Dear friend,

I’m a farmer, so my day starts early and the work never ends, but the long hours are worth it.  At Star Route Farms we’ve grown our produce organically from the start, and we want to make it available to as many Bay Area families as we can.  That’s why we’ve been proud to work with the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) since 1998.

As a life-long advocate of sustainable agriculture who served nine years on their Board of Directors, I see CUESA as a crucial player in a rapidly growing movement.  They’ve not only supported small family farmers by running the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for over 16 years, but they’ve also educated eaters about what farmers like me are doing to make a better food system possible.  To do this well, they need your support.  

Just as I’ve worked to evolve my own sustainability practices over the years ─ by recently adding solar panels and taking care to protect the creek that runs through my farm, for instance ─ CUESA has also been bettering itself over time.  By boldly defining sustainability and establishing a set of seller guidelines designed to encourage practices that are environmentally sound, humane, and socially just, CUESA is poised to make an important difference in the years to come.

This is an exciting time to care about food production. There’s an organic garden at the White House, a constant stream of food and farming news in the media, and an explosion in the popularity of local food.  On top of running three remarkable markets every week (including the new Thursday market), CUESA has spent 2009 offering an array of robust new educational experiences that seize this moment in history.  With support from a generous and engaged community, they’ve provided innovative programs such as hands-on food preservation classes, seasonal cooking demonstrations, and panel discussions on issues like ethical meat production and farm labor.  As always, their goal is to inform and inspire you.

If you value a healthy and vibrant local food system, please make a donation to CUESA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so they can extend their efforts to a wider audience.  Your grandchildren — and your stomach — will thank you.

Sincerely,
Warren Weber
Star Route Farms
Bolinas, CA

Read a list of CUESA’s 2009 accomplishments >

Brassica Bash ~ Tomorrow

What do the turnip, bok choy, Brussels sprout, and cauliflower have in common? They're all part of the fantastic Brassica family, a group of vegetables that shine in the market this time of year. Stop by the Brassica Booth in the South Driveway this Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm to learn how to grow, cook, and preserve your own brassicas. Leave with a hot bowl of cauliflower soup and then head over to the Dacor teaching kitchen where there'll be a brassica-focused cooking demonstration (see description below).

Holiday Cocktail Class With Scott Beattie ~ Tomorrow

Join Scott Beattie, author of Artisanal Cocktails, and Marko Karakasevics of Charbay Distillery for CUESA's next hands-on cocktail class. Beattie will talk about seasonal cocktails and teach the group how to make three winter citrus drinks from his book: the Meyer Beautiful (My, You’re Beautiful), the Pelo del Perro (Hair of the Dog), and the classic margarita. Instruction will include side recipes, garnish how-tos, foams, and rim sugars and salts. Drinks will feature Charbay’s small-batch spirits and fresh, seasonal fruit from the market. Scott’s acclaimed book will also be available to purchase. Buy tickets >

Complimentary Gift Wrapping at the Market ~ Dec 5, 12 and 19

Every gift-giving season, we encourage our customers to do their holiday shopping at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Starting December 5, 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 5, 12 and 19 from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm. Volunteers will wrap your gifts in reusable brown paper bags or kraft paper, and we'll provide gift tags as well as colorful ribbon to complete the festive look.

The Perfect Gift

The picky shopper, the market regular, the timid newbie: our farmers' market gift coins are just the thing for everyone on your list. For $25, you get 25 one-dollar tokens good at any seller's stand at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. They come pre-wrapped with a surprise treat from the market inside. Gift coins — as well as colorful Ferry Plaza Farmers Market tote bags and reusable organic cotton produce bags — are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays all month at the information booth. Check out the Holiday Gifts section of our website for more farm fresh present ideas.

Do Farmers' Markets Cost More?

