Pacific Beach Farmers' Market Blog

ZYMURGY

What to do with the incredible bounty of rich, delicious fruits and vegetables from the summer and fall? Preserve! Ferment! Savor! Food fermentation has many benefits:
Fermented food enriches the diet by developing diverse flavors, aromas, and textures in food substrates. Imagine the flavors of spicy kimchi, soy sauce, sauerkraut, fresh yogurt, peppery dill pickles, and crispy pickled turnips, beets, or cauliflower.

Fermentation and canning preserves substantial amounts of food that might otherwise go to waste. (That means it's ok to buy a lot of food at the market every week- you'll have more to pickle!) Biologically, fermentation enriches food substrates with protein, essential amino acids, and vitamins. Plus, it decreases cooking times and fuel requirements for healthy foods. 

Mark and Rebecca Stogsdill, owners of Happy Pantry, have recently changed their whole product line, now offering raw, naturally fermented pickles, kimchis, krauts, and veggies. You can find a smattering of delicious options at their stall every week at our markets.

Visit us this Tuesday at the Pacific Beach Farmers' Market to take home the last of summer's delicate fruits and veggies. Chop up those extra carrots and cucumbers from JR Organics, add some salt, seal them in beautiful glass jars, and enjoy those rich flavors all year round! Take home the sweet remains of yellow and white corn from Kawano Farms, gorgeous red and green sweet peppers from Suzie's, and gorgeous okra from the Produce Stand.

GET TO THE GREEK!

Need some quick recipes for dinner? Want something light, refreshing, and easy? Now's the best time to head to the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers Market and stock up on all sorts of fresh Mediterranean ingredients to put together your best Greek family dinner yet.

Greek Saganaki is a savory traditional side dish that brings everyone together before a meal. Try a different twist and pan fry fresh slices of goat-feta cheese from Nicolau Farms. Arrange on a platter with juicy, sweet slices of San Marzano tomatoes from Suzie's Farm and lemon wedges. Or make your own tasty Skardalia dip using one pound of russet potatoes from Produce Stand, a few fresh cloves of garlic from Maciel & Family, and half a cup of raw almonds from Hopkins AG. Cook the potatoes, roast the almonds and blend together with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and enjoy with some fresh pita bread from Baba Foods.

You can't go wrong by making a huge Greek salad to share with friends and neighbors. Stop by JR Organics for a few heads of crunchy romaine lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, and red onions. Add a few hungarian hot wax peppers from Suzie's Farm to give it a kick. Crumble in some feta cheese from Nicolau and top it off with some Kalamata olives from Lisko imports. Serve with a chilled glass of white wine, or use coffee from Agora Bean & Leaf to float the traditional three coffee beans in a glass of Sambuca ...the Greeks were always known for their decadence, weren't they?

September just so happens to be national honey month, and we're celebrating at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market. Given the fact that the average American consumes around 1.5 pounds of honey every year, it's time to give those hard working honey bees some well deserved praise. Honey goes well with just about anything - and the farmers' market is just the place to stock up on delicious, local varieties from Mikolich Honey and Produce Stand farm, as well as all the goodies you can imagine to pair with it.

Using Kawano Farms' big, bold eggplants, try drizzling eggplant fritters with an orange blossom honey for a new and interesting appetizer. Or if you're looking for something more sweet and creamy, mix a few tablespoons of lavender honey with the creamy goat chevre from Nicolau Farms and use it as a dip with fresh Gala apples from Smit Orchards or pair it with freshly baked cinammon bread from Belen Bakery. 

If you’re stocked up on fruit, dairy products, and meat that might rapidly go bad in a power outage (funny, didn't that just happen?) use honey as a natural, quick acting food preservative. The high concentration of glucose in honey forces the water out of any yeast or bacteria cells that could otherwise contaminate food. Take those too-ripe-to-eat peaches and plums from Lone Oak Ranch and make your own fruit compote to remind you of summer’s sweetness all year round. Mix your leftover goat cheeses or soft goudas with a tablespoon of honey from Mikolich to prolong it for a few extra days. Cure any uncooked pieces of meat from Son Rise Ranch  in honey to protect it from developing bacteria.

However you use it, be sure to sport your local honey tee- shirt from Locally Grown Clothing and spread the word of the incredible magic of honey. 

SPICE IT UP SAN DIEGO

Let's face it- people in California love Southwestern food. And in our small San Diego corner of the world, that means any fusion of ingredients that Spaniards, cowboys, Native Americans and Mexicans might have noshed on. The Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmer's Market is bursting with ingredients for you to satiate those taste buds and get creative with your own Southwestern cuisine.

If you haven't already tried a sample, Bitchin' Sauce offers a spicy chipotle sauce that you can smother over just about anything. Make yourself a Southwestern breakfast bowl with fresh black eyed peas from JR Organics and diced tomatoes from Kawano Farms. Add a couple of sliced jalapenos from Suzie's Farm, and creamy chunks of Reed avocados from Paradise Valley Ranch. You can add farm fresh poached eggs from The Produce Stand and top it off with chopped cilantro from Maciel & Family.

When you need a simple afternoon snack, reach for a handful of Smoked Chipotle almonds from Hopkins AG to give you that spicy kick you need to make it to dinner. Too hungry to cook when you're done shopping the market? Take a pack of locally-made Gourmet Tamales, have a Salvadorean pupusa, or stop by the Olive Oil Cafe stand to order their incredible Southwestern Sandwich, stacked tall with sliced turkey, pepper jack cheese, spinach, jalapenos and a homemade chipotle aioli. Ole!