The image of Eliza Doolittle getting schooled by Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady comes to mind as I peruse the Chicago Tribune’s 10 things not to say at the farmer’s market. (My fave is “how come these carrots have dirt on them?”)
My short list of how to shop at farmers markets is:
Brace yourself for higher prices than you may be used to. However if you shop at mainstream supermarkets, honestly the prices could be very similar. Build into the price that you know where the produce came from; it was just picked; and it likely has many more nutrients than the older produce.
If price is keeping you away, show up at the end of the market when you might be able to get produce cheaper. Many markets take “food stamps” cards too.
Enjoy the market as if you took a trip. It’s a free way to connect to your community, good food, and the season.
Ask questions. You’re meeting the growers, or people who work for the growers. This is your chance to learn about food and growing.
October 2011: Finger limes were featured in Food Network magazine! Many people are writing to me to ask where to get them. You can buy them from Shanley Farms. Click here to order.
Do you remember the first time you saw a fuzzy brown egg-shaped fruit and wondered if you could eat the skin? Cutting it open to see the glistening green flesh with small black seeds? That first taste of a kiwi fruit, whether under-ripe and sour, or just perfect with a hint of strawberry?
When a citrus grower recently brought a few California-grown Australian Finger Limes – undersized like tiny fingers – to a party, cut them open, and squeezed out sacs of “lime juice caviar” … well, weeks have passed and we’re still obsessed.
Lime caviar on the rim of a cocktail; eaten straight from the lime; on frozen yogurt…our minds reeled. The juice sacs pop, which makes them the ultimate in nature’s molecular gastronomy much like a pomegranate but without the hard seed thingy.
Yet as I roved around Los Angeles spreading the word to local bartenders, the L.A. Times broke the story.
I took a special trip to the Santa Monica Wednesday farmer’s market where I met the Shanleys, among the first to introduce California grown finger limes, which they planted just a few years ago, to the market now that the trees have matured.
Want Finger Limes?
This variety of lime is still very new, in limited production. I have a few on hand (in Berkeley) for any bars or restaurants who want to experience them firsthand!
Thousands ate real, learned, and ate some more at the 2nd Eat Real Festival in Oakland’s Jack London Square. My highlights:
The simple act of making butter by shaking up a jar of Organic Valley whipping cream. 5 minutes later – soft butter! Talk about cheap and easy entertainment for a children’s party. And for me of course.
I’d always wondered why if Organic Valley sourced from local farms why I saw them in cities all over the country. It turns their model is to source locally. The cartons indicate where the milk is from. Who’s your farmer? (dude) Great slogan.
Avedano’s goat butchering demo drew throngs of people who wondered if the goat was starting out alive or had already kicked the bucket and was merely present to be parceled into cookable parts. (The latter)
In fact, this scene is an everyday occurrence at Avedano’s market in Bernal Heights / San Francisco where they butcher your meat just behind the registers, old world style.
Happy Girl Kitchen‘s hands on sauerkraut making demo left many satisfied makers with jars full of freshly chopped cabbage full of spice and vinegar, waiting their “surface phenomenon.” Left with instructions to press it daily, for weeks, it was the perfect “eat real” example of what goes into good food. Would be fun to know the result of everyone’s krauting!
James of Blue Bottle Coffee and his able Chemex-brewing team entertained a crowd of coffee aficionados, toasting coffee beans at 400-500 degrees to show how you too can instantly start roasting coffee…preferably outdoors due to smoke.
Crowds descended on the dixie cup coffee samples.
For green beans, he recommends Sweet Marias locally. Which reminds me of when I was looking into home roasting 10 years ago…still to be done!
On the first beautiful evening, Friday, it seemed 8 ice cream makers lined Jack London’s path, each with their own twist. Smitten’s home made dry ice contraption machined out of cool steel parts will be sure to please crowds of kids when their store
opens.
And another benefit of eating food from small companies: A few weeks ago I wrote to Straus Creamery about their ice cream. At the fest I met the girl who wrote back to me. How cool is that. (A: That she wrote back. B: That they’re so small she was wo-manning the booth.)
Long Chairman Bao lines persisted throughout the weekend. Sunday morning before they opened at least 30 people stood in line. I even met repeat customers. If only Chinatown’s bao / dim sum makers a few blocks away had seen this. What is the magic?
