Little Italy Mercato

BAKE A BATCH O' BRUSSELS!

San Diego doesn’t have much of a winter compared to some cities, but the nights are still cool this time of year and it’s a great time for roasting winter vegetables in the oven. FInd my favorite, Brussels sprouts, at Suncoast Farm at the Little Italy Mercato. Grab some sweet yellow onions from Schaner Farms. The sprouts are rumored to be loaded with healthy glucosinolates and other things I can’t pronounce, but I eat them because they taste good, and they taste even better with bacon from DaLe Ranch.  
Fry up a couple slices of bacon, barely trim the ends and then cut the sprouts in half, slice the onions, and toss sprouts and onions in a little  bacon fat before roasting them in the oven at about 300 degrees until they turn soft and begin to brown. Sliced shitake mushrooms from Kawano Farms' booth or candy stripe beets from Maciel Farms make great additions, just roast them together with the other vegetables.  Leave the oven door open to warm up the house while you enjoy the sprouts as a side dish, or maybe over some fresh pasta from Lisko Imports as an entree. If you don’t dine on swine, skip the bacon and use a little California olive oil from Marion’s Olive Oil.
 

Another way to warm up with sprouts is to add them to soups or stews; they add a great flavor and a little crunch to any potato soup.  Roasted sprouts are also a fantastic item for dipping in fondue, and Taste Cheese just got in some great Alpine cheeses if you’re considering that route. When the evening chill creeps into your house, don’t say brrr, say brrrussels sprouts!

Broccoli is beginning to blossom again in San Diego and you'll find beautiful florets, stalks, and leaves at many of our farmers' stalls at the Little Italy Mercato. One of the most nourishing and delicous of cruciferous vegetables, broccoli can make everyone happy and you can use it in many types of dishes. 

Toss pasta with olive oil from Falcone's, roasted pine nuts or almonds and steamed "hapy rich" broccoli florets from Suzie's Farm. This is one of the most sweet and tender varieites you'll find at the market. Add a bit of black truffle salt from Salt Farm. Or purée cooked Japanese broccolli from Vang Farm, then combine with a few fingerling potatoes from Weiser Farms and perhaps a few herbs of your choice to make a simple, yet delicious, soup.

Broccoli is super fun. Steam the stems and rub with butter from Spring Hill Chese, fresh lemon juice and garlic from Schaner's Farm. Add a few black olives from Lisko for an awesome appetizer. Broccoli fills you with vitamins, fiber, and anti-inflammatory flavanoids, so you're covered, for better or for worse, when it comes to staying healthy...

Though its still definitely appropriate to don your homes, hearths, and patios with colorful squash and scattered fall decorations, Halloween has come and gone and it might be time to pitch your pumpkins and use up all the guts for some home baked goodies. If you're running behind and still need to pick up an orange beauty, come out to the Mercato next saturday morning and gather your goods from some of our lovely vendors.

Autumn calls us to flavors like allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. You can make some pretty fantastic pumpkin oatmeal cookies using all farmers market ingredients. Use organic, cooked pumpkin from Schaner's Farm or Suzie's Farm, raisins or dried apricots from Smit Orchards, walnuts from Terra Bella Ranch and a bit of sweet granola from Granola Girl to give them some texture. 

Or perhaps you want to go a little more gourmet and serve something savory AND sweet? How about a pumpkin-inspired bruschetta? Trust us, it's worth it. Combine fresh arugula from Sage Mountain Farm and crumbled goat cheese from Nicolau Farms with fresh squeezed lemon juice and a dash of Phil's honey from the folks at Marion's Olive Oil. Toss together with cooked pumpkin pulp, chopped red onions, a bit of your favorite vinaigrette and spread generously over sliced and toasted french bread from Bread & Cie. Top with roasted pumpkin seeds and a hint of curry and cinnamon. 

Are youwanting to make fresh, healthy dinners but feel overwhelmed by picking out ingredients and putting it all together?? Really, its not that hard if you visit the farmers' market to take advantage of Chard! JR Organics and Vang Farms have beautiful, leavy bunches of red, yellow, and white chard that is bursting with vitamins, carotenes, chlorophyll, and iron. Not to mention it yields delicous brackish flavors and when cooked the leaves release a sweet aftertaste. 

