Parking update

The Pier ½ parking lot adjacent to the Ferry Building has been closed for the foreseeable future due to public safety concerns. Fortunately, our markets are surrounded by convenient, affordable parking options. In addition to the lot at the corner of Embarcadero and Washington, Embarcadero Center Lots 3 & 4 now offer reduced priced parking on Saturdays with market validation. Beginning July 12, discounted Saturday market parking is also available at the Golden Gateway Garage, thanks to a partnership between the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority and the Port of San Francisco. The garage is at 250 Clay Street and has over 1,000 spaces. The validated Saturday rate will be $3 per day starting at 8 am. A validation stamp will be available at the market’s Information Booth. Don’t forget to take advantage of the free CUESA Veggie Valet, which allows you to leave your bags with us while you retrieve your car.
Download a list of all parking options >
Read a more detailed parking update >

Epicurious.com at the market

Epicurious.com, the website for people who love to eat, will be our special guest at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market all day on Tuesday, July 22 and Saturday, July 26. They are beginning their cross-country tour of 5 leading farmers' markets here in San Francisco. They will host a special educational display in our market where visitors can browse their online menus and recipes that showcase seasonal fruits and vegetables. They will also have recipes created especially for our region featuring products from growers in our markets. Finally, they will also distribute free tote bags including recipe cards to anyone who registers at www.epicurious.com.

Farmers in the news

Tory Farms was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle last week. Massa Organics was featured in the Los Angeles Times, and Greg Massa just wrote his first post for the Culinate blog.

Seasonal cooking classes ~ July and August

CUESA is partnering with the culinary team-building company Parties That Cook for a mini-series of hands-on cooking classes in our Dacor teaching kitchen. We are offering two types of classes—an evening, tapas-style format that includes wine (generously donated by tuttifoodie.com) for $45, and a lunch hour sandwich- and salad-focused class for $25. The two-hour Wednesday evening class focuses on five different tapas with a California-international flair: July 23, August 6 & 20, 6 - 8 pm. The one-hour Friday lunchtime classes highlight seasonal sandwiches and salads, such as lamb and pistachio burgers (or a veggie option of grilled portobella) with soft feta alongside a salad of watermelon, ricotta salata and pine nuts. August 1, 8 & 22, 12 - 1 pm. Click here to preview the menus for all 6 classes and to register >

Waste Wise tip of the week #8

Bring your own plate, cutlery, cloth napkin, and beverage container. Avoid single-use items whenever possible.

Waste Wise volunteers are needed every Tuesday and Saturday at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. E-mail ashleigh@cuesa.org for details.

Saturday, July 12 ~ Market to Table

10:30 am - Meet the producer

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Michael Dotson, Martins West (to open later this year)

10:00 am - 1:00 pm - Culinary information station
Featured food: orach
Location: South Driveway, near the Eatwell Farm stand

Tuesday, July 15 ~ Easy Market Meals

12:00, 12:30 and 1:00 pm - Seasonal cooking demonstrations
Annie Somerville of Greens Restaurant

Saturday, July 19 ~ Market to Table

10:30 am - Farmhouse cooks
Nancy Gammons of Four Sisters Farm will demonstrate recipes using vegetables grown on her farm. Nancy and her husband purchased a plot of land in Aromas and began farming in 1977. Their approach to farming has always been organic and ecological...MORE >

11:15 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Kimberly Ann Levin of Pasta Moon Ristorante

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

This week’s feature was written by Paula Jones, Director of Food Systems for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Now that the 2008 Farm Bill has become a law, we've closed another chapter in food policy. San Francisco and the Bay Area were a center for Farm Bill activism, and many individuals and groups became engaged in Farm Bill discussions for the first time.  

There is no disputing the importance of the Farm Bill in setting food policy for the country. However, it is by no means the only food policy that affects Bay Area residents. From the types of crops that are grown to the location of grocery stores, decisions made at every level of government determine the health, sustainability and equity of our food system. 

Federal Policy
In 2009 Congress will review the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. As the title implies, this law determines the amount of federal funding for nutrition programs for children, such as school lunches, summer lunch, nutrition in child care, and the WIC programs (Women, Infants and Children), including the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. These public food programs are critically underfunded, making basic operation difficult and the integration of sustainable food nearly impossible. The USDA will be holding a regional listening session in San Francisco on August 6, 2008 to gather public input on the funding of these federal nutrition assistance programs. They are also accepting public comments through their website.
Learn more about the USDA listening sessions>

State Policy
Nutrition- and agriculture-related bills are debated on a state level each year—and some become law. This year, the California Department of Food and Agriculture is gathering public input to develop a vision for California agriculture in 2030. This vision will be used to guide public policy and investment priorities for the next 20 years. You can email your comments through the end of July.  
Learn more about the California Agricultural Vision >

San Francisco Policy
Decisions around food policy are made throughout San Francisco city government. Listed below are some of the innovative food policies adopted by the City in recent years.

• Several groups were formed with the intent of giving City and school district officials recommendations on different aspects of food policy.  These include the Food Security Task Force, the Peak Oil Task Force, and the San Francisco Unified School District Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee. These groups meet on a regular basis, and the meetings are open to the public. 

• In June of 2005, the City passed resolutions declaring that it would maximize its purchases of organic and fair-trade certified foods.

• In January 2007, the City passed an ordinance requiring all farmers’ markets in the city to accept Food Stamp/EBT cards. This may be the only such ordinance in the country.

• In 2007-2008, the Mayor and the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families directed $500,000 to the school district for the introduction of salad bars at 25 San Francisco public schools.

• In March, the City passed a menu labeling ordinance that will require chain restaurants with more than 20 locations in California to post nutritional information on menu boards, menus, food tags, and also on posters, brochures or booklets. Last week the California Restaurant Association filed a lawsuit challenging the ordinance. Learn more> 

For a list of San Francisco’s existing food policies and other useful local food resources, check out www.sffood.org.  

Due to a growing awareness of the health, environmental, and justice issues related to food and agriculture, this is an exciting time to be developing policies and securing resources that will shape the future of the food system. Stay tuned for more food policy updates.

E-mail Paula Jones at Paula.jones@sfdph.org.

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

Saturday, July 12

In/returning: Apple Farm, Bernard Ranches, June Taylor Company, Knoll Farms, Marin Roots Farm, Payne Family Farm, Pt. Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Short Night Farm
Out: Hidden Star Orchards, Juniper Ridge

Tuesday, July 15

Out: Hidden Star Orchards

Returning this month (weather willing): Okra, figs, plums, field-grown tomatoes, melons, dahlias, new potatoes, peanuts, shelling and Romano beans, tomatillos, crabapples, grapes

Plentiful: Summer squash, nectarines, peaches, pluots, radishes, basil, sunflowers, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, garlic, onions, lettuces, French and green beans

Winding down/limited supply: Hot house tomatoes, apricots, cherries, blueberries, dates (they will return in September), rhubarb

Farms that may be coming in this month (weather willing): Little Organic Farm, Hunter Orchards, Short Night Farm, Payne Family Farm

Seasonal vendor items not to be missed: Albacore tuna lox sandwiches from Cap’n Mike’s, strawberry rhubarb fruit turnovers from Downtown Bakery, picnic hams from Fatted Calf, fresh boysenberry yogurt from St. Benoit Yogurt

Recipes for July

Cocktail ~ Midsummer Dream from Erick Castro, Chicago Fire

Fresh Fig and Green Tomato Salad with Basil from cookbook author Marie Simmons

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

Peach Melba from cookbook author Jeff Cox