Thursday Market First Anniversary ~ July 1

It's been one whole year since we launched the Thursday market and we're celebrating! There will be cupcakes with candles, special one-time deals throughout the market, and a raffle for vendor goodies. We'll also be giving the first 111 people who come to the info booth one gift coin, worth $1 toward their next market purchase. See you at the party!

Farmers Market Cocktail Night: Summer Savory ~ July 7

Beyond the Bloody Mary and the dirty martini, we rarely find savory flavors in our cocktails. Yet with the market bursting at the seams with tomatoes, corn, and peppers, we'll be dedicating our next farmers market cocktail event to the savory flavors of summer. For $33, guests will enjoy two full-sized signature cocktails, taste eight sample-sized drinks and snack on bites from local restaurants. Buy tickets.

Shopping with Chefs

Over at 7x7 Magazine, CUESA Market Manager Lulu Meyer writes about shopping with some of the chefs who frequent the market. This week, she tours around with David Bazirgan of Chez Papa Resto, and witnesses a little pre-grill-off competition. Read more at 7x7

Eating Locally on a Budget ~ June 30

You really want to eat more local food, but you don't have the time or budget to do it all the time. If this sounds familiar, you will benefit from the collected wisdom of Bay Gourmet's panel of experts, who know how to eat locally year-round and not break the bank. Panelists include: Deborah Madison, author of What We Eat When We Eat Alone; Leda Meredith, Author, The Locavore's Handbook: The Busy Person's Guide to Eating Locally on a Budge; and Jessica Prentice, author of Full Moon Feast. Temra Costa, author of Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat, will moderate. Learn more.

Basic Food Gardening Class at Hayes Valley Farm

Antonio Roman-Alcalá will be teaching basic food gardening classes on July 15th, 22nd, and 29th. Come with questions and experiences to share about small scale vegetable production. Students will check up on the development of Hayes Valley Farm's first vegetable beds. Learn more.

 

Vote for the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market!

The American Farmland Trust is hosting its America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest again. Why not take 10 seconds and give the Ferry Plaza some love? It will love you back, three days a week, 52 weeks a year.

Congratulations, Urban Eats Contest Winners!

Pictured from the top, right to left: preserved food: Elizabeth Crane; garden basket: Alemany Farm; picnic basket: Eric Schaefer; pie: Irvin Lin; honey: Barbara Amato; eggs: Tim Savinar. Thanks to all our contest entries and our fabulous judges!

Saturday, June 26 ~ Sausage Grill-Off

12:00 pm - For the third year in a row, local chefs will face off in the market and vie for the title of Grill Master. Last year’s burger champion, Mark Sullivan of Spruce, will return to defend his title against Dave Bazirgan of Chez Papa Resto, Peter McNee of Poggio, and Thomas Odermatt of Roli Roti. Guests can also visit an education display about humane meat production, and a mini sausages from each chef will be available for a $2 donation (proceeds benefit CUESA). Takes place in the South Driveway.  Note: The Victoria Wise demo that was scheduled for today has been rescheduled to July 3.

Tuesday, June 29 ~ Food Wise Booth

12:30 - 1:30 pm - CUESA's Market Chef, Sarah Henkin, 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, July 3 ~ Market to Table

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Pauli Halstead, author of Cuisine for Whole Health

11:45 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Victoria Wise, author of Sausage and American Charcuterie

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

Here’s a quick breakdown on the biggest food news of the day, in a short, easily digestible form.

GMO Alfalfa Ruling Legitimizes Contamination Claims

The upshot: good news for anti-GM advocates: Monsanto is still can't sell genetically modified alfalfa.

As one of the primary feeds for dairy cows, alfalfa is a crucial part of the food system. The sale of genetically modified Roundup Ready alfalfa seeds (designed to withstand heavy applications of the powerful herbicide Roundup) concerns many sustainable food advocates — especially organic milk producers.

This week, in their first decision involving genetically modified crops, the Supreme Court ruled on a California case surrounding genetically modified alfalfa. Although, the ruling was initially reported in the mainstream media as a victory for Monsanto, which created and sold the seeds from 2005-2007, it's far more complicated. While the justices technically overturned an injunction on the sale of GMO alfalfa, they reaffirmed that its sale should remain contingent on an environmental impact study focused on cross-pollination and contamination.

