north park farmers' market

Cool off the summer nights by squeezing fresh citrus from the North Park Farmers’ Market.  Bearss limes (also known as Tahiti Limes) from Paradise Valley Ranch, have a slightly spicy, fragrant aroma that makes a delicious limeade, especially with few crushed mint leaves from Suzie’s Farm. They'd also be great for these Indian Lime Pickles. In fact, if you get these into production, please take our Vendor 101 class and let us help you establish a creative pickle booth at local farmers' markets. But we digress. We were talking about citrus.

Oro blancos from Gilbert Quintos are a hybrid of grapefruits and pomelos that are sweeter, lower in acidity and lack the characteristic bitterness of other grapefruits.  Juice a couple for breakfast. If R&L Farms gives you Eureka lemons, make lemonade!  Sweeten it with orange blossom honey from Meljess Bees for a great flavor; add pureed strawberries from JR Organics or blackberries and blueberries from Smit for a splash of color.  Take it squeezy!

Buy fresh sweet basil from Suzie’s Farm or Valdivia Farm at the North Park Farmers’ Market and lend its lovely aroma to fruit, vegetable, cheese and pasta dishes each Thursday. You’re probably already imagining ripe tomatoes from JR Organics mixed with chopped basil and spread over bruschetta of toasted slices Belen Bakery’s ciabatta rubbed with California Olive new truffle oil. What says summer like simple plates of basil, tomatoes and sinful fresh burrata from Taste Cheese? Try fresh linguine from Lisko Imports topped with homemade basil pesto.

Basil also gets friendly with fresh summer fruits: try a salad of fresh greens from Maciel Farm topped with sliced peaches from Smit Orchards, a little chevre from Nicolau Farms and a healthy handful of freshly chopped basil. Use strawberries from Kawano Farm and Eureka lemons from Paradise Valley Ranch in this strawberry-basil lemonade or add an apple for this summery Sangria. Basil’s in season throughout the summer, so add a little basil-dazzle to dinner tonight!

BACK IN BALANCE
We're guessing you spent Thanksgiving taking time to acknowledge gratitude for family and friends, the relative comfort and safety we live in, and our many other blessings. Just looking around the North Park Farmers' Market makes us thankful for harvest abundance.

So often though, the holiday seems tied to gluttony. If you overate last week, you're not alone. But it's simple to tip the scales back by lightening up this week. Take a quick trip to the farmers' market on Thursday to get some fresh air, enjoy the live music and shop for the ingredients to get your eating back on track.

Pick up a jug of Green Fix and sip a fresh green smoothie for breakfast. Use any last turkey leftovers to make a Cobb Salad for lunch, with hard-boiled farm fresh eggs and avocado from Paradise Valley Ranch on a bed of leafy greens and tomatoes from JR Organics with a light creamy dressing made with Springhill Farms' Quark. Grill a lean piece of chicken from Da Le Ranch for dinner, with some steamed baby squash from Valdivia Family Farm and new cauliflower from Suzie's Farm. Enjoy a baked apple from R&L Farms for dessert. See? All back in balance.

Are you wanting to make fresh, healthy dinners but feel overwhelmed by picking out ingredients and putting it all together?? Really, its not that hard if you visit the farmers' market to take advantage of Chard! JR Organics has beautiful, leavy bunches of red, yellow, and white chard now that is bursting with vitamins, carotenes, chlorophyll, and iron. Not to mention it yields delicous brackish flavors and when cooked the leaves release a sweet aftertaste.

A simple recipe for dinner is to toss some freshmade pasta (Lisko Imports has some delectable handmade fettucines of all flavors) with olive oil, lemon juice, a bit of minced garlic and steamed or sauteed swiss chard. Or try adding a little zest to your breakfast omelets by adding a few stalks of boiled chard. With Autumn really setting in, it's always a welcome idea to cook ahead and make a creamy "beans & greens" soup for take away lunches or easy dinners. Make sure to pick up some cremini mushrooms from Kawano Farms, a bundle of chard, some pecorino cheese from Taste for grating on the top, and some sprouted black eyed peas from Suzie's. Season with olive oil, garlic, and maybe add some thick cut bacon from Da Le Ranch to infuse more flavor into the broth while your soup cooks down. 

