower is available at the PB Tuesday market as well. Grab some at Kawano Farms or Maciel Family Farms and make a gratin that is as easy and comforting as it is pretty. Add it to a simple veggie stir fry with carrots and sugar snap peas from JR Organics and peppers, onions, and garlic from Poiros Farms. Going back to basics  doesn't need to be too basic.

FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES

For Italians, like many Europeans, Christmas dinner's got nothing on the Christmas Eve feast, and in Southern Italy it's all about fish. The Little Italy Mercato on Christmas Eve morning will have all the ingredients you need for that celebration. Oysters, scallops, linguine with clam sauce, sardines, urchins, lobster and more: the Feast of the Seven Fishes is a tradition to warm the hearts of seafood lovers. Whether the seven varieties symbolize the Catholic sacraments or the seven virtues (or perhaps surrender to gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins) it's a delightful tradition. 

Choose your favorite fish from Poppas' Fresh Fish and the peppers from our newest farmer Proios Family Farm and try this Roasted Pepper Crab Soup, or use fresh pasta and olives from Lisko Imports, lemons from Polito Farms, and beans from Suncoast Farm and try Foodblogga Susan Russo's linguine with mixed seafood or tuna and olive pasta. For baccala (salt cod), stop by Mona Lisa on India Street. On Christmas Eve we all eat with the fishes.

OIL TOGETHER NOW

This is the third night of Hanukkah, so get to the North Park Farmers' Market and collect the farm fresh ingredients for your holiday meal.  A lot of people find Hanukkah to be a bit of a mystery: Why is it never the same time each year? Do you really get one present a night? If there are 8 nights of Hannukah why are there 9 candles on the menorah? (answers below)

Invited to a Hannukah celebration? Gift packs from California Olive make a beautiful hostess gift. Latkes, or potato pancakes, are fried in oil to honor the olive oil that burned for 8 nights to light the Temple. Use potatoes from Proios Family Farm or try a great beet latke variation with fresh beets from Suzie’s Farm or JR Organics. Think about using avocado oil for frying, it will let you get your latkes nice and crispy without smoking up your kitchen. Top with sour cream from Springhill farms and a simple applesauce from Smit Orchards apples. Serve warm whilst spinning dreidels. What’s a dreidel?

Oh yes, we promised you answers.Hanukkah is based on the lunisolar Jewish calendar. Traditionally, a few gifts are given on only one night of Hanukkah, but some families gift children every night. The extra candle on a menorah is a shamash, it’s lit first then used to light the rest of the candles. A drediel is a 4-sided top used to play a children's game, winning gold foil-covered chocolate money or gelt. Happy Hannukah!

DO GOOD BY EATING WELL

North Park area schools, like those all over San Diego (and beyond), are struggling with severe district budget cuts that threaten to cut staff and even close schools. Parents are rallying to contribute in any way they can, and  community members without school-age children can help too. The North Park farmers' Market is pitching in with Cash Crops.

Starting December 8th, San Diego Weekly Markets will rebate 5% of the dollars you spend at the North Park Farmers' Market to the local school of your choice. Just ask the farmers and vendors for receipt tickets when you shop, then deposit them in your school's bin at the Information Booth. Keep your grocery money in your neighborhood and help local kids. Amazing farm-fresh food is the icing on the cake.

SCHOOL. SHOPPING.

Pacific Beach schools, like those all over San Diego (and beyond), are struggling with district budget cuts and even threatened school closures. Parents are rallying to contribute in any way they can, and even community members without school-age children can help.

From now through at least the end of December, 2011, Discover Pacific Beach and San Diego Weekly Markets will rebate 5% of the dollars you spend at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market to the PB school of your choice. Just ask the farmers and vendors for receipt tickets when you shop, then deposit them in your school's bin at the Information Booth. Keep your grocery money in your neighborhood and help local kids. Amazing farm-fresh food is the icing on the take.

AN APPLE A DAY

Is there any easier way to eat healthy than tucking a crisp, juicy apple into your pocket before you leave the house each day? Smit Orchards and R&L Farms are bringing Gala, Fuji, and Pink Lady and more apples to your favorite farmers' markets this week. Keep a bowlful in your kitchen for a fresh solution to the snacking dilemma, or mix up this tasty slaw.

CARROT APPLE SLAW This is an easy dish to make, and it makes a great side or snack. Grab a couple firm apples, a small bunch of carrots from Suzie's Farm, a half cup each of raisins from Smit Orchards and Hopkins AG almonds. Peel and grate the carrots, grate the apples and crush the almonds roughly. Mix all the ingredients together with two tablespoons each of fresh lemon juice and local honey. Got it? Good.