The debate about contamination (i.e. whether genetic material can spread from GM crops to non-GM crops through cross-pollination) has long been at the core of the discussion of genetically engineered agriculture. And while companies like Monsanto have often claimed that contamination is not a risk, the Supreme Court now officially disagrees. "By ruling that that GM crops could cause environmental harm through cross-pollination," Barry Estabrook reported in the The Atlantic, the justices made "a decision that may have wide-reaching effects on future GM cases."

Related: 50 U.S. lawmakers ask USDA to deny biotech alfalfa, say organic dairy industry threatened

Methyl Iodide in the Spotlight

The upshot: Californians have 4 days to comment on the introduction of a noxious new pesticide.

The California food and farming community is up in arms over methyl iodide. The fumigant, which has been proposed for use in commercial strawberry farming to replace ozone-depleting methyl bromide, has many scientists, environmentalists and activists worried.

Just how toxic is methyl iodide? The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is proposing acceptable exposure at levels 96 parts per billion, but that's 120 times the .8 parts per billion the department’s own scientific review committee says is acceptable for farmworkers.

Methyl iodide is a neurotoxin, and its impact reaches far beyond the workers who come in direct contact with the substance. As Theodore Slotkin, a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University Medical Center and a member of DPR’s scientific review committee, told the New York Times: “Once out in the environment, neurotoxic chemicals like methyl iodide contribute to neurodevelopment disorders including learning disabilities, conduct disorders, autism spectrum disorders and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.”

At a State Senate hearing last week, dozens of activists showed up to deliver some 40,000 letters of opposition to the DPR proposal to Governor Schwarzenegger. Concerned consumers may submit comments until June 29.

School Lunch Upgrade On the Horizon?

The upshot: Congress is in the position to increase federal funding for school lunch for the first time since 1973.

Most healthy school lunch advocates say it would take at least a dollar per meal to reform the convoluted system of commodity dumping and overly processed foods that is the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). In the meantime, however, Congress is inching toward a partial solution.

In March, a bill passed through the Senate that would provide an additional 4.5 billion dollars toward school lunches and the infrastructure that supports them. In addition to six cents more per meal, the The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act includes farm-to-school programs and increased training for cafeteria workers.

In early June, a similar eight billion dollar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives. If passed, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act would also provide six more cents per meal, while expanding eligibility requirements and nutrition education.

The current status quo law has been in place since 2004, was extended for the last year, and – if neither of the above bills makes it through congress by September 30 – may be extended again.

See Kim O’Donnel’s useful School Food Cheat Sheet for an in-depth look at the issue.

More News Bites:

Comedian Colbert Takes up Farmworkers' Cause
In a tongue-in-cheek call for immigration reform, farmworkers are teaming up with comedian Stephen Colbert to challenge unemployed Americans: Come on, take our jobs.

You Get What You Pay For
A Pennsylvania farmers breaks down the cost of farmers market food.

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, June 26

Returning: Brooks and Daughters, Woodleaf Farm
Out: The Apple Farm, Critical Edge Knife Sharpening, Lagier Ranches

Tuesday, June 29

Returning: Shelly's Garden

Thursday, July 1

Returning: G&S Farms, Lucero Organic Farms

Returning and plentiful this month (weather willing): Nectarines, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, Armenian cucumbers, basil, corn, fresh shallots, Rocambole garlic, summer squash, Little Gem lettuce, haricots verts, snap peas, radishes, peppers, spinach, wax beans, cherries, cauliflower, beets, leeks, nopales, squash blossoms, artichokes, fresh herbs, pullet eggs, new potatoes, tomatillos, apricots, pickling cucumbers, fresh lavender, heirloom roses

Winding down/limited supply:
Blueberries, nettles, pastured eggs, hot house tomatoes, sour cherries

Value-added and vendor items not to be missed:
Heirloom tomato ketchup from June Taylor, leek and horseradish kraut from Farmhouse Culture, borage from Heirloom Organics, “DGC" cherries from K & J Orchards

Farms/vendors that may be returning this month (weather willing):
Green Gulch Farm (June 5), G & S Corn (June 19), Hunter Orchards, Candy Cot Fruit Company

New and returning Thursday Market Farmers and vendors:
Lucero Organic Farm, Farmhouse Culture, Hapa Ramen (June 17th)

Featured Recipes for June:

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

Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwiches with Salsa Verde from Sara Deseran, 7x7 Magazine

Broccoli Rabe on Toast with Tapenade and Goat's Milk Cheese from Cookbook author Deborah Madison

Strawberry Tart with Mint & Frisée Salad from Louis Maldonado, formerly of Cortez (now at Aziza)