Menu of appetizers for CUESA's Sunday Supper ~ September 30

Here is a sneak peak of some of the appetizers that will be served during the reception at our upcoming Sunday Supper fundraiser on September 30. This year, we have extended the reception to 90 minutes so that guests have ample time to sample all the delicious dishes below, as well as enjoy beer from Bison Brewery, a special farmers' market cocktail from Hangar One Vodka, and wines from Hess, Trinitas Cellars, St. Supery, and Domaine Chandon. To allow more folks to join in the celebration, we are offering a reception-only ticket this year. We sincerely hope you can join us! Click here to find out more >

Sondra Bernstein & John Toulze, the girl & the fig
Miniature Fig and Arugula Pissaladiere

Chris Cosentino, Incanto
Lambetta

Joseph Boness & David Coleman, Alembic
Sautéed Chard and Kale with Goat Cheese and Apple Cider Vinaigrette 

Taylor Boetticher & Toponia Miller, Fatted Calf
Potato and Apple Boudin Noir Galette with Calvados and Crème Frâiche 

Jeremy Emmerson, Seasons Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco
Warm Skinny Duck Salad with Beans

Thom Fox, ACME Chophouse
Bresaola with Field Greens Bundles and Goat Cheese 

Keith Hammerich, City College of San Francisco
Seared Day-boat Scallops with Miso Barbeque Sauce, Rice Cracker, Toasted Sesame Seeds, and Beet Sprouts

Bruce Hill, Bix
La Quercia Proscuitto and Melon

Yasuhiro Iwata, Delica rf-1
Tuna Sashimi with Wasabi Spring Rolls

Russell Jackson, SubCulture Dining Project
Sous Vide Bacalao

Leland Jung, Alive! Vegetarian Cuisine
Avocado Chocolate Mousse with Candy Cap Mushroom Cream

Joseph Manzare, Tres Agaves
Albondigas w/ Queso Fresco and Crema 

Scott Sasaki, Garibaldi's
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Crispy Oyster

Michael Weller, California Culinary Academy
Wild Mushroom and Cheese Tart

Phil West, Range
Sheep's Milk Ricotta with Tomatoes and Sea Salt

Attention market shoppers!

Please help us out by completing the following five-question (one minute) anonymous survey to let us know when you shop at our farmers' market and how you get here. Click here to begin >

Local chefs and farmers pair up at Macy's

The second installment of the Macy's Get Green series, produced in partnership with CUESA and featuring Stan Devoto of Devoto Gardens, is set for Wednesday, September 5. Click here for details >

Gastronomy by the Bay

From August 31 to September 3, the first in a series of international gourmet food festivals taking place around the world will be held at the Ferry Building. Coordinated by CCN World (Chef Culinary Network), Gastronomy by the Bay will bring together chefs, restaurateurs and others in the food world to discuss new culinary trends. In conjunction with the event, Gastronomy by the Bay will be co-sponsoring our regular Saturday programming, with demonstrations by local chefs Mark Dommen and Roland Passot. There will be additional culinary demonstrations in our teaching kitchen on Sunday and Monday. Click here to see the schedule of events >

Take the Eat Local Challenge!

This September, you are invited to participate in the third annual Eat Local Challenge. Visit the Eat Local Challenge website for ideas about how to get involved >

Mendocino Wine by the Bay

On September 15 from Noon to 4 pm at the Embarcadero Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, KGO radio is sponsoring Mendocino Wine by the Bay, presented by the Mendocino Wine Growers Foundation. Enjoy a festive afternoon of great wine and food featuring 45 wineries and 200 wines. Part of the proceeds from the event benefit CUESA. Click here for more information >

Saturday, August 25 ~ Market to Table Programs

10:30 am - Meet the artisan
James Freeman of Blue Bottle Coffee

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Bryant Terry, Co-author of Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen

Saturday, September 1 ~ Market to Table and Gastronomy by the Bay events

10:30 am - Meet the farmer

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Mark Dommen of One Market

Noon - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Roland Passot of La Folie

Tuesday, September 4 ~ Easy Market Meals

11:45 am, 12:15 pm, 12:45 pm & 1:15 pm - Enjoy a cooking demonstration featuring the seasonal, regional ingredients that can be found at the Tuesday market. Every attendee leaves with a sample, a recipe, and a suggested shopping list.

All events take place in our Dacor teaching kitchen in the arcade north of the Ferry Building's clock tower unless otherwise noted.

From now until early October, more than half of the world’s almond crop will rain down onto the dry soils of California’s Central Valley. It’s harvest time, and almond orchards are literally quaking as large machines called “shakers” clamp the trees’ trunks and jiggle them until the mature nuts fall from their branches. This year, the California almond harvest is expected to exceed a billion pounds.

After a decision by the United States Department of Agriculture this week, some almond farmers are shaking, too. On Tuesday, the government rejected a request from the California Almond Board to delay the enactment of a “food safety” rule (which will begin September 1) requiring sterilization of all raw almonds for sale in the United States. The rule was proposed by the Almond Board itself, in response to two outbreaks of Salmonella in raw almonds, one in 2001 and another in 2004. In early August, however, the Board requested an extension, saying that growers and handlers were unprepared to begin sterilizing in September. While the Almond Board still stands behind the plan, many almond growers, consumers, and others oppose the regulations altogether.

The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization, is leading a campaign against the rule, which they say is “drastic and premature” and “ignores the underlying systemic problems with conventional agriculture that cause food contamination.” Ironically, one of the concerns many people have about the program is just the problem it seeks to address: food safety. An article in Wednesday's San Francisco Chronicle explains why:

The most common method of sterilizing almonds is propylene oxide fumigation, using a chemical compound that is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen and that was briefly used as a racing fuel that added oxygen molecules to gasoline… The National Hot Rod association put a stop to that in 1993 because of propylene oxide’s association with cancer, according to a spokeswoman.

The Cornucopia Institute also says that the program will place an extra burden on the small-scale organic farmers whose almonds were never associated with the Salmonella outbreaks in the first place. Since the chemical treatment cannot be used under organic guidelines, the only currently viable option for organic farmers is to steam treat their almonds at a temperature of 158 F; however, the pasteurization equipment is prohibitively expensive for small growers, like Stan and Leslie Barth of Capay Canyon Ranch. Any almonds the Barths intend to sell raw (with some exceptions) will have to be sent to Denair for pasteurization after they are hulled and shelled. This will cost five to seven cents per pound, a price that Leslie Barth says will have to be passed on to consumers.

Another concern about the new rule is that steam-pasteurized and fumigated almonds will be sold as raw. Though the steam-treated almonds will still be “living” foods (the almonds will sprout), some almond eaters believe that labeling pasteurized almonds as raw is misleading. On the bright side, unpasteurized raw almonds can still be sold at farmers’ markets and farm stands due to an exemption.

The new almond regulations pose many questions. Can our food safety problems be addressed by preventing contamination, rather than requiring sterilization of all almonds? Is this rule the beginning of a trend toward sterilizing other raw crops?

To learn more and find out how to take action, visit the Cornucopia Institute’s website >

This is the most up-to-date information about which sellers will and won't be attending the market as of Friday, when we send this letter. 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!

Special announcements: This Saturday, Massa Organics will be offering a deal on their delicious organic brown rice: two 2-lb bags (usually $5/bag) for $8!

Saturday, August 25

Out: Bernard Ranches

Tuesday, August 28

Out: Snyders Honey