Hop Dog Happy Hour ~ April 14

Hot dogs and cocktails? That’s right! Join CUESA and Marcia “the tablehopper” Gagliardi in celebrating the release of her new book "The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco" at the Hop Dog Happy Hour. You’ll be able to taste four top dogs featured in Marcia's book and hop between cocktail stations for tastes of delicious drinks. Tickets are $15. Marcia’s book will be for sale and she’ll be on hand to sign it for you (no charge for a mustard or ketchup stain). All proceeds will be generously donated to CUESA. Read about participating chefs and bartenders or buy tickets here.

Tantalizing Market Tapas Classes ~ Wednesdays,  April 7 and 21

CUESA and Parties That Cook present a series of hands-on cooking classes focusing on seasonal tapas with an international flair. The two-hour classes will take place in our teaching kitchen on three Wednesday nights this spring (April 7 and 21). Classes are $75 per person. Recipes include bacon-wrapped dried plums with blue cheese filling and Balsamic-honey glaze, miniature smoked salmon croque-monsieur sandwiches, and asparagus and green garlic trittata bites. Preview all three menus and register.

Work for CUESA Through JOBS NOW!

CUESA is now hiring a part-time Market & Event Assistant and a part-time Administrative Assistant through the special stimulus funding for San Francisco County's Jobs Now! program. To be eligible, you must be a San Francisco resident, have a child under the age of 18, and be unemployed or qualify as low income. Learn about the positions on the CUESA website or visit the JOBS NOW! site to apply.

Diet For a Hot Planet: A Book Talk And Reception With Anna Lappé ~ April 10

Anna Lappé’s latest book has a simple message: if we are serious about addressing climate change, we have to talk about food. Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It voices the dreams, tales, and warnings of the farmers and eaters at the front lines of the battle to keep the planet cool and explores the potential for sustainable agriculture to mitigate climate change. Mei Ling Hui, SF’s Urban Forest Coordinator, will speak briefly about the City's sustainable food policies and efforts to address climate change. Come hear more about this important and timely work, and find out how your food choices make a difference. Learn more or buy tickets. Read a recent Washington Post article about Lappé.

Beyond Local and Organic: The Human Cost of Food ~ April 7

Ever wonder if your food sustains those who grew it? Want to learn more about the labor costs in food production? Want to understand how farmers are integrating their economic and social goals into their business models and compensation structures? Join Green Café Network, Mission Pie, James Cochran, founder and owner of Swanton Berry Farm; and Ned Conwell, co-owner of Blue House Farm for an evening of discussion and exploration. The event is next Wednesday, at 6:30 pm at Mission Pie. A $5-10 donation requested; no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Mayor's Executive Directive on Sustainable Food Moving Ahead

In case you missed this recent article in the SF Chronicle, it's an inspiring update on the executive directive that Gavin Newsom released last year: Mayor's agriculture plan soon to bear fruit.

Saturday, March 27 ~ Market to Table

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Lorna Sass, author of Cooking Under Pressure

11:45 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Dominique Crenn, Luce

Tuesday, March 30 ~ Food Wise Booth

12:30 - 1:30 pm - Sarah Henkin, CUESA's market chef, will give out recipe cards and samples of a simple meal made with market ingredients. She'll also be on hand to offer advice for all your seasonal meal planning.

Saturday, April 3 ~ Market to Table

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Lauren Kiino, Il Cane Rosso

All programs take place in CUESA's Dacor teaching kitchen, in front of the Ferry Building on the north side.

Shortcut: Go straight to the photo tour of three Southern CA farms.

How do you define local food? Is it grown 100 miles away? 200 miles? We hear this question all the time here at CUESA and, frankly, we're less interested in establishing one definition of “local food” than we are in helping people become critical thinkers, engaged with what they eat. Food miles are an important part of the sustainability puzzle. However, it’s also crucial to look closely at the practices farmers and other producers employ (Do they conserve resources, improve the quality of the environment, and treat their workers well?), the viability of small farms and businesses, the survival of rural communities (many of whom are more that 200 miles away from the nearest urban area), and the preservation of farmland.  

The majority of the farms that sell in the Ferry Plaza farmers market are located within 200 miles of San Francisco. But, if you’ve ever taken a look at our farm map, you’ll notice there are a few growers down in the southern part of the state. Some of these farms grow foods that need a warmer climate to thrive such as dates, citrus, and avocados. Some provide farmers with a range of growing climates that allow them to keep up with chefs and customers’ demands for a year-round supply of vegetables. One thing’s for sure: they all exist in areas with a rich agricultural heritage that is rapidly being paved over to make way for suburban sprawl.

Our Southern California farms don’t tend to get much of CUESA’s attention; they’re too far to visit on farm tours and the farmers involved don’t make it to market very often. So when CUESA’s Director of Operations, Dexter Carmichael, was down in San Diego for the Small California Farm Conference recently, he decided to pay a visit to three “southland” farms: Flying Disc Ranch, a date farm; Bernard Ranches, a citrus and avocado farm; and the second location of Star Route Farms, where a variety of vegetables are grown.

Dexter took some great photos while he was down there; join him for a photo tour of these three farms >

This is the most up-to-date information about which sellers will be attending the market as of Friday. If there are no changes to a seller's status, they will not be listed. You'll find a list of which farmers regularly attend each market here. Please understand that there are often last-minute changes—it's the nature of farming!

Saturday, March 27

Returning: Thomas Farm, Apple Farm, Madison Growers (with hot house cucumbers & tomatoes), The Peach Farm (with lilacs), Yerena Farms

Tuesday, March 30

Returning: Peach Farm, Yerena Farms
Out: County Line Harvest

Thursday, April 1

Out: County Line Harvest

Returning or plentiful this month: Fennel, pea greens, raw olives, English peas, lilacs, fava beans, hyacinth, parrot tulips, rhubarb, spinach, asparagus, avocados, green garlic, spring onions, nettles, broccoli, rapini greens, artichokes, baby turnips, carrots, fresh goat cheeses, goat meat, pastured eggs, plant starts and maybe strawberries

Winding down/limited supply: kiwi, Brussels sprouts, cherimoyas, shallots, some citrus varieties like Cara Cara oranges and satsumas

Farms that will be returning this month (weather willing): Bodega & Yerba Santa Goat Cheese, White Crane Springs Ranch, Madison Growers, The Peach Farm (with lilacs!), Happy Quail Farms

Featured recipes for March

Shaved Fennel and Pistachio Salad from Aïda Mollenkamp, formerly of CHOW

Spring Greens Puree with Homemade Sourdough Crackers from Jessica Prentice, Wise Food Ways

Asparagus Breakfast Pudding with Green Garlic and Fontina from Bibby Gignilliat, Parties that Cook

Radish Green Soup from Sarah Henkin, CUESA's market chef