In This Issue
Mad for Melons
Pick a Perfect Pepper
Farmers' Market Week
Food Festivities
Market Highlights
Market Events
Cookin' the Market
Locavore
Fresh Approach
What's in Season
End of Summer Recipes
Your Community
National Farmers’ Market Week is August 4 to 10. Communities are converging to celebrate a simple miracle: farmers coming together to share a harvest that’s feeding local families. The result? Farmers' markets are bolstering local economies, improving community health, and bringing diverse groups of people together through a shared social space. We're celebrating with contests, cooking demonstrations, photo exhibits, and other events. To learn more visit the Farmers’ Market Coalition and stop by your farmers’ market information booth.
Food Festivities
Gravenstein Apple Festival
Saturday and Sunday, August 10 & 11, Ragle Ranch Park. Live music on two stages, delicious food, cooking demonstrations from local chefs, arts and crafts booths, a petting zoo, pony rides, apple pie contest, and so much more.
Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival
Saturday & Sunday, August 24 & 25, at 16885 Bodega Hwy. Enjoy a juried fine art and craft marketplace, a variety of foods with an emphasis on seafood, three stages of entertainment and large dance floor, kids games, and wine and beer tastings.
The "Freshest Cargo" Mobile Farmers’ Market is here! This 22-foot truck equipped with on-board cold storage will take the ‘cool factor’ of the food truck movement and apply it to fresh fruits and vegetables.
 The truck is designed to sell fresh produce procured from local farmers in food deserts in Contra Costa County’s Richmond, San Pablo, Pittsburg, Brentwood, and Concord areas.
Keep up-to-date on the Freshest Cargo Facebook page, on Twitter and Instagram!
Locavore
Strong ties have always existed between small family farmers and their communities. There is an organization that strives to continue to keep farmers and consumers in close contact. The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a non-profit organization that advocates for California’s family farmers and sustainable agriculture.
 One of their most popular programs, and one of the most recognizable, is the Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign which connects producers and consumers by publishing regional editions of the Eater’s Guide to Local Food, providing marketing assistance and materials to businesses and farmers, and running public education and awareness campaigns to promote local food. Please join with them in their efforts to keep the connection between farmers and consumers. See how you can help!
What's in Season
Fruit: Apriums, blackberries, figs, grapes, melons, nectarines, peaches, plums, pluots, raspberries, and strawberries.
Vegetables: Artichokes, beets, bell peppers, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, corn, cucumber, daikon, eggplant, garlic, green beans, herbs, hot peppers, kale, leeks, lettuce, longbeans, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes.
Coming Soon: (September) Apples, pears, winter squash.
Your CommunityClassic Car Show
Thrusdays, August 8 and 22, 6pm to 8pm, Railroad Ave. between 4th and 6th St. Featuring live performances and other entertainment. Car Shows begin at 5pm and end at 8pm. The entrance fee for cars will be $10 and all cars will need to be in their parked positions by 6pm.
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Mad for Melons
Cut a big slice of juicy watermelon and dig in! Summer is in full swing when melons appear at your farmers' market. Big watermelon, fragrant cantaloupe and honeydew, and a variety of specialty melons like Persian, casaba, canary, and Crenshaw, just to name a few, are available. Each has a distinctive sweet flavor and each is a must-try this season. Cube into fruit salads, blend into a smoothie, or eat out of hand. Enjoy!
Read more here. | Pick a Perfect Pepper
From the sweet bell pepper to the hottest habanero, there are pepper varieties for every taste at your farmers’ market. Like peppers mild? Try bell peppers in red, green, orange, yellow, and yes, even purple! Sweet Italian peppers and banana peppers have a mild flavor as well. Like a little hotter pepper? Try pepperoncini or Anaheim pepper for a little zing in your recipes. Or move higher on the Scoville hotness scale to the jalapeño, poblano, or the yellow wax chili pepper. Want a five-alarm chile pepper that’ll make your eyes water? Then brave the habanero, the Scotch Bonnet or the little Thai chili peppers. There's a pepper for every taste and every recipe at the market! More on peppers here.
 | | Market Highlights
C&M Farm: All kinds of summer veggies like green beans, eggplant summer squash, okra, chili peppers, and bok choy.
BerryLicious: It's just not summer without a big bowl of fresh strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, so get some for your summer picnics.
Resendiz Farms: Get your cantaloupe, watermelon, and orange-fleshed honeydew here! Sweet! And get some stonefruit while you’re at it. Cobblers, salads, and jams are perfect for these awesome juicy fruit.
Ellen's Gourmet Granola: A variety of granola, homemade with fresh ingredients. Try the 5-Nut Granola or the Chocolate Lover's Granola. Fantastic!
Rockin' O BBQ: No time to fix dinner? Take some of their awesome barbecue home. They have brisket, lamb kabobs, pork ribs, baked beans and lots more.
Hummus Heaven: A wide variety of delicious flavored hummus like sundried tomato and roasted garlic, fresh baked pita bread and seasoned pita chips. Take some home for appetizers for your next gathering.
Market Events
August 3 & 10: Enter to win a backpack filled with fresh new school supplies!
August 17: Be one of the first 25 customers to be at the info booth at 11:25 and get a basket of strawberries for 25¢! One basket per family/customer.
August 24: Guess the weight of the big melon and you could win your own big juicy melon!
August 31: Find the secret word of the day on the market Facebook page and mention the word to the market manager for a free produce prize. While supplies last.
►Keep up-to-date! Check the farmers’ market Facebook page for event updates or changes.
Cookin' the Market - Chef Anna Buss
Moringa/ Malunggay: The farmers’ market is not only a place where I can find the most delicious tasting produce around, it has also become a “farmacy” for me. The other day I was out at the farmers' market in search of produce for the next cooking demonstration. While I was strolling along I noticed that people were flocking to buy leaves and long thin green pods labeled Moringa (it can also be found labeled as Malunggay). It turns out Moringa, also known as the “Miracle  Tree,” offers an abundance of medicinal properties. Every part of the plant is edible including the bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and gum. The Moringa leaves are high in vitamin C, and vitamin A. They are also a good source of protein and are high in iron and calcium. Besides being called the “Miracle Tree” Moringa is also known as the “Horseradish Tree” because of its horseradish-like flavor. The leaves can be tossed in a salad, soups, or used as spice for a main dish. They can also be dried and saved for later use. Next time you are at the farmers’ market buy some Moringa!
►Look for recipes, cooking tips, tricks, and more on the Cookin' the Market Facebook page!
Summer's End Recipes
Melon Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
A tangy sweet salad served chilled.
Eggplant, Pepper & Feta Salad
Great for picnics and barbecues.
Peach Chutney
A real sweet tangy taste of summer, great on toasted baguettes or as a topping for meats and chicken.
Corn Stuffed Tomatoes
A summer favorite, light and refreshing, great for a cool dinner.
Find more great recipes on our website! And pick up the Summer Produce Guide at your market's info table for tips on how to purchase and store your fresh summer produce. | |  
Pittsburg Farmers' Market
Saturdays, 9am to 1pm, year-round, rain or shine,
Old Town Plaza, Railroad and 6th.
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800.949.FARM, www.pcfma.com |
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