Field Notes: Coastside Farmers Market, Saturday

Greetings from The Genius Bar, Marketeers! 

Well, who knew?  Once in a while it turns out that one bad Apple can, in fact, spoil a whole bunch - of emails in this case. I am sending my greeting to you from the Mac store OTH - where there is, like in the supermarket, a limited selection of options in the variety of Apple available, but the big difference is boy, do these Geniuses  know their product - so yay!  Field Notes is back is Biz-Nez for the time being - which may or may not be such great news to you.   Happily for me, several other coastal sub-genius sorts like my Favorite Nurse Susy had also had bellied up to the Genius Bar round about the same time my problems began, and calmed me down considerably by reminding me ever so gently that there’s no need to panic when there are Geniuses at hand to fix your little red Apple, and sardines are in season. 

Seems I know a whole bunch about all kinds of Apples except the one I write on, which has been causing me a heapin’ helpin’ of anxiety.  But I DO know this:  when you get your hands on some really good spinach, pastured eggs, fresh garlic, beets, carrots, onions and celery (the kind that actually tastes like something other than recently used fishing line) all will be put aright soon, because all of these fabulous foodstuffs are widely known to calm you down and sort you out and actually put you in the frame of mind required to understand what the Genius just told you about your archiving issue. And you can find them all grown right here at your Coastside Farmers’ Market, where at this time of year there is not an apple of any sort in sight. But there are all of the aforementioned foodstuffs you could ever ask for, along with some of the most astonishing berries and insanely sweet citrus you are ever likely to encounter. 

So, while I would never recommend a beet quiche (which I tried once as an ill-considered Valentine’s Day offering), I can tell you that when you shred fresh beets and combine them with thinly sliced red onions, diced garlic and minced celery, douse the whole magilla with equal parts tangerine juice, lemon juice and apple-cider vinegar, celery seed and fresh dill, you have something wonderful to behold and really tasty.  And when stuffed into an avocado half and served alongside some fresh grilled sardines (caught right out your window, and only around for a very short season), well, my frazzled friends, you have an excellent reason and method to mellow the heck out of a Sunday morning, with or without the Mimosa made the way they used to - which is to hand squeeze a half a valencia orange and a lemon peel into your glass and top it with bubbly, doncha know. 

So c’mon down an grab a few lemons for your sardines (keep it simple here; lemon, olive oil & cracked black pepper is all you need to enhance these really flavorful and omega3 packed shiners), some wildly flavorful oranges for your juicing pleasure, and oooh! Try adding the juice of a Pomelo while you are at it!  We now have both certified organic as well as conventional and transition citrus of all sorts at both Markets, and man are we reaping the benefits of the long cold and wet winter on that score. Seriously tasty. 

These natch-rall mellowing agents will make a great replacement for any old prescriptions or over the counter remedies you might have wasting space in your medicine cabinets, which is a dang good thing.  This Saturday the aforementioned Nurse and fellow Sub-genius Susy, Captain Handsome and Officer Dreamy will be providing a terrific way to get that stuff out of your house and NOT in the sewer or anywhere else that can cause real harm to critters, the water system or your relatives.  We’ll be able to accept sharps and diabetic supplies this year as well.  Clean out your cabinets, bring the stuff to us and we will dispose of it lawfully and carefully and then we can all relax. And Sunday morning, you will feel tidy, well rested and fabulous enough to listen with glee to the podcast of Your California radio program featuring  me, the sub-genious, chatting away merrily about the beauty of irritating my Favorite Francophile with Dee Harley’s cheese. 

THANKS to The Friends of the Farmers’ Market and our Pals at Sam’s Chowder House for helping make opportunities like this possible. 

Answer to Burning Question # 227:  Soon!   The late rains and crazy-cool borderline cold weather have made for delays in the harvest of blueberries, bushberries and lots of stone fruit is behind the curve on the ripe-o-meter.

But soon, Marketeers, soon!   

Answer to Burning Question # 286:  I don’t know.  But Pacifica’s own Jay Howlett makes his 2010 debut on the Market Stage next Wendesday, and he really likes pomelos too! 

Meanwhile, eat lots of good leafy greens, many berries and juice those oranges so you’ll be all set to give blood next week!  Sign up here to make your appointment to donate at the Market next week (May 29) 

BTW - If you have a pooch and want to do something nifty this Sunday, May 23,  you can help the folks from Relay for Life "Go to the Dogs"  and join Paws for a Cause  - a dog-walking extravaganza!  Call MaryEllen Forrest and find out more at 355-8212. And the next time you are at the Pacifica Market, thank Mary Ellen and the entire Pacifica Realy For Life Team for helping us get the Market up and running every Wednesday afternoon for 3 years in a row!

See you at the Market!

Erin 

Erin Tormey
Founder, Manager
Coastside Farmers’ Markets
Half Moon Bay • Pacifica
May-December