• Summer Surfing at the Markets

  Filed under Eatable, George's Notes, Market Reports, Raw Food, Vegan Food, Videos
  Aug 19

   

  

  Friday at the Mission Hills Market

  My home is in Mission Hills, a gorgeous area of San Diego founded by early 20th Century visionaries in the Arts and Crafts tradition with charming historic homes, parks full of spectacular foliage and a strong community presence.  I was thrilled when a farmers market sprang up in the middle of the tiny downtown several Fridays ago.  There are a number of good vendors in the one city block which comprises the market.  This Friday market kicks off my weekends with fresh, organic ingredients.

  

  I have been buying sweet and plump blueberries at Smit Orchards stall for the last few weeks.   Their radiant blues and purples have been a colorful addition to morning oatmeal, smoothies, cobblers and pies.

  

  Pepper season heated up in the last month.  The Padron Peppers from Suzie’s Farm have been an exciting side dish when I saute them a skillet with a little olive oil and coarse sea salt.  Robin, the owner, described how the peppers start off mild and become hotter as the vines get older.  He plants them at intervals to make sure he’s able to harvest the sweet young peppers at their prime.

  

  When Suzies Farm has the historic Italian Jimmy Nardello peppers, buy them! I prepared them the same way as the Padrones.  They have a sweet flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture.

  

  Tender baby-beet greens from Maggie’s Farm went into my summer squash with coconut curry dish.  They also had a variety of heirloom potatoes which I used for a roasted potato chole and baby romaine heads which I cut in half, browned in a skillet and served as an antipasti plate garnish.

  

  Saturday at the Little Italy Mercato

  Saturday mornings are in full swing at the Mercato in the heart of Little Italy.  Each market is defined by the neighborhood it is in and this three block market has an Old World Italian flavor with modern urban chic.

  

  Justin Noble of Sage Mountain Farm grows starship zucchini, a type of patti pan squash which I steamed and served with a lemon-dijon sauce.  He also grows Armenian cucumbers which are not really cucumbers, but a member of the melon family. They are a refreshing and crunchy addition to salads along with heirloom tomatoes, which are starting to flood the markets.

  

  The founder of La Milpa Organica, Oasis Benson,  moved north and entered the organic olive business.  Good Faith Farm sells two kinds of raw, organic olives– Sevillanos and Kalamata–along with their delicious olive oil, which is so fresh it must be refrigerated.  These delicious olives are cured with first quality ingredients (brown rice vinegar) and are probably the healthiest olives one will ever encounter.

  

  There are several musicians throughout the market.  Santiago Orozco and his band Todo Mundo often play in the amphitheater at the top, east end of the market.  The upbeat Latin rhythms and positive message of his music enhance the festive atmosphere.

  

  Sunday at Hillcrest Farmers Market

  Mariella Balbi of Guanni Chocolates is located in the center of the Hillcrest Market and always greets me with her beautiful smile.  Her vegan Wari Bars made from 100% Peruvian Criollo cacao are a chocolate lover’s delight.

  

  La Milpa Organica is the gold standard of market stalls in San Diego.  This week I purchased amaranth, Swiss chard and magenta spreen lamb’s quarters to make tarts, pies, tortes and simple seared greens with garlic, hot red pepper and coarse sea salt.

  

  Karen at Archis Acres picked out a giant head of red leaf lettuce for me.  I made lettuce wraps filled with Haas avocados, Cherokee red tomatoes and pepita, cilantro and lime pesto.

  

  At Michelle Larson-Sadler’s booth, the Conscious Cookery, I found organic Anasazi beans grown in the Four-Corners area and smoked New Mexican chipotle and pasilla chiles.  These ingredients will become a mole.

  

  Phil of Sage Mountain Farm had Italian torpedo onions, cherry tomatoes, hard-neck garlic and fresh basil with the root–the perfect ingredients for a fresh heirloom tomato, basil, red onion and rubbed garlic crostini.

  

  Matt of Lone Oak Ranch supplied me with some of his very best white and yellow nectarines, white and yellow peaches and candy-like pluots which I am using for grilled fruit salsas this week.

  

  Sunday at La Jolla Open Aire Market

  If you have been keeping up with my blog, you will have noticed me waxing poetic about red walnuts from Terra Bella Ranch.  The season is over, but Jeff and Nicolina’s excellent Chandler walnuts are still available, as well as their beautiful dried apricots, raw almonds and sun-dried tomatoes, all of which I use regularly.  I toast the walnuts and almonds for approximately 12 minutes at 325 F degrees and keep them available for snacks, salads and garnish.  Because of the healthy volatile oils in nuts, they can become rancid.  I store untoasted nuts in the freezer.

  

  The small Poblano chiles from Sage Mountain Farm are delightful.  I cut off the tops, scoop out the seeds and fill them with a corn tamal-style filling or a thick and creamy walnut filling, reminiscent of an Oaxacan walnut sauce which Frida Kahlo used to make at her Blue House.  Next I put them onto a chili roasting rack which goes directly on the grill.  I can never make enough of these!

  

  I found Palestinian sweet limes, sweet cocktail grapefruit and Reed avocados at the Rancho Mexico Lindo Farm booth.  She also had red, pink and green prickley pear fruit, which are considered a health tonic.

  

  San Diego farmer’s markets are a treasure trove of exciting, fresh and organic ingredients.   Markets like this can be found across the country in every community.

   

  
  Tagged as: cooking, Eating, Farmers Market, Hillcrest, La Jolla, Little Italy, Mission Hills, Organic, Raw, Sage mountain, Vegan, vegetarian
  
  3 Comments

3 Responses to “Summer Surfing at the Markets”

1. david morrison said on December 9th, 2010 at 12:54 pm

   George, we were in attendance last night with Dr Dangovian

   2 quick questions,

   do you juice, if so which juicer and any advice?
   we are confused between getting a VitaMix and a juicer…

   do you use a tap water filter if so any advice?

   Thanks! David and Deborah

2. George said on December 13th, 2010 at 9:56 pm

   I love juicing. I recommend the Hurom Juicer which is also re-branded by Omega.

   I also have a Vita-Mix which is a great all around cooking/pulverizing tool. Many people use this for green juices made from kale, collards and mustards, then strain it.

   Tough choice between the two. Personally if it has to be a choice, I would get the Vita-Mix for the versatility. You can also blend and strain other fruits and vegetables too.

3. Ghislaine Aikins said on January 14th, 2011 at 7:54 am

   I recently saw an intriguing article that talked about how gardening has varied over the past several years. the general consensus seems to be pesticide free and 12-month gardens are the most widespread changes that have occurred. It would be interesting to take a poll on this website and see if the bulk of readers agree with this assessment.

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