Open Letter to Farmers Marketeers

Greetings, Marketeers -

You might not know it from the weather report these past days, but it is true, true.  We are heading for winter, to long deep nights, cold days,  and rain blessed rain. And as demonstrated for the first few weeks of this month, The Coastside Farmers Markets of Half Moon Bay and Pacifica will be at your service, wind, rain or shine, right up to and including December 20th this season. 

Yes, that's right! 3 extra weeks to pluck persimmons, peruse pomegranates, and admire apples. Then pick up a few of each along with some Harley Farms chevre , some of the Ciponerri's dried cherries, toss with a bit of Big Paw's Apricot - Lavender vinegar over shredded fennel and you've got a fall salad that stands as a dazzling counterpoint to a pumpkin curry that seriously warms your cockles.  And speaking of sensory swings -  the heat spike that followed the early cold snap and rains has resulted in a blast of raspberries that are now back in the Market along with new crop sweet potatoes, and just plucked walnuts.  MIx those walnuts with some chunks of sweet potatoes, and sauteed onions and bake them for 30 minutes and I am here to tell you, and follow it up with a raspberry/apple crisp and you are taking a ride on Love's Roller Coaster.

Finally -this is one of the few places on the planet that you can get winter squash AND squash blossoms at the same time, which means that if you have famous squash blossom buns like I do, why whip up a batch for breakfast, and garnish them with pomegranate jelly jewelry.    I'll have the recipe at the Market this week - so come on by and pick up a copy along with your Thanksgiving dinner delights -

We do have so much to be grateful for - the beautiful place we live, the gorgeous food that grows here, the goodhearted and hardworking people that harvest it for us, the ocean that sustains and inspires our spirits.   We here at the Coastside Farmer's Markets are blessed to have such a dedicated cadre of Marketeers, and we are so grateful for your support.  We have a great group of sponsors too, without whom we'd be seriously challenged in these very challenging times. A special thanks is due to Suzann Getchell Wallace of Coldwell-Banker/Fahy Properties, our great neighbors in our Rockaway Beach location for giving us access to electricity so we can Keep the Lights on for you and the musicians warm during the evenings in our Pacifica location.   And as ever, we are thankful to Franco an Connie Carrubba for the donation of the Shoreline Station location in Half Moon Bay, and we are especially glad on these chilly mornings of late that Pippo makes such a good cup of coffee right there in the Riacce Cafe!  And, I always get a tiny little cookie and a kiss on both cheeks along with it, and I am grateful for that too. Warms me right up just thinking about it.

Thanks a bushel and a bunch - and we'll see you at the Market!

Erin Tormey
Coastside Farmers Markets

May to December 20, 2008

In Half Moon Bay @ Shoreline Station
Saturdays, 9 am to 1 pm •

In Pacifica @ Rockaway Beach
Wednesdays, 2:30 -6:30pm

Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from a corn field.
Dwight D. Eisenhower