A simple recipe for dinner is to toss some freshmade pasta (Lisko Imports has some delectable handmade fettucines of all flavors) with olive oil, lemon juice, a bit of minced garlic and steamed or sauteed swiss chard. Or try adding a little zest to your breakfast omelets by adding a few stalks of boiled chard. With Autumn really setting in, it's always a welcome idea to cook ahead and make a creamy "beans& greens" soup for ake away lunches. Try this recipe, and make sure to pick up some dried beans from the folks at Sustainable Pantry or Suncoast Farms, a bit of your favorite pesto from Basiltops, and some fresh goat feta cheese from Nicolau Farms. 

From jewelry, crafts, and housewares, to coffee, tea, and chocolate, the Little Italy Mercato carrries quite an array of fair trade goods. But what is fair trade, and how can you support the people who grow, create, and sells these products?

Fair trade means more than giving a decent wage to the farmers and workers who produce products throughout the world. It's more about creating partnerships that reciprocate benefits and respect between producers and consumers. It represents an ethical system of exchange, empowering producers to create sustainable and positive change for their families, their communities, and their economy. 

So, while you're shopping at the market this weekend, take a moment to visit vendors like Seven Hopes United, who sell fair trade gifts and housewares. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea rom Cafe Virtuoso or Joe's On the Nose, knowing that the flavor you taste and the purchase you make goes far beyond the community of San Diego. 

Or maybe you're in the mood for some chocolate? Head on down towards Kettner to visit Eclispe Chocolate and take home some of their fine, artisan fair trade chocolate. Make dessert, or serve it to your friends at your next gathering, knowing that you're supporting a sustainable product. 

And keep shopping with all of our vendors, from locally grown vegetables and fruit  to naturally raised meats, homemade sauces and pastries. Your support sustains not only the growth and success of our market, but directly impacts the lives of our farmers and vendors. Thank you!

Why is it a natural reaction so say "oh that's so cute"  whenever you see something that is smaller than it normally should be (like baby chickens, Smart cars, or those itsy bitsy Mexican gherkin cucumbers)? If the cucumbers got you, you'll be sure to fall hard for this season's tiny Cipollini onions at the Little Italy Mercato. Sweet and elegant, Cipollinis add amazing balance and richness to any dish. You can find some of the cutest little ones at Schaner Farms this weekend, and head home with them to make a tasty, full bodied Fall salad. 

Buy a few heirloom potatoes from Sage Mountain Farm and one or two stalks of sweet, fragrant fennel from Suzie's. Dice the onions and halve the potatoes, sauteeing them both in a Tuscan Herb Roasted Olive oil from Gianni Fine Foods. Add a bit of vegetable stock, and flat leaf parsley from JR Organics, let it simmer until the potatoes are soft. Then drain most of the liquid (saving it for your next soup, of course!), dust with a grating of Spring Hill Goat Cheddar, and serve warm, with salt and pepper to taste. 

If you want the pure flavor of the onions, roasting them with a bit of balsamic vinegar and thyme is an excellent option as well. This way, you can pair the onions with meat, chicken, or fish, or simply have an incredibly flavorful side dish to accompany soups or salads during these cooler nights. 

Cooler days call for cooler veggies, and you can bet that you'll be seeing a huge variety of Winter greens beginning to peek their heads from all corners of the Little Italy Mercato. Tatsoi is an amazing Asian cabbage that has small, heart-shaped, green leaves. It is beautiful in all salads, and tastes strong and spicy, similiar to mustard greens. Mizuna, another Japanese green has graceful feathery leaves and a similar peppery flavor. Both are worth seeking out, and you can find bunches for sale at JR Organics, Vang Farms, and Suzie's Farm. 

To coax your kids (or your friends) into using diferent, seasonal veggies, try making Pancetta, Mizuna, and Tomato sandwiches. Grab some pancetta (or regular bacon) from Da Le Ranch, a few slicing tomatoes from Kawano Farm, and a fresh baked loaf of brioche from Patisserie Du Soleil. Layer the ingredients together, drizzle a bit of aioli or garlic infused olive oil, and enjoy the refreshing sensations of fresh flavor. Your tongue and your tummy will thank you!

Kick it up a notch this week with a quick dinner packed with nutrients and fall flavor. Using 1-2 cups each of chopped tatsoi and mizuna leaves, fresh sliced cucumbers and green onions from Sage Mountain Farm, create a green-sesame stir fry, topped with baked teriyaki chicken from Spur Valley Ranch or roasted eggplant from Schaner Farms with a sweet tahini- dressing.

