Fall farm tour on Sunday, October 15!

Join CUESA for a fun fall excursion to two popular farms: Tierra Vegetables and Allstar Organics. The bus will leave the Ferry Building at 9 am and return at 5 pm. At Allstar Organics' farm in Nicasio, we’ll tour the fields with Marty Jacobson and learn about organics, flavor, diversity, and ecological complexity on the farm. Bring a bag lunch to eat under the shade of the packing shed and enjoy a salad made with Marty's tomatoes. After that, we'll head to Tierra Vegetables in Santa Rosa where we'll get a tour from brother and sister team, Wayne and Lee James. Those who wish will have the opportunity to harvest strawberries from the field, to help shell beans, and to shop at the farm stand. Tickets are $35 and the tour is geared toward adults and youth 12 and over. To reserve your space, email julie@cuesa.org or call 415.291.3276 x106.

BART retrofit will NOT affect the farmers' market

On Tuesday, Bay Area Rapid Transit representatives announced that their transbay tube stabilization project, part of an extensive seismic retrofit of the entire BART system, will not significantly affect the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Click here to read the Chronicle's article >

Desserts for CUESA's Sunday Supper ~ October 8

Guests at CUESA's Sunday Supper fundraiser on October 8 will be surprised with one of the following desserts, served with a cheese course, after appetizers downstairs in the Marketplace and a delicious first course and entree in the Ferry Building's Grand Hall.

Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake
"Apple of My Eye"--Tarte Tatin Apples, Cheddar Crumblers,
Cinnnamon Ice Cream, Balsamic Reduction

Shuna Fish Lydon ~ Pastry Chef, Writer and Instructor
Anson Mills Buckwheat French Butter Cake with October Fruit Compote

Mutsumi Takehara of The Slanted Door
Dark Chocolate Pot De Crème with Espresso Granita

Kathleen Stewart of Downtown Bakery
Zucotto--Chocolate Sponge Cake brushed with Grand Marnier, filled with Whipped Cream studded Chocolate, Hazelnuts and Almonds

Elise Fineberg of Taste Catering
Dulce de Leche Macaroons with Pomegranate Ice Cream,
poached Apples and Pomegranate Caramel

Marilyne Mitani of Paula LeDuc Fine Catering
Fresh Ginger Cake with Cornmeal Thyme Quince Crisp and Chimay Ice Cream

Alison Sullivan of Boulettes Larder
Fall Apple Pave

Rebecca Courchesne of Frog Hollow Farm
Warren Pear Napoleons with Lace Cookies and Caramel Sauce

Alexander Espiritu of The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton
Kabocha Squash Tart with Concord Grape Gelée

For more information and to purchase tickets for the event, click here.

Future Food Careers

In a UC Berkeley lecture series presented by the Society for Agriculture and Food Ecology and Greenhorn Agrarians, women practictioners of sustainable agriculture will speak on their involvement in and understanding of this regenerative movement. Click here to see the schedule >

Sunday market closed this week

Our Sunday farmers' market will be closed this Sunday, October 1, due to the Bridge to Bridge Marathon. It will reopen on October 8!

Saturday, September 30 ~ Market to Table events

10:00 am - Meet the farmer
Tory Torosian of Tory Farms - Egrets, red-tailed hawks, white-shouldered kites, barn owls, and doves are among the many bird species that inhabit the Torosians' fields, vineyards, and orchards; California quails and pheasants nest in 40 acres of uncultivated open ground. The Torosians refer to their farm as "The Magic Ranch," and they believe that great tasting, wholesome produce can only be grown on a happy and healthy farm... more>

10:30 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
John Toulze of the girl & the fig

Saturday, October 7 ~ Market to Table events

10:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Keith Hammerich of City College of San Francisco

11:00 - Celebrating Marin Family Farms
Join CUESA and the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) in celebrating the agriculture of Marin County and the Marin County Community Development Agency's new book, Marin Farm Families: Stories and Recipes. Meet four farmers featured in the book: Janet Brown of Allstar Organics, David Evans of Marin Sun Farms, David Little of Little Organic Farm, and Jill Giacomini Basch of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company. Elisabeth Ptak of MALT, the editor of Marin Farm Families, will introduce the book and the farmers, who will share stories about their farms. Audience members will have an opportunity to taste the farms’ bounty and have books (on sale for $12) signed by the farmers.

The Sunday Supper is just nine days away, and things are getting busy here in the CUESA office. Planning for our annual gala requires communicating with the over 40 chefs that prepare the supper, determining details with the over 25 volunteers that donate their time at the event, sourcing wine and produce, printing menus, collecting donations of gift certificates for our Year of Dining Out Raffle, finalizing seating charts, selling tickets, and keeping up with our regular jobs. What motivates us during this sometimes draining couple of weeks before the event is knowing that the outcome is going to be great: a fun and delicious party that raises revenue for CUESA, a non-profit organization.

The Sunday Supper is our largest source of income besides the farmers' market, and while we'll admit that $150 isn't chump change, the purpose of this dinner is to raise funds--funds to pay for the innumerable programs and services that we offer for free throughout the year. If you have attended our weekly farmer interviews and seasonal cooking demonstrations; enjoyed any of the lectures we’ve hosted; dropped your shopping bags off at our Veggie Valet; or if you appreciate this e-letter, our website, or our other programs and services, you should consider attending.

Doesn't it make sense to support an organization that promotes local, seasonal, sustainable and fresh food by eating a local, seasonal, sustainable and fresh meal? Many of you already do this almost every evening in your own homes, but on October 8, you won’t have to lift a finger in the kitchen. Instead, some of the Bay Area’s best chefs will cook for you. And you won’t be disappointed because this year the Sunday Supper will be better than ever. While in the past the reception has taken place outside the building, this year guests will enjoy twelve appetizers inside the warmer and less crowded Marketplace. When the dinner bell rings, guests will ascend the stairs into the Ferry Building's breathtaking Grand Hall with its mosaic tile floors and dramatic brick interior. A plated first course will be followed by a family-style main, cheese, dessert and wine. Chefs new to the lineup this year include Phil West of Range, Daniel Patterson of COI, and Kevin Koebel of Rogue Chefs, among others. Their dishes will be crafted using the last of summer’s produce like tomatoes, corn, eggplant, and figs and the first autumn items like hard squash, pears, and quince.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER >

If you can't attend the Supper, but would like to support CUESA's educational efforts, please consider donating online.

This is the most up-to-date information as of Friday when we send this letter. Please understand that there are always last minute changes--it's the nature of farming!

 

Saturday 8 am - 2 pm September 30	In: G&S Corn Out: Short Night Farm (for the season), Bernard Ranches
Sunday CLOSED October 1	Please note: The market will be closed on October 1 due to the Bridge to Bridge Marathon; it will reopen on October 8!
Tuesday 10 am - 2 pm October 3	In: Frog Hollow Farm, Cap'n Mike's Holy Smoke
Thursday 4 pm - 8 pm October 5	In: Point Reyes Preserves