Hear from CUESA's director, Dave Stockdale, about a recent survey we did comparing prices at Ferry Plaza and two major supermarkets. Read more on Dave's City Brights blog on SFGate >

Holiday Farmer Dinner 2009 ~ December 12

Please join Marin Organic and MarketBar as they pay homage to local farmers and their stunning harvests. Chef Rick Hackett of MarketBar will create an inspired four-course Mediterranean dinner using winter's delights. This magical meal will feature greens, meat and goodness from McEvoy Ranch, Allstar Organics, Green Gulch Farm, Clark Summit Farms, and Drakes Bay Family Farm. A percentage of the proceeds will be benefit Marin Organic. Learn more >

Climate Change and Agro-biodiversity Talk ~ December 17

Visit the Ecology Center in Berkeley for a dialogue about the value of traditional crop varieties and ecological agriculture in an unstable world, with special guest Dr. Debal Deb, ecologist, scholar, author and founding director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in West Bengal, India. This is a benefit to support Dr. Deb's initiatives, which have conserved and regenerated over 600 varieties of traditional rice to date. Dr. Deb will discuss the crucial importance of this agricultural heritage to food security and resilience in the face of climate change. Learn more >

Saturday, December 5 ~ Brassica Bash

10:00 am - 1:00 pm - Brassica Booth
Learn to grow, prepare and preserve vegetebles in the brassica family, from broccoli to turnips to kohlrabi. We'll also be serving warm cauliflower soup.

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Ivy Manning, author of The Adaptable Feast: Satisfying Meals for the Vegetarians, Vegans, and Omnivores at Your Table

11:45 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Amy Wisniewski & Christine Gallary of CHOW.com

Tuesday, December 8 ~ Food Wise Booth

12:00 - 1:00 pm - CUESA's market chef Sarah Henkin will be giving out recipe cards and samples of a simple meal made with market ingredients.

Saturday, December 12 ~ Market to Table

11:00 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration
Peter McNee, Poggio

11:45 am - Seasonal cooking demonstration and book signing
Georgeanne Brennan, author of Gather: Memorable Menus for Entertaining Throughout the Seasons

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, December 5

In: Bernard Ranches, Brooks & Daughters, Core Elations, Critical Edge, Everything Under the Sun, Fatted Calf, Flatland Flower Farm, Glashoff Farms, Happy Quail Farms, Hog Island Oyster Company, Knoll Farms, Lucero Organic Farm, McGinnis Ranch, Mountain Ranch Organically Grown, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, Shogun Seafood

Out: Ridgecut Gristmills

Tuesday, December 8

Out: Snyders Honey
Out for the season: Devoto Gardens, Happy Quail Farms

Thursday, December 10

No Changes

Returning and plentiful this month (weather willing):
Page mandarins, nettles, root vegetables, winter squash, persimmons, carrots, Meyer lemons, grapefruit, oranges, radishes, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, rapini, limes, baby lettuces, cardoons, puntarella, radicchio, sweet potatoes, leeks, fennel, cabbage, kiwis, chicories, salsify, mushrooms, walnuts, clementines, cherimoyas, stone-ground wheat, dandelion greens, dried shelling beans

Winding down/limited supply:
Grapes, Dungeness crab, Christmas trees (only available until December 12th), pomegranates, avocadoes, berries, pastured eggs, pears and apples (many varieties will still be available of both these fruits from cold storage throughout the winter)

Farms returning this month:
Brokaw Nursery (December 19th)

Vendor and value-added items not to be missed:
Bing cherry syrup from Lagier Ranches, prime rib roasts from Marin Sun Farms, horseradish from Happy Girl Kitchen

Featured recipes for December

Leek and Rapini Fritters from Angelo Garro with Nikki Silva & Davia Nelson, (The Kitchen Sisters, authors of Hidden Kitchens)

Grilled Radicchio Salad with Pink Grapefruit, Pink Peppercorns and Garlic-Tarragon “Ranch” Dressing from Chef Eric Tucker of Millennium Restaurant (February 9, 2008)

Hearty Brown Rice, Butternut Squash, and Kale Soup from Sarah Henkin, CUESA's Market Chef (January 13, 2009)

Apple Cider Pie from the Smit Family of Hidden Star Orchards (November 22, 2008)