Sometimes foods with fancy names are just that- fancy names with little or no flavor. But when you hear the words "creamy, farmstead goat chevre", at the Little Italy Mercato, we don't mess around. We're talking serious flavor matched with serious luxury. Surprisingly, there's quite a few folks who have no idea about the magic deliciousness of goat cheese. It's lavish, creamy, rich, and slightly tangy. Like cream cheese, but 100% more real and savoury. 

Make the most of fall and use up the scraped out flesh from all your pumpkins for a creamy, sensational Goat Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake that is sure to satiate your sweet-tooth. Pick up a fresh block of goat cheese from Nicolau Farms and a gorgeous Jack-o-lantern pumpkin from JR organics or a Cinderella pumpkin from Suzie's. Combine with fragrant spices like nutmeg cinnamon, and fresh vanilla from Just Spice to create perfect fall flavors.

Goat cheese adds complexity and pizazz to any appetizer, especially when combined with other pungeant cheeses. Try making an oven baked tomato tart at home for your next gathering. Layer fresh slices of heirloom tomatoes from Tom King Farms on a thinly sliced loaf of sourdough bread from Bread and Cie. Drizzle garlic inflused olive oil from Gianni's with fresh black olives from Lisko Imports and top with grated parmesean cheese from Taste Cheese. Add a few sprigs of thyme from Suzie's to round out the flavors as it bakes, and you've got an impressive, flavor filled side dish.

Or maybe a simple, decadent salad is more appealing to you- Take home some locally raised bacon from Da Le Ranch, and saute it with sweet purple bell peppers from Suzie's and crimini mushrooms from Kawano Farm. Layer it all upon a bed of fresh spinach and red onions from Schaner Farms, and shaved goat cheddar from Spring Hill Cheese.  

Seems that with the change of season comes lots of sneezin'. But although your grandmother might have just wanted to cook and dote on you when you came down with the flu, there's some truth to how fresh vegetables and warm soups do wonders for sick bodies. Stock up this week at the Little Italy Mercato on all your staple, seasonal ingredients for some homemade, good for the soul soups and stews.

Here's a delicious, nourishing stew from Carolyn Kates blog, "Cooking with Suzie's Farm CSA". Chopped zucchini, shelled Dragon Tongue Beans and sauteed eggplant give you nourishing nutrients and spices to calm the runny noses and sore throats, with plenty of flavor to perk you up. You can gather onions, garlic, and scallions from Schaner Farms, giant shiny eggplant and sizeable, sweet tomatoes from Rodney Farms, zucchini, parsley, and of course those gorgeous dragon tongue beans from Suzie's.

If you want to try a twist on the classic chicken soup, try this spicy Tomatillo Chicken Stew. Tomatillos resemble small green tomatoes with delicate, thin paper surrounding their flesh. Roast them with one or two jalapenos, depending on your spice threshold, and you've got the beginnings of an incredibly delicious stew that the whole family will enjoy. Sage Mountain Farm or Suzie's Farm both have yummy tomatillos, JR Organics offers spicy chili wreaths and you can pick up fresh cilantro and other leafy greens to add from Vang Farms.

For chicken, try taking home the whole bird from Spur Valley Ranch and use any additional meat throughout the week for other homecooked meals.

PRESERVATION FALL

The art of preserving and fermenting food is not a new trend, but more people are doing it again as a way to eat well, save money, create flavorful gifts, and extend the natural seasonal variety of local foods. Luckily, San Diego happens to be one of those unique and magic places where pretty much everything grows all the time; however there are subtle seasons, and their presence avails none the less. We are charged with the responsibility and the pleasure of doing our best to enjoy the "fruits of our labors" year round. Can you imagine not having any strawberry jam for your toast on those chilly winter mornings? Or forgoing the sweet tang of tomatoes for nine long months?

Whether you are an experienced jam maker, a novice at hosting pickle parties, or a professional sauce sifter, "Preservation Fall" is an event you do not want to miss. On Saturday, October 22nd, the Little Italy Mercato is celebrating the fall harvest season in full colors.

Join Mark Stogsdill, owner of Happy Pantry; Jen Barthell from the Neighborhood Foodie; and Austin Durant from The Fermenters Club for fermentation and preservation demonstrations at the Amici Park amphitheater in the heart of the Mercato. From 9:30-12:30pm, participants to the free event will learn canning basics and will be able to buy canning products to preserve at home, along with an assortment of pickled treats, jams, sauces and veggies to eat or give as gifts.