Friday, July 30, 2010

Market Madness

With around 50 certified farmer's markets in San Diego County we have plenty of resources to get farm fresh food.  Farm to Fork has a few tips for the novice farmer's market shopper to ensure you get the best quality product. While shopping at the market take time and care to ask farmers where their product is grown, how it is grown and who grows it. Those who work the stands at the market are sometimes not the actual farmer, but in most cases they are.  Make sure to be specific about organics. Ask about their farming practices, how they treat their soil and if they use pesticides. Just because it is at a farmers market does not mean that it is organic or local. Somtimes farmers come from hundreds of miles away to be in popular markets.  At farm to fork we like the 80/20 rule  we stick to 80% extra local meaning the product is sourced from 100 miles away or less, and the last 20% we source from California. The 80/20 rule can help build a truely sustainable foodshed. We can not deny ourselves the Spring Hill Pesto Jack Cheese, just becuase it is from Nor Cal. Click the link above to find the farmer's market in your neighborhood.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Local Cheese Please

Farm to Fork just placed an order of Sharp Gouda with Winchester Cheese, the most natural and local cheese maker we could find.  We will be using the sharp Gouda in the breakfast sandwich. The sandwich will also feature 2 scrambled eggs, homemade pesto, avocado all organic and all sandwiched between local focaccia bread.  We love Winchester Cheese. We first encountered their cheese at a Slow Food event hosted by the Temecula Olive Oil Company.  This was well before the inception of Farm to Fork but we always wanted to have a special use for this uniquely local cheese. Winchester has 500 Holstein cows on their property that are nourished and milked to make all of their cheese.  Their premiere estate cheeses are all natural and made with fresh raw milk. Then the cheese is aged like fine wine to bring out its natural goodness. You can find Winchester Cheese at the Solana Beach Farmer's Market and their products can be purchased online.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture

CUESA, for short, organizes the farmer's market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.  You might be thinking "why would Farm To Fork highlight a farmers market that is out of reach for San Diego residents?" The reason is that CUESA has a unique program that deserves credit and should be replicated in farmers markets across the country. At Farm to Fork we are pretty religious about our farmers markets and CUESA has the most impressive program we have ever seen.  I always coordinate trips up north around CUESA market days. CUESA takes a fresh approach to the standard farmers market by combining special events and educational opportunities with each weekly market.  From cocktail week, to chef demonstrations, to pickling and fermenting workshops CUESA never ceases to impress us. Although the Ferry Building can be touristy the farmer's markets organized by CUESA stay true to their roots featuring the highest quality local produce and artisinal foods.  The CUESA website has beautiful resources, we love their seasonality chart. At Farm To Fork we suggest signing up for the E-Letter even if you do not live in SF.  We learn so much from their educational articles and also get ideas for events to host in San Diego. Click here to sign up for their E-Letter and here to become a fan of CUESA on facebook. Peace love and seasonality.

City Heights Farmers Market Sets Noteworthy Record

On July 10, the City Heights Farmers' Market set a new record for EBT sales in an afternoon: $1400 dollars! What are EBT sales and what place do they have at farmers markets?  An EBT is an Electronic Benefit Transfer. Common benefits provided via EBT are typically sorted into two general categories: food and cash benefits. Food benefits are federally authorized benefits that can be used only to purchase food and non-alcoholic beverages. Food benefits, formerly called Food Stamps, are now called SNAP. Typically farmers markets do nto accept food stamps, but that food stamp money accepted at City Heights went to purchase fresh, local produce. Families who qualify for EBT have limited access to fresh food. The City Heights community is excited and deservedly proud of this accomplishment. Next time you are at your local farmer's market ask your market manager if they accept food stamps, and if they dont ask them why. Read more about these local triumphs on the Edible San Diego facebook page.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Ceramic Berry Baskets

These Ceramic Berry Baskets are the cutest idea I have ever seen.  Don't be surprise if you see the seasonal side of fruit served in these at Farm to Fork.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Question of the Day: What is a Foodshed?

This is a portion of the full definition: A foodshed is everything between where a food is produced and where a food is consumed -- the land it grows on, the routes it travels, the markets it goes through, the tables it ends up gracing. First used in the early 20th century to describe the global flow of food, "foodshed" has recently been resurrected to discuss local food systems and efforts to create more sustainable ways of producing and consuming food.

Farm of the Week

We feature Terra Bella avocados, citrus, walnuts, almonds and dried fruits in our egg dishes, grapefruit mimosas, and homemade granola.

Menu Check

What is quark cheese?  Quark is not your typical Kraft single.Spring Hill Vanilla Bean Quark used in the California Toast (C+T) is unique in texture and tastes a little like cheese cake!  It the perfect topper for the Calfornia rendition of French Toast.  Quark is a type of fresh cheese also known as tvorog or topfen. It is made by warming soured milk until the desired degree of denaturation of milk proteins and then strained. Quark usually has much lower fat content (about the same as yogurt) than cream cheeses and has no salt added.  The quark used at Farm To Fork is organic California estate cheese aka the best you can find. The

The Most Important Part, The Menu

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Fresh Eggs

We are on a hunt for the freshest eggs in Encinitas, can you help us? We would like to buy a dozen eggs a week from 20 differant Encinitas residents to be used at Farm to Fork. Please pass along any info about local chickens. Why get the freshest eggs?  Besides the horrible conditions placed  upon laying hens in hatcheries, sometimes called battery cages, the nutritional value in eggs where the hens are able to forage for their own food is much higher.  Truely free range eggs are high in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins A and E as well as beta-carotine. Good for you and the planet too!
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