Tune into KPIX and West Coast Live

John Garrone of Far West Fungi will be busy tomorrow promoting next week's Fungus Festival with two media appearances. He will be a guest on KPIX's morning news program (channel 5) around 7:10 am, followed by an interview on the nationally broadcast radio variety show West Coast Live. WCL will be broadcasting from the Ferry Building from 10 am to 12 pm for the next three weeks, and you can be part of the live audience. More information at www.wcl.org. Tune in by radio to KALW 91.7.

Have a local Thanksgiving!

This year, we invite you to celebrate Thanksgiving by preparing a sumptuous feast that reflects your region’s agricultural bounty using produce grown and raised by local farmers. Just see our seasonality synopsis to find out what's in season, or simply come to the market and be inspired!

Locavore is the word of the year

The Oxford University Press has announced their 2007 Word of the Year and to our delight, the word is "locavore," coined by our former Director of Education, Jessica Prentice. Click here to read the announcement >

Parking options map

We've just completed a survey of Ferry Plaza Farmers Market parking options, and a comprehensive map of the area's parking garages is available for you to download. Click here to download the map >

Saturday, November 17 ~ Market to Table events

10:30 am - Meet the producer
Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm interviewed by Dave Stockdale of CUESA

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Joseph Boness of Alembic

Saturday, November 24 ~ Fungus Festival!

10:30 am - Meet the producer
John Garrone of Far West Fungi interviewed by CUESA staff member Julie Cummins

11 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Amanda Birgitta Larsson Saffir

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

Last Wednesday morning, the CUESA office at the Ferry Building filled with a strong tar-like reek as 58,000 gallons of viscous, toxic bunker fuel escaped into our Bay after a cargo ship collided with a pillar of the Bay Bridge. The reality of the mess is sinking in (both literally and figuratively) as visible effects of the spill like slicked waters, ailing birds and beached globs of fuel present themselves, and people begin to worry about the less perceptible consequences. Despite estimable efforts by volunteers and others, fewer than 13,000 gallons of the fuel are likely to be recovered, the rest left to wreak havoc in local waters.

The spill happened just a week before the opening of Dungeness crab season, a celebrated event for San Francisco, a city whose oldest culinary traditions revolve around seafood. On Saturday, local fisherpeople voted unanimously to ask the state to suspend all fishing for human consumption in local waters and to delay crab season entirely until seafood from the region has been officially deemed safe. The undivided vote is rare for an infamously contentious and competitive group, but all agreed that just one contaminated crab or fish could ruin demand for years to come. Even though most crabbing happens outside of the area known to be affected by the spill, crab holding tanks recirculate seawater and, as they return to ports, could potentially cover crabs with tainted water.

On Tuesday, the Governor announced that waters would indeed be closed, though he did not declare specific restrictions. Crabbers and others assumed that their season would be delayed until at least December 1, when crab season opens in the northern part of the state and in Oregon. But to the surprise of many, closures defined on Wednesday by the Department of Fish and Game only extend 40 miles along the coast and three nautical miles out, not a large enough area to effectively delay the season or to allay fisherpeople’s and consumers’ health concerns. At first, many crabbers wondered whether they should scramble to set traps despite their worries, especially since large ships coming from Oregon were beginning to trap. Most area crabbers have opted to stay put, though, and buyers from Bodega to Half Moon Bay have agreed not to purchase local crab.

For the time being, Dungeness crab will not be available at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Larry Miyamura of Shogun Fish Company is a salmon angler and former crabber. This year, he and his wife Roz planned to buy crab directly from a friend and sell it at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market to make some extra money in the off-season. Instead, they will bring fish from outside the region. Like many crabbers, though, the Miyamuras are disappointed—the weekend before Thanksgiving, says Larry, is the best weekend of the year for crab sales.

Crabbers are not the only fisherpeople affected by the spill. Among the other crippled fisheries, according to a Department of Fish and Game press release, are California halibut, herring, bay shrimp, white croaker, groundfish, surfperch, Pacific sardines, and northern anchovy. Last Friday, the state also closed Drakes Estero, where the Lunny family produces a significant portion of the state’s oyster crop. The Tomales Bay waters where Hog Island Oyster Company farms shellfish are still safe, since the slick has not (yet, at least) reached the area.

Other Ferry Plaza farmers, John and Toby Garrone of Far West Fungi, may become involved in a creative remediation effort. Volunteers have been using mats of human hair to absorb oil from the spill. Once the mats are saturated, they are inoculated with oyster mushroom spores. Oysters grow on the mats and absorb the oil, after which both the hair and the mushrooms can be composted with straw. Click here to read a San Francisco Chronicle article about the effort >

The full effects of this tragedy will probably continue to be uncovered for years to come. We all wish the spill could have been prevented, or at least contained sooner. Rather than dwelling in regret, our energies are better spent joining together, helping with cleanup, and working to prevent this from ever happening again. California lawmakers have vowed to propose legislation that would require ships to have tougher hulls and would improve oil spill response. If the spill has any positive impact, it will be to illuminate the many problems that our Bay faces, the far-reaching effects of an unhealthy watershed, and the importance of being good stewards. The vibrancy, culture, and economy of our region depend on a thriving Bay. You can help by becoming a trained clean-up volunteer, assisting with habitat restoration, or by making a donation.

Learn more at savesfbay.org and baykeeper.org.

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, November 17

In/returning: Short Night Farm, La Cocina, Honeycrisp Farms, Shogun Fish Company, Glashoff Farms
Out: No news!
Last week for: The Peach Farm

Tuesday, November 20

In/returning: Ella Bella Farm