Pittsburg Farmers Market Newsletter -- September 2013 (Ends: 10/26)

Posted:  30 Aug 13

On Fri, Aug 30, 2013 at 9:32 AM, Pacific Coast Farmers Markets
<Pacific_Coast_Farmers_Markets@mail.vresp.com> wrote:

Pittsburg Farmers' Market                 September 2013 Spotlight on September Fruit Grapes: Colorful, sweet and good for you, grapes are one of America's favorite fruits. Grapes came to California with the Spanish padres in the 1700s and, as settlers continued to arrive from Europe, other Old World grape varieties came, mostly as wine grapes. Table grapes became popular during the Gold Rush and fed the gold miners fresh fruit. Today, 99% of commercially grown table grapes are from California! More..... Pears: You can find both European pears and Asian pears in your farmers’ market this season. Bartletts, Bosc, Comice, and other varieties are available at the market. All these pears have a sweet buttery flavor with some acidic notes. The Asian pears ripen on the tree, can be eaten right after picking, and have a crisp texture with less acidity. Read more... Figs: Figs were brought to California by the Spanish missionary fathers who first planted them at the San Diego Mission in 1759. Fig trees were then planted at each succeeding mission, going North through California. The Mission fig, takes its name from this history. More info... Can It! Summer is at an end and all the wonderful peaches and nectarines, strawberries and raspberries, juicy tomatoes and peppers will soon be gone until next year. Sweet pears and crisp apples are here now, and persimmons will be here soon. If you want to save summer’s delicious flavors and enjoy fall’s fresh tastes, get out the canning jars and preserve the season’s best produce. Read more here... PCFMA celebrated its 25th Anniversary Open House on August 12, 2013. A good time was had by all! Photos left to right: Cookin' the Market demo; the PCFMA staff; PCFMA 25th Anniversary Garden; Board Secretary Mike Billigmeier and Director Emeritus Narsai David; the Fresh Cargo mobile market; food booths. More here--- Market Highlights From the Manager: Melon season will be over soon and we will be seeing the last of the peaches and nectarines, but tomatoes and peppers are still going strong. Don't forget to enter to win a brand new bike - it's become our yearly tradition! See you at the market! ---Eric Mario Lopez Farms: Awesome heirloom tomatoes and squash for some great grilling, big heads of gorgeous cauliflower and broccoli, yummy artichokes, fat potatoes and onions, and big red and golden beets for roasting or for salads. Nou Vang Farm: Interesting Asian produce and other fun eats like raw peanuts, jicama, kolhrabi, spinach, greens of all kinds, Chinese broccoli, daikon, lemongrass, and much more. Try some new tastes this year. Beckmann's Old World Bakery: Their whole grain and whole wheat breads are awesome, their marble rye to die for, and their cheese sourdough amazing. For a sweet treat try some of their pastries and shortcakes. Kernal Steve's Kettle Corn: A farmers' market staple, freshly popped sweet salty kettle corn. Watch as they pop it and enjoy a bag as you walk the market. Hummus Heaven: A wide variety of delicious flavored hummus like sundried tomato and roasted garlic, fresh baked pita bread and seasoned pita chips. Take some home for appetizers for your Labor Day gathering. Sunrise Nursery: A wonderful array of roses and colorful summer flowers like roses, carnations, lilies, alstroemerias, freezias, eucalyptus branches, and so much more. Market Events All month: Enter to win a brand new bike from Bay Area Bikes in Pittsburg, just in time to ride to school! September 7: The market will be closed for the day because of the Seafood Festival. September 14 & 28: Enter to win a big bag of fresh fruits and vegetables. September 21: East Bay Karate-Do will be showing off their karate moves at 10:30am and 11:30am. Come cheer them on! ►Keep up-to-date! Check the farmers’ market Facebook page for event updates or changes. Cookin' the Market - Chef Anna Buss Cranberry beans! Late summer to early fall is when we start to see beautiful varieties of beans enter the market.  