Larry from Let’s Be Frank shared his travails of sourcing sustainably produced pork. Very few slaughterhouses remain and getting fewer everyday. A big business opp for anyone who is up to the task!
Why Eat Real was Great
Wonderful mix of farmers (highlight was a new peach variety discovery), food makers, mobile food trucks, demos, beverages. Something for everyone.
Volunteering to survey event goers, it was interesting to get feedback firsthand. One guy hit it on the head: the Eat Real fest seemed truly like a community event - without standard commercial sponsorship messages. Any sponsors like Whole Foods integrated well and added interesting educational components through demos and workshops.
Changing vendors over the 3 day period kept the festival interesting with a reason to come back.
Water filling stations provided a nice way to get clean water without the bottles.
Free! An utterly diverse group of people in age, ethnicity, and demographics clustered together discovering and learning, which was the ultimate goal for Eat Real.
And the weather surely cooperated and showed off Jack London Square in all its glory.
Next year: Did everyone from San Francisco know what a perfect experience it would be to ferry over from the ferry building? Even though I live in the east bay the idea of approaching this festival from the water sounds so luscious I may ferry for fun next year!
The Pop Up Store table tempted me to sign up to set up a shop for 1/2 an hour, like an “un-food fest” underground style setup. I love this idea, for people who have proof they’ve made their food in a safe way, to be able to share or sell it in this random way.
What were your highlights or what you’d like to see?
ForageSF organized another successful underground food market. This first east bay market took place in an Oakland parking lot on 24th street near Broadway. Hungry and curious foodies waited for new and different tastes, in a line that was much shorter than previous San Francisco events, thanks to the gloriously airy outdoor parking lot.
Read more in my post on Oakland Local. In the meantime, experience my banana cream tart and other foods…
Los Angeles has almost as many farmers’ markets as citrus varieties. Having been to a bunch of markets over the weekend, I thought I’d share my thoughts if you’re in a quandry…especially after hearing about yet another awesome sounding market, from Sandra of Embrace Sweets who was at the Larchmont Market:
If you are in town Thursday evening, you should plan to visit the Yamashiro Farmers Market in the Hollywood Hills. It’s from 5-9 pm, a lot of fantastic vendors – unlike the traditional markets. It’s more of a community gathering, lots of tables and chairs to meet up with friends, they have wine tasting, pairing, buy by the glass or bottle, great hot foods, a great view of Los Angeles; we share a booth with an Australian coffee company, jazz band and open mic for other musicians to come in perform.” (In particular she raved about Vinyl Soul.)
On Saturdays the Santa Monica market is a classic, although I was truly surprised to see it only 2 blocks long this week.
Sundays are a tough choice. Just a few of your options:
At the 4 block long Hollywood Farmers’ Market you can discover the new pastries and preserves from Valerie Confections; goat cheese from Soledad Goats (now also at Beverly Hills; the cheese in olive oil is a MUST try) and lots of great produce, honey, nuts, and even couture clothing.Avila Farms‘ new pistachio, pecan, and other nuts butters they make from their nuts are a must try. They’re going to be ramping up production soon. Plus there’s the market cafe, which I have yet to experience.
A market in Beverly Hills on Little Santa Monica behind the police station often has petting zoos and live music. If you haven’t had Bolani from East & West Afghan Gourmet, based in the Bay Area, I’d trip here for a taste.
A small market in Larchmont Village has a nice selection of fresh produce and a few stands I hadn’t seen elsewhere, including sun tea.
Visit the Mar Vista market where my friends of p.o.p. candy often sell their freshly made butter crunch and you’ll find great granola and other treats, in this small market.
If you haven’t gotten enough, trip on over to Venice where you’ll find a market packed with beach goers and locals. Be sure to try Basil Tops pesto. They grow their own basil. Yum. (Also now at Hollywood.)
This is a small smattering of available markets that can keep you well fed and loaded up with fresh fruit, ready to eat avocados, and plenty of delicious breads and pastries.
For food entrepreneurs and the people who love them, Susie Wyshak--consultant, author & speaker--writes about successful food businesses; observations on trends and customer experience; and, offers ideas from her travels and encounters with makers, farmers, and experts. Pin It
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