Enjoy! It's easy!

Broccoli is beginning to blossom again in San Diego and you'll find beautiful florets, stalks, and leaves at our Thursday evening farmers' market in North Park. One of the most nourishing and delicous of cruciferous vegetables, broccoli can make everyone happy and you can use it in many types of dishes.

Toss pasta with olive oil from Bari's (did you know they grow and process all their own olives?), roasted pine nuts or almonds and steamed "hapy rich" broccoli florets from Suzie's Farm. This is one of the most sweet and tender varieites you'll find at the market. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste and enjoy it as is. Simple. Or, purée cooked broccoli with a few zucchinis, then combine with some fingerling potatoes from Produce Stand and perhaps a few herbs of your choice from JR Organics to make a simple, yet delicious, soup.

Broccoli is super fun. Steam the stems and rub with butter from Spring Hill Chese, fresh lemon juice and garlic from R&L Farm. Add a few black olives from Lisko for an awesome appetizer. Broccoli fills you with vitamins, fiber, and anti-inflammatory flavanoids, so you're covered, for better or for worse, when it comes to staying healthy... 

Sometimes foods with fancy names are just that- fancy names with little or no flavor. But when you hear the words "creamy, farmstead goat chevre", at the North Park Farmers' Market, we're talking serious flavor with serious luxury. Surprisingly, there's quite a few folks who have no idea about the magic deliciousness of goat cheese. It's lavish, creamy, rich, and slightly tangy. Like cream cheese, but 100% more real and savoury. It's the perfect ingredient for taking your already incredible dishes up to the top of your household favorites list. 

Make the most of fall and use up the scraped out flesh from all your pumpkins for a creamy, sensational Goat Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake that is sure to satiate your sweet-tooth. Pick up a fresh block of goat cheese from Nicolau Farms and a gorgeous pumpkin from Produce Stand or JR organics. Combine with fragrant spices like nutmeg cinnamon, and fresh vanilla for the perfect fall flavors.

Goat cheese adds complexity and pizazz to any appetizer, especially when combined with other pungeant cheeses. Try making an oven baked tomato tart at home for your next gathering. Layer fresh roma tomatoes from Valdivia Farms on a thinly sliced loaf of sourdough bread from Belen Bakery. Drizzle garlic inflused olive oil from Bari's with fresh black olives from Lisko Imports and top with grated parmeseand cheese from Taste Cheese. Add a few sprigs of thyme from Suzie's to round out the flavors as it bakes, and you've got an impressive, flavor filled side dish. 

Or maybe a simple, decadent salad is more appealing to you- Take home some locally raised bacon from Da Le Ranch, and saute it with sweet purple bell peppers from Suzie's and crimini mushrooms from Kawano Farm and layer it all upon a bed of fresh spinach and shaved goat cheddar from Spring Hill Cheese. 

Summer's gone and there's no better way to honor the season by turning out all your favorite squash recipes, saying goodbye, and welcoming Fall. The North Park Farmers' Market is teeming with summer squash and other ingredients that will knock your socks off! 

Casseroles are always crowd pleasers- they feed the masses and leave you with loveable leftovers. Try mixing some delicious goat-cheese feta from Nicolau Farmstead with thinly sliced "eight ball" squash from Suzie's Farm and a few cloves of garlic and some green onions from the Produce Stand. Can you say perfection!?

Who can say no to fresh baked zucchini bread? It’s like cake but with half the guilt! Add dried bing cherries from Smit Orchards and a handful of toasted almonds from Hopkins AG, bake just until the loaf browns to keep it moist and sweet. You’re sure to find loads of new “friends” once the smells from your kitchen reach the street. 

How about trying an easy, raw zucchini salad? Pick a few dark green zucchinis, sweet carrots from JR Farms, and bright bell peppers from Suzie's. Grate them into a bowl, add salt and cider vinegar to coat, toss with Bari's garlic olive oil and juicy cherry tomatoes from Kawano Farms for a simple salad that's portable, fresh, and good for you!