Tickets still available for the hands-on artisanal cocktail class ~ May 16

Learn to make 2 spring drinks with acclaimed bartender and author Scott Beattie, and hear about small batch distilling from Lou Bustamante of St. George Spirits and Hangar One Vodka. Scott will personally instruct each guest on techniques including side recipes, garnishes, foams, rim sugars and salts. Drinks will feature Hangar One vodka and fresh, seasonal fruit from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Scott's book, Artisanal Cocktails: Drinks Inspired by the Seasons from the Bar at Cyrus, will also be available for sale. Buy tickets >

Local chefs and farmers pair up at Macy's ~ May 20

CUESA and Macy's are teaming up for the third year in a row to present Get Green cooking demos, featuring farmers from Ferry Plaza and local chefs. Kristie Knoll of Knoll Farms and Jamie Lauren of Absinthe will discuss small-scale, sustainable food production before Jamie cooks up something delicious with Knoll's late spring greens. A $10 donation to CUESA will get you a seat at the demonstration, a sample of the featured dish, and a glass of wine from Benziger Family Winery. Seating is first-come, first-served starting at 5:30 pm at the Macy's Union Square Cellar kitchen.

Our annual Spring Breakfast
by the Bay ~ June 6

Delight in spring's abundance and the people who bring it to us each week as you dine on breakfast prepared by Hayes Street Grill and CUESA's market chef. Farmers and food artisans will be at the table to share stories about the food they grow and make.  By joining us, you help keep our cooking programs free, our farm tours affordable, and expand our reach in promoting a sustainable food system. Learn more >

Nourish screening ~ May 28

Catch Nourish: Food + Community before it airs on PBS by attending a screening at the new David Brower Center in Berkeley on May 28. The documentary aims to "open a broad public conversation about our food system that encourages citizen engagement, particularly among young people and families." It also features several Ferry Plaza farmers. The screening will be followed by a panel of special guests: chef and author Bryant Terry; organic farmer Nigel Walker; Dr. Nadine Burke, pediatrician; and filmmaker Kirk Bergstrom. RSVP or learn more about the film here >

Saturday, May 9 ~ Market to Table

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Leif Hedendal, Local chef

11:45 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Dr. Preston Maring and Jessie Price, authors of Eating Well in Season: The Farmers' Market Cookbook

Tuesday, May 12 ~ Food Wise Booth

12:00 - 1:00 pm - Sarah Henkin, CUESA's market chef, will be giving out recipe cards and samples of a simple meal made with market ingredients. She'll also be available to offer advice on all your seasonal meal planning.

Saturday, May 16 ~ Market to Table

11:45 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Bryant Terry, author of Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine

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

CUESA's latest vendor tour took us to Petaluma, where two acclaimed Ferry Plaza artisans shine. Missed it? Take a photo tour.

Cowgirl Creamery

Cowgirl Creamery has certainly grown in the last several years, but our time at their new Petaluma facility reaffirmed these artisans' commitment to slow, sustainable growth. Having more space does mean larger batches, but founders Sue Conley and Peggy Smith still ensure that a lot of the work is done by hand. Cowgirl sources all of their milk from Straus Family Creamery, slow pasteurizes the milk, and carefully ages the cheese the old fashioned way. "We're making as many Mt. Tam [cheeses] as we want to make," said Sue as she led the group around the space. "If we grow, it'll be so we can develop more new cheeses [like "Buckaroo," the soft Asiago they intend to introduce this year that was conceived to be easy for chefs to work with and will have a lower price point]. We never want to be a factory."

Della Fattoria

A visit to the Della Fattoria bakery is like a visit to someone's home. That might be because the bakery was literally built over what was once owners Kathleen and Ed Weber's deck, adjacent to their home. The house and bakery sit on a gorgeous piece of land that was once an egg farm on the outskirts of Petaluma. The bakery is a small, efficient operation built around two wood-fired ovens and family's appreciation for high quality food (Kathleen's son Aaron now oversees the bakery and her daughter Elisa runs their downtown cafe). The next time we taste their bread, we'll probably all be reminded of what it was like to meet the whole Della Fattoria family (including two helpful grandsons and seven dogs) and sit down to dinner at the long wooden table in their front yard.

See more photos of the tour on Flickr >

Photos by Barry Jan

This is the most up-to-date information about which sellers will be attending the market as of Wednesday May 6. 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, May 9

In: Critical Edge, Elston Family Farm, Juniper Ridge, Kashiwase Farms, Mountain Ranch Organically Grown, Rainbow Mountain Orchards, Vicolo Pizza
Out: Apple Farm, Bernard Ranches, Happy Quail Farms

Tuesday, May 12

In: Triple Delight Blueberries

Returning and plentiful this month (weather willing):
Fresh shallots, summer squash, squash blossoms, Cipollini onions, cherries, blueberries, apricots, raspberries, basil, heirloom roses, sardines, English peas, snap peas, snow peas, strawberries, Stockton red onions, baby root vegetables, lettuces, celery, fresh herbs, fava beans, fennel, artichokes, rapini, pastured eggs, cardoons, spring onions, goat cheese

Winding down/limited supply:
Asparagus, potatoes, citrus, braising greens, nettles, Japanese maples, pastured chicken (will become plentiful in early June)

Value Added and Vendor items not to be missed:
Sauerkraut from Happy Girl Kitchen, smoked sweet onions from Tierra Vegetables, garlic quark from Spring Hill Cheese

Farms/Vendors that may be returning this month (weather willing):
Shogun Fish Co., Triple Delight Blueberries, Paoletti Farms, Kashiwase Farms

Featured Recipes for May:
Creamy Artichoke Soup from Sarah Henkin, CUESA's market chef (April 2009)

Fava Beans & Strawberry Salad with Pecorino from Chris Cosentino, Incanto Restaurant and Bar

Capellini with Julienned Zucchini & Yellow Squash from Ben deVries, Luella Restaurant

Cocktail ~ Blue Bonnet from Joel Baker, Bourbon and Branch (May 14, 2008)