We're thankful for so much!

CUESA wants to thank our loyal customers, energetic volunteers and everyone who has supported us this year. We're also especially grateful for 120+ farms and food artisans who fill the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market with an impressive array of local food every week of the year. See photos from our annual seller appreciation dinner here >

Get your gifts (and get them wrapped for free!) at the market

Every gift-giving season, we encourage our customers to do their holiday shopping at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Starting on December 6, we're providing an extra motivation―we'll wrap farmers' market gifts for you at no cost! Our gift-wrapping station will be set up at the information booth on December 6, 13 and 20 from 8 am to 12:30 pm. Volunteers will wrap your farmers' market purchases in reusable brown paper bags or craft paper, and we will provide gift tags as well as colorful ribbon to complete the festive look.

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market tote bags and gift certificate coins will also be for sale. Check out the Holiday Gifts section of our website for farm fresh present ideas >

Holiday farmer dinner benefitting Marin Organic ~ December 13

Enjoy dinner at MarketBar in the Ferry Building and support local, organic producers. MarketBar will donate 50% of the evening’s proceeds to Marin Organic programs, which help to create a sustainable food system. The menu will include ingredients from Marin-based producers such as Star Route Farms, County Line Harvest, Allstar Organics, and Cowgirl Creamery. Learn more >

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

Saturday, November 29 ~ Market to Table

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Scott Peterson, Bocadillos

Saturday, December 6 ~ Market to Table

10:30 am - Meet the aquaculturist
John Finger of Hog Island Oyster Company

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Ian Marks, Hog Island Oyster Bar

11:45 pm - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Paul Piscopo, XYZ

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 volunteer Sheila Chung, with additional research by the CUESA Staff.

Thanksgiving may be over, but pie season is just getting going.

Start with the crust
CUESA’s Market Chef, Sarah Henkin, believes that picking the right filling and creating a flaky crust are equally important to the pie-making process. As for making a flaky crust, Sarah offers these tricks of the trade:

1. Make sure that all your crust ingredients are very cold before you start making the dough.
2. Do not overwork the dough. Touch it as little as possible.
3. Think good thoughts and pay attention. Dough can tell if you are anxious and will not turn out how you expect. Pay attention to how the dough looks and feels as you make it. Over time, you will develop a "feel" for the perfect consistency at each stage. 

Summer fruit in a fall pie
Some locavores wouldn’t think to eat cherry or boysenberry pie during the winter holidays, but then they probably haven’t had a pie from Lagier Ranches yet, either.

Farmer John Lagier describes his pies as “a nice home for fruit.” He’s been growing organic cherries and berries since 1997, when he diversified his family’s almond orchard. Soon, John and his daughters began baking vegan pies as a way to find “homes” for highly perishable fruit and bumper crops―perfectly ripe berries that could be frozen for use year round. John’s commitment to sustainability meant ensuring that the pies were baked with certified organic ingredients like shortening made from organic palm oil.
 
John believes that high quality fruit sets his pies apart. When he is not incorporating his own cherries and boysenberries into the filling, he buys fruit from trusted sources like apple grower Ferrari Farms in Linden, CA. John also refrains from making his pies too sweet. “I eat pie for breakfast a lot, so I can’t have a lot of sugar,” he says.
 
More pie filling options from the market

Apples
There are two factors to think about when selecting apples for pie: flavor and texture. Stan Devoto of Devoto Gardens and Karen Bates of The Apple Farm both prefer tart apples with a firm texture. Of the apples at the market right now, Stan recommends his Pink Ladies and Black Twigs, while Karen recommends her Sierra Beauties. According to Karen, Pink Pearls and Gravensteins, and early-season apples in general, have a great flavor, but they have less integrity (firmness) and can turn to mush if baked for too long.

Johan Smit of Hidden Star Orchards also recommends his family's recipe for Apple Cider Pie, which uses apple juice to intensify the fruit's flavor.

Apricot or peach filling
Fresh apricots and peaches are gone from the market for the season, but G.L. Alfieri Farms now carries apricot and peach pie fillings in a jar, made from their farm’s fruit, a little bit of sugar and some tapioca flour.

Mincemeat
Mince pie, though made with meat in medieval times, is now strictly vegetarian. This traditional British holiday pie is made with dried or candied fruit, nuts, and spices. June Taylor Company sells artisanal mincemeat during the holiday season.

Pumpkin or butternut squash
Do not make pumpkin pie from a Halloween pumpkin! Look for the smaller pie pumpkins (a popular variety is Sugar Pie). Some cooks prefer to use other winter squash varieties, such as butternut. Libby’s canned “pumpkin” is actually made from a variety called Dickenson, which looks much like (and is closely related to) a butternut. The Eatwell Farm squash pie recipe here or in the sidebar also works with sweet potatoes, and the crust, which uses their local whole wheat flour, can hold the filling of your choice.

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

Saturday, November 29

In/returning: Bernard Ranches, Double K Christmas Trees
Out: Apple Farm, Brooks and Daughters Sprouts, Critical Edge Knife Sharpening, Everything Under the Sun, Knoll Farms, McGinnis Ranch, Redwood Hill Farm, Shogun Fish Company
Out for the Season: Balakian Farms, Madison Growers, The Peach Farm

Tuesday, December 2

In: Bella Viva Orchards, Lagier Ranches, Lucero Organic Farms
Out: Frog Hollow Farm, Redwood Hill Farm

Returning, plentiful and/or at their peak this month:
Root vegetables, winter squash, persimmons, carrots, Meyer lemons, nettles, grapefruit, oranges, radishes, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, grapes, broccoli, rapini, limes, baby lettuces, cardoons, puntarella, radicchio, sweet potatoes, leeks, fennel, cabbage, kiwi, chicories, salsify, mushrooms, walnuts, clementines, cherimoya, stone ground wheat flour

Winding down/limited supply:
Dungeness crab, Christmas trees (only available until December 13th), pomegranates, avocadoes, berries, pastured eggs, pears and apples (many varieties will still be available of both these fruits from cold storage throughout the winter)

Vendor and value-added farm products not to be missed (weather willing): Christmas Cake from June Taylor, Pine cones from Double K Tree Farm, Holiday Wreaths from Devoto and Cypress Flower Farm, Apple Cider from Apple Farm

See a complete list of holiday gift ideas here >

Featured recipes for December:

Leek and Chard Bisque from Charles Vollmar, Chef and Owner, Epicurean Exchange

Crab and Citrus Salad with Pumpkin Seeds from Adam Timney, formerly of Bacar Restaurant and Wine Salon

Pumpkin and Rich Custard Pie from Marc Vogel, chef and author of The Perfect Holiday Meal (Pour No More Press, 2005)

Spiced Apple Cider adapted from a recipe by Karen Bates, The Apple Farm