For perfect wild king salmon that is juicy and tender, cook it slowly in a 225 degree oven. You’ll get perfect results every time. And if you want to gild the lily, wrap each fillet in a rasher or two of partially cooked bacon first.… Read More »
Nancy Skall of Middleton Farm grows what may be the best asparagus I’ve ever tasted. Stalks range from about the diameter of a chopstick to that of your big thumb and shoppers in the know reach for the fattest ones. The thinnest stalks are not, as many restaurant menus imply, baby asparagus. They are actually the shoots of older plants. For the best-tasting most-tender asparagus, get fat stalks and either roast them in a hot oven or grill them over hot… Read More »
Sam Kim of Bohemian Well Being Farm is a familiar face to farmers market shoppers throughout Sonoma County. At the peak of the season, when all our markets are in full swing, you’ll find him at several each week with his cultivated and wild mushrooms, some not much bigger than a toothpick, others larger than dinner plates. At his 136-acre farm in Occidental, he grows shiitakes, oyster mushrooms and reishi, a species that is highly valued for its medicinal properties. The… Read More »
On Sunday, the Sebastopol Farmers Market was smaller than usual, though it was hard to tell, given the market’s location shift. For the month of December, the market moves to the town plaza so holiday shoppers have access to parking. It will return to its usual spot on January 6. Although the market opens at 10 a.m., the day begins much earlier for farmers and ranchers, who must harvest if they have not already done so, pack and drive, sometimes… Read More »
Picture this: Baskets full of purple, chocolate, red and golden sweet peppers, tiny yellow onions, pert red shallots, leeks, garlic, chard, tomatoes and purple and white eggplant. There’s a small basket holding an array of hot peppers, Padrons are piled high in little bucket and herbs snuggle together in a bowl. Tucked here and there are pretty bouquets of flowers and a long flat basket holds packages of Sonoma Coast seaweeds and gomasio , a condiment made of toasted nori… Read More »
As days shorten and evenings turn cold, there’s a sense of dismay among those of us who eat seasonally: Summer fruit is over, we sigh. But not to worry, not yet. Gravensteins may be gone and peaches, plums and nectarines are winding down, but there are plenty of melons, grapes, pears, and raspberries and likely will be for several weeks. “We’ll have raspberries until the first hard frost,” Gloria Vigil of Sebastopol Berry Farm says, adding that such a freeze… Read More »
Tomatoes are glorious this year. They arrived earlier than many of us anticipated and they are lingering deliciously at their peak flavor. Tomorow, there’s one more chance to sample a wide range of heirloom varieties for free at the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market, the one in the southeast parking lot of the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. Have you found a favorite heirloom variety this year? If so, please tell us something about it in the comments… Read More »
A couple of summers ago, I discovered the gorgeous potting tables made by Tom Ecklund of Sebastopol, who was selling them at the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Markets on Saturdays. Every week, I’d look at the tables enviously but simply could not decide which one I wanted. Eventually, I chose one with pretty red metal tile worked into the back, no surprise to anyone who knows me, as I adore the color. But the ones with blue tile were… Read More »
Until this year, the opening of the Sebastopol Farmers Market on the first Sunday in April heralded the start of the season. Now that the market operates year round, spring comes more quietly to west county. On April 1, the Sebastopol market quietly expanded into the town plaza, as vendors who took a winter break returned. The change was subtle, as most customers went about their shopping just as they had all year. The expansion has grown more visible and… Read More »
By the look of it on Sunday, news is out that the Sebastopol farmers market has gone year round. A few weeks ago, the market was not that well attended but a change began in mid January. Lately I’ve heard fewer people surprised that the market operates continuously, instead of closing from December through March, as it has done until now. This Sunday, Dave Legros sold out of his wild Alaskan salmon barely an hour into the market though at… Read More »