Beans with splashes of pink and purple, yellow beans, green beans, and purple beans, oh my! Some you can eat fresh while others must be shelled and cooked. One of my favorite beans of the season is the cranberry bean. It stands out from the rest with the splatters of magenta that are embedded on the shell and bean. Unfortunately when cooked the pinkish hue dissipates, but the delicious nutty flavor makes up for the loss of color. To prepare, add the cranberry beans to boiling water for 20-25 minutes and make sure to taste them before draining the water. I like the beans to be tender but still hold their shape. They can be served at room temperature with a simple shallot dressing and herbs, tossed with pasta, or put into a soup. You can also buy cranberry beans in bulk, remove the outer shell and store them in their dried form in a cool, dark dry area to use throughout the winter. Look for them at your local Farmers’ Market! ►Look for recipes, cooking tips, tricks, and more on the Cookin' the Market Facebook page! September Recipes It's a great time to try some wonderful early fall produce in your recipes. Here are some sweet ideas! Grilled Figs with Goat Cheese Pan Seared Scallops with Grapes Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Sauce Pear, Squash, and Onion Gratin Roasted Pears with Goat Cheese & Pistachios In This Issue September Fruit Can it! 25th Anniversary Open House Fall Food Festivals A Good Read Market Highlights Market Events Cookin' the Market Locavore September Recipes What's in Season Fresh Approach Your Community Pittsburg Farmers' Market, Saturdays, 9am to 1pm, through October 26, Railroand and 6th St. Fall Food Festivals Lodi Grape Festival & Harvest Fair Thursday through Sunday, September 12 to 15, Lodi Fairgrounds. Food, wine, entertainment, competitions, and displays abound! National Heirloom Exposition Wednesday thru Friday, September 10 to 13, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa. See over 3,000 varieties of heirloom produce from every state. With more than 70 speakers and 250 natural food vendors, this is the world's largest heritage food event. The Exposition creates awareness on issues surrounding 'pure food' with proceeds from this not-for-profit event benefitting school gardens and other food programs. A Good Read Saving the Season by Kevin West. Over 220 canning and preserving recipes for sweet and savory jams, pickles, cordials, cocktails, candies, and more; plus 300 full-color photos. Good for the novice or the pro!  Fresh Approach Two Volunteers Already Top 50 Hours of Service in 2013! Congratulations and huge thanks to two of our volunteers who have each surpassed 50 hours of volunteer service to PCFMA and Fresh Approach in 2013: Larry Rao is a superstar volunteer. He regularly helps out at PCFMA's farmers' market in Vallejo and has even helped out at events in Richmond and Fairfield. John Geraghty is also a regular farmers' market volunteer who has quickly become a fixture at the Concord Farmers' Market on Tuesdays. Fresh Approach and PCFMA are incredibly thankful to Larry and John for their dedication and to all of our volunteers for all that they do every week to support our work and their communities. Locavore What gives a region its local personality? Its local character? Its local flavor? It is a combination of things like the surrounding landscape, the people, and the history of the area. One important factor is the local food. Washington is famous for for its apples, Wisconsin for its cheese, Idaho for potatoes, Maine for its lobster, Georgia for its peaches, and San Francisco for its sourdough bread and seafood. Local cuisine makes a city what it is. With exceptional chefs producing award-winning meals made from locally-grown, locally-sourced food, you can't help but feel lucky to live in the Bay Area. Think back to when Alice Waters had the revolutionary idea of eating sustainable and local! How things have changed! Listen to Alice Waters of Chez Panisse talking about local sustainable food. What's in Season Fruit: Apples, Asian pears, figs, grapes, melons, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, strawberries. Vegetables: Artichokes, beets, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, green beans, hot peppers, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, spinach, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes. Pittsburg Seafood Festival Saturday And Sunday, September 7 & 8, 10am to 6pm, Old Town Plaza. Seafood, entertainment, arts and crafts, beer and wine pavilion, and lots more. The market will be closed for the day. If you don't already receive this monthly email newsletter, sign up today! Forward this message to a friend         800.949.FARM         www.pcfma.com

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Pacific Coast Farmers Markets 5060 Commercial Circle, Ste. A Concord, California 94520

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