pacific beach tuesday farmers' market

CORN AGAIN!

Farmer Rodney Kawano is bringing the season’s first fresh, sweet summer corn from the Imperial Valley to the Pacific Beach Farmers’ Market this Tuesday.  Toss a few ears on the grill and slather them with butter from Springhill Cheese Company for a hot summer snack.  Slice off the kernels, blend them with a little soup stock and serve chilled for a cool corn soup; garnish with sprigs of fresh basil from Suzie’s Farm.  Sautee sweet corn in Hot Bistro Oil from Bistro Blends and add a handful of chopped epazote from Gilbert Quintos for a sizzling side dish.  Mix corn with cilantro, green onion and Anaheim chiles from JR Organics for a sweet and spicy salsa.  Pick up pastured eggs from Paradise Valley and organic cheddar cheese from Springhill for this fantastic corn pudding, or grab avocados from John Gilruth and tomatoes from JR for this avocado and grilled corn salad.  Let us know what you like to do with fresh California grown corn, we’d love to hear your suggestions - in fact, we’re all ears!

Ok, so we don't have anyone selling chestnuts at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market. But we do have farmers with tables and baskets full of dazzling vegetables on display ready to be roasted, steamed, chopped up and made into all sorts of savory and beautiful dishes. Think of it as buying ornaments for your table, only they're edible, sustainable and tasty!

JR Organics sells kolhrabi, radishes in every shade of red, and golden beets. Suzie's Farm now has the glamorous green romanesco cauliflower. Simply chop them all up, drizzle them with a bit of California Olive Oil and roast them in the oven until they get crispy. Add fresh herbs - rosemary, thyme, and parsley are good options - at the end for a bit of fresh flavor. 

Carrots often get overlooked in lieu of more seasonal, strange root vegetables. But don't forget to take advantage of that deep orange or purple color. Maciel & Family have enormous organic carrots and beets. Steam them or boil them until tender, toss them with some garlic quark from Spring Hill Cheese and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar from Bistro Blends for a creamy side dish.

Black Friday has come and gone, but the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market happens all year round and supports local artists and farmers.  If you missed the initial holiday madness, you can still find dozens of gifts at the market for everyone on your list.  

Think outside of electronics and flashy dashy gifts from the mall and shop for something more personal- you can find sustainable and hand crafted goods from many of our vendors. Remind the ones you love how sweet they are with miniature honey bears or beeswax candles from Mikolich Honey. Have a wine lover in the family? Give them a colorful, hand crafted bottle stopper or wine cradle from Conte Bella Vino Gifts.

With family in and out of town and all the end of year busyness, there is potential for high stress. So offer yourself and your friends healing lotions and bath salts from Botanicology or soothing massage oils from Keys Creek Lavender Farm.

You can share the gift of locally made, fair trade goods at your next neighborhood holiday party by bringing a gift package of olive oils and aged vinegars from California Olive Oil or perhaps offering your favorite blend of loose leaf teas or coffee from Agora Bean & Leaf.
Enjoy shopping at the market with the lights twinkling down the streets and the spirit of giving before you. 

You know those greens you find in certain salads with really assertive flavors, like peppery arugula or bitter endive and dandelion? When paired with sweet citrus fruits like oranges, ripe pears or crunchy apples, and figs, you change the flavor experience of your daily dinner salad from great to sensational. Roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans) bring out the even more sweetness in the greens. There are endless possible variations on this theme, especially if you account for dressings and oils or other heavier decorations. If you're hankering for something fresh, tasty, and not overly saturating, try combinging fresh arugula from Suzie's Farm with Valencia oranges from Paradise Valley Ranch, and roasted almonds from Hopkins AG. Or, for an easy lunch salad, combine frisee (that curly, fancy looking lettuce at Suzie's), with quartered ripe apples, toasted pumpkin seeds from the gorgeous varieties available at Maciel & Family, then top it with thin sheets of tender slices of beef that you can pick up from Son Rise Ranch and cook until they're perfectly roasted and juicy. 

SIMPLE. SEASONAL. SOUP

Face it- Fall is here, and as much as you love the warm afternoons, you're craving the chilly mornings and the darker nights because you know they beckon warm, simmering soups and heartier, family meals. So, do as the peasants do: head to the Pacific Beach Tuesday farmers' market after work to gather a few staple, seasonal ingredients, head home to your loved ones, and share some delicious, warming recipes that don't cost you an arm and a leg.

Potato and Tuscan Kale Soup


Use fresh Italian chicken sausage from Son Rise Ranch, browned and sauteed, to spice this incredibly simple "peasant" soup. Cook russet or sweet potatoes from Produce Stand in chicken broth with fresh garlic and onions from Maciel Family Farms. Stir in chopped kale from Suzie's, and add a bit of fresh pressed olive oil from Bari's to round out the taste. Season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for a few minutes to tenderize the kale and bring out all the flavors.

Butternut Squash Soup and Carmelized Pears
For a sweeter soup, opt for using roasted butternut squash. Suzie's Farm offers petite or "family size" squash to fit everyone's needs.

Start by sauteeing leeks in hot pan with olive oil. Add diced squash, water, and fresh spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until the squash begins to soften. While the soup is cooling, halve a few sweet Asian pears from Lone Oak Ranch and sautee them, slowly, in grapeseed oil or butter. Lower the heat, adding a bit of fresh maple syrup, cinnamon, and balsamic vinegar. Cook until pears are soft. Then all you have to do is puree the squash mixture, reheat before serving, and garnish with beautiful, tender caramelized pears. Don't forget to serve warm, fresh baked soda or dark rye bread from Belen Bakery to sop up all the leftovers....

Lack of surf got you down and out lately? No worries, man! If you're searching for swell around Pacific Beach, you'll find waves of food, fun, and people at our Tuesday Farmers' Market.

Before you paddle out, sip on some hot Pacific Coast Mint tea from Agora Bean + Leaf. Snack on a bowl of homemade, toasted granola from Safari Crunch with ripe peaches and plums from Lone Oak Ranch, or pick up fresh baked banana bread from Sugar and Scribe to give you that energy boost you need! On your way back from the beach, you can smack your lips on a bunch of sweet, royal flame grapes from Smit Orchards, raw almonds from Hopkins AG, or fill up with a savory, turkey filled Southwestern sandwich from the folks at Olive Oil Cafe. No matter what the waves are doing, we'll always have great eats, and great treats to keep you fueled up for whenever those big ones roll in! 

Watermelon Gazpacho

JR Organics is impressing us at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market with ripe golden yellow melons and Kawano Farms offers some super sweet baby reds.You can make a watermelon salad, serve it up in standard, succulent slices, or use it as a canteen for your favorite mixed beverage! (Even early world explorers like Magellan used melons this way, come on!)

It's time to try on watermelon gazpacho this week and dazzle your friends at your next dinner gathering. Ready? GO! There are nearly 1,200 varieties of watermelon, so this dish could always have new flavors. Grab one or two sweet watermelons to start. Dice the melon (sans rind) and one medium sized Armenian cucumber from Suzie's Farm. Add freshly chopped red bell peppers, mint, and parsley from your favorite farmers, a dash of aged balsamic vinegar from Gianni's and one minced shallot. Drizzle with olive oil from Bari, and a hint of sea salt from Salt Farm.

PS: Go ahead and make yourself a double batch- seems to run out quickly on these hot days!!