Tag Archive for 'spring'

Market Report #5: Lucero Seascape Strawberries

Yesterday, we saw the first wave of the Lucero Organic Farm’s amaaazing long stem Seascape strawberries at the Derby St. market in Berkeley. Karen Lucero showed up at 2 p.m. when the market opened, and was sold out within three hours. Ben Lucero has been growing this same variety of strawberry for years, even after…

Market Report #4: Favas, peas, artichokes, and goat!

Lots of spring firsts at the Derby Street market yesterday. English peas were in full-effect at a number of different stands. As were strawberries, asparagus, and the first baby fava beans…tender enough that you can eat the shell and everything. Chef Jonah and Chef de Cuisine Malachi bought up some lovely purple asparagus and baby artichokes from Riverdog Farm. Starting tonight,…

Market Report #3: Late Spring

Everyone is out & about in their shirtsleeves but market wise, spring’s a little late this year. We visited the Derby Market on Tuesday and talked to Judith Redmond of Full Belly Farm in Yolo who said that due to the late rains, the ground has been too wet to work. Finally, this past week…

Market Report – End of March 2011

The Derby Street market was hopping yesterday! Lots of people were out enjoying the sunshine & also the Ecology Center’s César Chávez Celebration. There were Capoeira dancers! The other end of the market was atwitter with the upcoming Berkeley City Council meeting scheduled for later that afternoon to discuss…

TJI: The Meaning of Asparagus

If you were still hibernating when we posted that last thing about Kishus, wake up! Spring has begun!
For many of our farmers, one of the tell-tale signs that the season has started (weather wise) is the first asparagus. The very first spring sparagus initially comes from our farmers…

Reports From Our Farmers – Spring 2010

One of the wettest on record, the spring of 2010 has created some unique challenges for many of our farmers. We already know that the height of tomato season is estimated to hit later than usual & so we’ve pushed back our Annual Tomato Dinners to…

Market Report #8: Stone Fruit & Rain Delays

We headed inside for this week’s report because it was just too darn rainy & cold. Bill showed us some of the best (i.e. crunchiest) cherry varieties currently available at farmers’ markets and local supermarkets. He also makes some predictions about what all this rain means for the upcoming summer crops (e.g. don’t count on serving…

Market Report #7: Ferry Plaza

Last Saturday, we hit the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market with Bill Fujimoto. As the spring rains have finally begun to subside (at least for today), many crops are just now beginning to soak up some serious heat which leads to superlative flavor. A great example…

Market Report #6: What to Buy This Week!

We visited the Berkeley Farmers’ Market last Saturday with Bill Fujimoto and got a good look at what’s in season right this minute & what will be even-more-in-season by the end of this week. We also got an insider’s tip on a savvy way to save…

This Just In: Goat’s Milk Ricotta

Things are definitely feeling like spring around here. Meaning deliveries from our suppliers keep arriving with more & more new stuff. Meaning the kitchen in like a sparking motherboard of ideas. Meaning the menu is like that magic trick where…