Organic beer and wine tasting tonight!

CCOF, one of the oldest and largest organic certifiers in the country, is hosting an Organic Beer and Wine Tasting from 4 to 8 pm in the ground floor Marketplace of the Ferry Building tonight! They will donate a portion of the proceeds to CUESA, which we’ll use to send two Ferry Plaza Farmers Market farmers to the Ecological Farming Conference in January. $25 for 10 tastes; $15 for 5 tastes. Click here to learn more about the wine tasting and other Fall Harvest Festival events >

Saturday, October 27 ~ Fall Harvest Festival

10 am to noon - Apple variety tasting
Taste several kinds of apples sold in the market, including heirlooms and newer cultivars (South Driveway, near Eatwell Farm)

10 am to 2 pm - Harvest activities
Apple cider pressing, butter churning (North Arcade, near the CUESA kitchen) and wool spinning (inside the Ferry Building, near Sur La Table)

10:30 am - Meet the farmer
Stan Devoto of Devoto Gardens interviewed by CUESA volunteer Robert Brust

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Jay Foster of Farmerbrown restaurant

11:45 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Louise Fong Bonham and students from Presidio Hill School demonstrate recipes from their new cookbook, What San Francisco Families Eat!

Saturday, November 3 ~ Market to Table events

10:30 am - Meet the farmer
Sebastian Bariani of Bariani Olive Oil interviewed by CUESA volunteer Shauna Sadowski

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Peter Erickson of 1550 Hyde Café and Wine Bar

11:45 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
GraceAnn Walden, Editor of 86 Recipes - San Francisco: Recipes from Top Restaurants for the Home Kitchen

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

CUESA Volunteer Adam Valainis wrote this week's feature.

Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of animals, plants and microorganisms in an ecosystem. Genetic diversity (genetic variation among members of a species) and species diversity (a high number of different species in an ecosystem) are essential to the health of ecological systems, and are often used as a measure of their overall wellbeing. It is no surprise, then, that biological richness is just as important to agricultural ecosystems.

In September, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) brought the issue of agricultural biodiversity into sharp focus with the release of a report addressing global genetic diversity of livestock. “The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources” is alarming: the study found that over-reliance on certain breeds of livestock is causing rapid extinction of indigenous breeds – at a pace equivalent to roughly one breed per month.

Just as modern agriculture has contributed to the rapid decline of crop varieties (more than 90% of commercial vegetable varieties available in 1903 are now extinct), it has also led to the loss of many animal breeds. The global production of meat, milk, and eggs is largely based on a limited number of high-output, highly profitable breeds. As traditional production using locally adapted breeds is increasingly replaced by industrial and intensive methods of livestock production, these heritage breeds die out along with the unique genetic traits they possess.

Genetic erosion (the dwindling of genetic diversity within a breed as its numbers decline) can wipe out breeds that have valuable characteristics such as disease resistance or tolerance to variable climates, or that supply specialized products. Says Jose Esquinas-Alcazar of the FAO, “Maintaining animal genetic diversity will allow future generations to select stocks or develop new breeds to cope with emerging issues, such as climate change, diseases and changing socio-economic factors.” The report cited Uganda’s indigenous Ankole cattle, which are threatened with extinction as the Holstein-Friesian (a more prolific milk producer) displaces them. During a recent drought, many Ankole survived while the Holsteins were unable to walk long distances to reach the nearest water supply.

In America, the birthplace of many modern breeds and the epicenter of industrial agriculture, efforts to save heritage breeds are also burgeoning. Organizations like Slow Food and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy are raising awareness about traditional breeds and the threats to their existence. Through promotion, research, and education, as well as technical support to breeders and farmers, these organizations seek to preserve traditional breeds for both their genetic worth and their contributions to gastronomy. Farmers and ranchers across the United States are saving these breeds by raising them, and eaters are contributing by demanding and enjoying their products.

With human population steadily on the rise and global climate change posing a significant threat, the preservation of agricultural biodiversity is more important than ever. 

At the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, look for heritage meats and animal products at Marin Sun Farms and The Fatted Calf.

Learn more:

FAO report
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
Slow Food Ark of Taste
Marin Sun Farms
Fatted Calf

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!

Saturday, October 27

In/returning: Knoll Farms, Far West Fungi, Capay Canyon Ranch
Out: Glashoff Farms, Bernard Ranches, Green Gulch Farm (for the season), Kashiwase Farms (for the season)
Last week for: White Crane Springs Ranch

Tuesday, October 30

In/returning: Bella Viva Orchards