Visit farms this summer!

What better way to learn more about your food than to get up close and personal with the land and people that produce it? CUESA is organizing several summer farm tours, so mark your calendar and keep an eye on next week's e-letter for more dates and details.

Sunday, July 22, 9 am to 6pm
Explore two delicious coastal harvests in one day! Visit Far West Fungi's indoor farm in Moss Landing and learn about the fascinating process of growing gourmet mushrooms. Then walk the fields of Yerena Farms with Apolinar Yerena and hear about how he tends his 17 acres of strawberries, raspberries, tayberries, and blackberries near Castroville.

Sunday, September 16, 8:30 am to 5 pm
Journey to the land of milk and honey! Visit the jersey cows of Spring Hill Cheese and the Petaluma creamery where their milk is made into cheese. Then travel on to American Canyon to see some of the bees that make Marshall's Farm Natural Honey, and learn about every step of honey making, from flower to hive to table.

New reduced-rate Saturday parking option

Our neighbors across the street at the Embarcadero Center are changing their weekend parking garage fee structure to provide better rates for Saturday shoppers. Beginning Saturday, June 30, Embarcadero Center fees will be $3/hr beginning at 7 am, with up to 4 hours free after 10 am with a minimum $5 validated purchase at any Embarcadero Center business (this does not include the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market). Although their website will not list these new prices until next week, you can find maps and specific lot locations by clicking here.

Saturday, June 23 ~ Market to Table events

10:30 am - Meet the farmer

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Bridget Batson and David Gingrass of Two

12 pm - Talk and book signing
Nina Planck, author of Real Food: What to Eat and Why

Tuesday, June 26 ~ Easy Market Meals

11:45 am, 12:15 pm, 12:45 pm & 1:15 pm - Chef Earl Shaddix will demonstrate recipes for Berry Vinaigrettes, Grilled Peaches with fresh Ricotta and Honey, and Peach Chutney using the seasonal, regional ingredients that can be found at the Tuesday market.

Saturday, June 30 ~ Berry Festival

10:30 am - Meet the Farmer
Joe Schirmer of Dirty Girl Produce will tell about his experience growing strawberries and vegetables organically.

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Samin Nosrat of Eccolo Restaurant will share recipes for two simple desserts that highlight the intense flavors of summer berries.

11 am to 1 pm - Berry discovery station
Can you tell a tayberry from an olallieberry? Stretch your mind with our berry quiz and treat your palate to a tasting of the diverse berries grown by our region’s farms. Visit our education table for berry recipes, cultivation information, sustainability issues and fun facts. (South Driveway, near Eatwell Farm)

All events take place in our Dacor teaching kitchen in the arcade north of the Ferry Building's clock tower unless otherwise noted.

Yesterday, solstice marked the official close of spring, but at the farmers’ market it has felt like summer for over a month. Due to exceptionally dry and warm weather, many crops have entered the market weeks earlier than usual. Here is some of what to look forward to from now until the autumnal equinox at the end of September:

Berries – California’s extremely brief blueberry season will be over by early July, but tayberries, blackberries, raspberries, and boysenberries should be available throughout the summer. Blissfully long strawberry harvests will continue into autumn.

Stone fruits – This season has been especially good for stone fruits, the harvest of which seems to be more abundant and flavorful than in any recent year. Apricot and cherry harvests will soon come to a close, but more than 75 varieties of plums, peaches, nectarines, and various crosses have yet to appear.

Other fruits – In July, expect more varieties of figs and the season’s first melons. Grape, apple and cactus fruit harvests will begin in August as will most nut harvests. By the end of summer, pear and other autumn fruit harvests will begin.

Vegetables – Recent entrants to the market include garlic scapes, green beans, peanuts and field-grown cucumbers and bell peppers. We are also starting to see the first Early Girl, Roma and cherry tomatoes; field-grown reds and heirlooms usually follow a few weeks behind. Other crops in the Nightshade family--potatoes, tomatillos, and eggplant--should be abundant by the end of July. Tender summer squashes and their delicate blossoms will be available throughout the summer. Corn arrived in early June and will be harvested into September; look for a bit more organic corn this year at the Catalan Family Farm stall.

Salmon – June has been a dismal month for local wild salmon availability. Even without restrictions, it would have been nearly impossible for fisherpeople to venture out on exceptionally windy local waters. Beginning in July, when the area right off our coast opens, we can hope to see more salmon for sale at the Shogun Fish Company stall.

Herbs – Cilantro, sage, sorrel, savory, chives, lemon balm, parsley, rose geranium, mint, anise hyssop, lemon verbena, lavender, basil, lemongrass, and chamomile, are just a few of the herbs that will be available.

Flowers – Zinnias, sunflowers, lavender, amaranth, calliopsis, and dahlias will be sold throughout the summer.

See you at the market!

This is the most up-to-date information about which sellers will and won't be attending the market as of Friday, when we send this letter. If there are no changes to a seller's status, they will not be listed. To find out which farmers regularly attend each market, click here. Please understand that there are often last minute changes--it's the nature of farming!

Saturday, June 23

In/Returning: Bernard Ranches, Hunter Orchards, Tierra Vegetables
Out: Elston Family Farm (for the season), Paoletti Farms (for the season), The Apple Farm, Balakian Farms

Tuesday, June 26

Out: Ella Bella Farm
Note: Critical Edge Knife Sharpening may be out due to jury duty!