It may be hard to believe it’s already July, but take one loop around the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and you’ll be mighty glad it is. July brings about some of summer’s greatest treats like field grown tomatoes, musk melons, plums and the first crop of apples. While it may mean the end of blueberries—sweet and juicy tayberries and ollalieberries take the sting out saying goodbye. Here are a few other things you won’t want to miss in the month of July:
Fresh shelling beans are one of my favorite legumes to use in the summer months. Their earthy flavor and tender texture make them a wonderful addition to a summer salad or soup. One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is also ridiculously simple—toss cooked beans with some good sea salt, cherry tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Find them now at Dirty Girl Produce.
The wildly popular guest chef taco seriesreturns to the Thursday market this month. For the next eight weeks Tacolicious will host a different guest chef at their stand to create a signature taco for shoppers to enjoy. The series kicks off on July 11th with Chef Gayle Pirie of Foreign Cinema. Other chefs on the roster include Brett Cooper of Outerlands, Melissa Perello of Frances, Greg Dunmore of Nojo, and more. All proceeds from the guest chef series will benefit CUESA’s Schoolyard to Market Program and Seller Scholarship fund.
Every year I seem to gravitate to a particular stone fruit cultivar and this year I’m crazy about nectarines. With more than 30 varieties available throughout the season it’s not hard to have a new favorite each week. Right now I’m wild about the Honey Fire nectarines–a low acid, clingstone variety with a firm flesh from Tory Farms.
With Nana Joe’s granola now at both the Thursday and Saturday market there are two chances each week to get your hands on her incredible product. The market blend granola currently features dried pluots from Kashiwase Farms and this month she will debut her third chef’s blend granola inspired by Hapa Ramen’s Richie Nakano. “For Richie’s blend I’m using toasted soy flour, black sesame seeds, dried cherries and I replaced the sea salt with dried seaweed,” says owner Michelle Pusateri adding, “it has an incredible flavor, similar to peanut butter and jelly.” Look for the new chef’s blend at her stand starting this week.
It’s still not too late to get your tickets to one of the tastiest events of the season—CUESA’s Summer Celebration on Sunday July 14th. In a nutshell, this event is an all you can eating and drinking tribute to some of our favorite market treasures, lovingly prepared by the Bay Area’s finest chefs and bartenders. Proceeds from the Summer Celebration are what help CUESA to continue to offer free elementary school cooking classes, panel discussions and chef demos. Your support also enables people the opportunity to truly learn and see where their food is produced, have an exhaustive recipe bank organized by the season at their fingertips, and keeps small family farms in business. Think of it as gluttony for good.
