Market Fresh – Spicing Up Summer

Seriously. Is any other vegetable as much fun to eat as corn on the cob? It’s also warm, sweet and slightly crunchy, with a preferred manner of eating that defies every rule of etiquette. But even when the kernels are taken off the cob, corn still reigns supreme as one of America’s favorite veggies. Ask …

Celebrating Apricot Season

The farmers’ market is an ever-changing garden of sensual delights. Between the rainbow of berries available this month and juicy cantaloupes, apricots, peaches, and nectarines, the aromas wafting through the air are utterly intoxicating. We’ll continue to be seduced by many of these fruits throughout the summer, but apricot season is short but sweet…and a …

May at the Market

Along with blue skies and all the sweet floral fragrances in the air, May kicks off a season to gather with friends and family—on Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and for all the inevitable bridal showers and graduation parties soon to follow. There’s no better time than now to scope out the farmers’ market for entertaining …

Market Fresh – Peas Please

Spring is edging its way into our farmers’ market, with truckloads of tender cool-weather crops like asparagus, artichokes, fava beans, crunchy celery, peas-in-the-pod, and super-sweet sugar snap peas. Fragrant strawberries are coming into their own, followed closely by chubby little cherries. This is the time of year when you don’t want to risk sleeping in …

March Means Green…and Lots of It

March delivers just enough springtime to whet our appetites. Along with chilly evenings and the occasional rainy day, we are also treated to flashes of sunshine, emerald-colored hills, and colorful, sprightly flowers. At the farmers’ market tender spring vegetables like asparagus, artichokes, and peas come on strong, pushing aside winter’s broccoli and Brussels sprouts. I …

A Sweet & Spicy Valentine’s Day

Cloudy with a Chance of Kale

The holiday decorations are put away (well, at least most of ‘em) and the house is looking rather Spartan. No more parties. No more cookies for breakfast. No more cocktails-every-single-night-of-the-week. Even our beloved farmers’ market is pared down to the basics now. It’s January, and the weather is often as gray as our moods. Few …

Market Fresh: A Sunny Spin on the Holidaze

I feel like I’m living in one of those old newsreels, where calendar pages flip furiously to signify the passage of time. Okay, it’s December. I get it. Like most of you I’ve been spending way too much time in crowded stores—not to mention hours spent shopping on line—but all of this only makes my …

Market Fresh: Giving Thanks

Holiday entertaining kicks into high gear this month, as many of us gather for a traditional Thanksgiving feast. Unlike other holidays that drag us into debt, Thanksgiving celebrates the simple basics in life: nourishment, sharing, and gratitude. Preparing a thoughtful meal shows how much you care….about your friends, your family, and California’s bountiful resources. I …

Market Fresh: Putting the Crunch in October

Even when midday temperatures soar, early mornings and evenings remind us that fall is here. As children anxiously await Halloween, adults prepare for shorter days and cool nights. At the farmers’ market, the bright kaleidoscope of summer produce also undergoes a welcome change of seasons. After months of outdoor entertaining, my nesting instincts have kicked …

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