The Tuesday Market will be closed on December 26!

Please note that on Tuesday, December 26, there will be no farmers' market. This is the only closure for the season--we will be open on December 31 and January 2.

There are still a few spots left on our East Bay Food Tour

Join CUESA from 10 am to 3 pm for a midweek tour of three local businesses that sell their food products at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market: Blue Bottle Coffee, June Taylor Company, and the Pasta Shop. The tour is $20 per person and requires your own transportation. To reserve your spot, e-mail julie@cuesa.org or call Julie at 415-291-3276 x106.

Saturday, December 9 ~ Market to Table events

10:00 am - Meet the farmer
Helene Marshall of Marshall's Farm Natural Honey - Helene and Spencer Marshall have hives placed in 70 locations throughout the greater Bay Area. Additional migratory bee hives are taken to orange, alfalfa, and other fields on a seasonal basis...more >

10:30 am - Holiday cookie demonstration and recipe exchange
Learn how to make three different seasonal and sustainable holiday cookies using farmers' market ingredients. CUESA’s Market Chef, Shanti Wilson, and long-time volunteer and baker Keri Keifer will lead this fun and mouthwatering demonstration. Samples will be provided! Bring your favorite cookie recipe that features seasonal ingredients and leave with a new set of recipes for the holiday season.

Saturday, December 16 ~ Winter Festival

Come welcome winter at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market! Sweet winter greens are here, as well as turnips, rutabagas, cauliflower, and mandarins. Do you know what to do with them? Let us warm your belly with a cup of soup, and learn all about winter produce, winter cooking, winter nutrition, and winter on the farm. This is our last day of educational programming until February, but the farmers will continue to bring their bounty every week. Stock up on tips to carry you through the cold season.

Winter Festival events will include:

• a talk by Jessica Prentice about deepening our sense of seasonality this winter and rediscovering the old ways of aligning our lives with the seasons. Jessica is the co-founder of Three Stone Hearth, a Community Supported Kitchen, and author of Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection
• simple cooking demonstrations by Shanti Wilson and Sarah Henkin (potato cress soup, winter greens two ways, and spiced apple cider)
• farmer talks (including Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm)
• nutritional information about common winter produce by Certified Nutrition Consultant Jessica Ingersoll-Cope
• a preview of the winter farmers' market by our market manager, Dexter Carmichael

location: CUESA's Dacor teaching kitchen in the arcades north of the Ferry Building's clocktower

As you make your list and check it twice during this season of giving, please consider contributing to CUESA! As a nonprofit educational institution, we work to promote a sustainable food system by operating the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and its educational programs. Fulfilling our mission requires considerable work and resources, and while we are fortunate to have the income provided by our farmers’ markets, fundraising events, sponsorships and other sources, we can do more with additional support.

Some of you already contribute directly to CUESA by working as a volunteer, serving on a committee, or sponsoring or attending fundraising events such as our recent Sunday Supper. As a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, CUESA can also accept your cash or in-kind donations, which (in accordance with state and federal laws) may be tax-deductible.

Our farmers’ market operations, education and administration departments all need additional or upgraded equipment and supplies. Here is our list of some current activities and examples of specific needs.

Farmers’ market operations

Our Tuesday and Saturday markets are an important source of income for sellers and fresh local food for the Bay Area’s residents. This year, we will continue to improve the farmers’ market experience for both sellers and shoppers. To this end, some of our needs are:

• 10 folding tables and 72 folding chairs
• An additional 20’ tent cover imprinted with our name and logo
• Stacking flatbed tilt carts for transporting supplies

Education programs

CUESA provides many formal and informal learning opportunities through our farmers’ market education programs, off-site and evening events, website and weekly e-letter. Our Saturday Market to Table programs present producer interviews and seasonal cooking demonstrations from distinguished chefs. We continue to hold themed market celebrations where shoppers learn about seasonal food and regional farming. Our electronic newsletter is sent to over 5,000 recipients weekly. Under development are Discovery Stations for the markets, new fact sheets, exciting website features, and activities for visiting school groups like Scavenger Hunts and Market Bingo games. Items that will help us to enhance or expand our growing educational programs include:

• Wireless microphone system for instructors
• 1 Gigabyte Compact Flash disk for recording and storing images
• The latest editions of Adobe Photoshop and Quark
• Large food processor
• High-powered blender
• Stand mixer
• Additional pans, bowls, and cutlery

Administration

As our staff and volunteer base grow, so do our administrative needs. To help accommodate this expansion, we need:

• Updated computer work station
• Laptop computer for remote locations
• Digital projector and portable slide screen for training and education

If you are interested in making an in-kind contribution of any of the items described above or would like to see our more extensive wish list, contact Executive Director Dave Stockdale at 415.291.3276 x107, or dave@cuesa.org. Make cash contributions online by clicking here or mail them directly to CUESA at One Ferry Building Suite 50, San Francisco, CA, 94111.

Thank you for considering making a donation to CUESA!

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 sellers' status, they will not be listed! To find out which farmers regularly attend each market, click here. Please understand that there are always last minute changes--it's the nature of farming!

Saturday, December 9

In/Returning: Ella Bella Farm, Mariquita Farm, Short Night Farm
Out: Bernard Ranches, Flatland Flower Farm (for the season), The Peach Farm (for the season), Knoll Farms, Happy Quail Farm (until January)
Note: Last week for Double K Christmas Tree Farm!

Tuesday, December 12

In/Returning: Alive Restaurant, Iacopi Farms
Out: McGinnis Ranch, Happy Quail Farm (until January)