Posted by Jen Maiser, June 23, 2008 at 5:30 PM
Sometimes, it takes being away from my hometown farmers market for a week or two to really appreciate the turn in season.
I spent last week in Portland and visited the PSU Farmers Market, one of my favorite markets in the country. The PSU market was full of piles of porcini mushrooms, rhubarb and berries. The market vibe in Portland is like no other—a combination of completely relaxed mixed with a serious foodie vibe. I browsed through the market eating a Sol Pops paleta: cucumber, chile and lime-flavored.
Returning to San Francisco this week, I noticed that our market had switched from spring into early summer. Gone are most signs of spring, replaced with an abundance of early summer fruit.
I was most excited to find figs at the market. The figs were available from Knoll Farms, a farm in Brentwood that is about 60 miles from the market.
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Posted by Jen Maiser, May 13, 2008 at 11:15 AM
One of the joys of spring in San Francisco is the many types of greens that are available. In addition to regular greens like spinach, arugula, and romaine, the farmers' market is a terrific place to find greens that are not quite so common.
As much as I love spring peas, I am horribly selective about them. I taste pea after pea and then eventually settle on a few pounds per season that I deem sweet enough without the telltale starch that proves it was not picked that morning.
Luckily, pea greens are available from several local farmers, and they satisfy that sweet pea flavor in the form of a green that can be eaten raw or sautéed. My dinner tonight will be consisting of roasted chicken with a side of pea greens sautéed with green garlic, peanut oil and soy sauce.
Another green that is becoming more common in our market is fava greens, which can be treated much in the same way. Walking through the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market this weekend, I also spied beet greens and even radish greens, which make a delicious spicy pesto.
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