Today is Valentine’s Day and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market was an absolute zoo. The Food from the Heart event was offering $2-$6 tapas plates and wine tastings. The only thing I tried was the Scharffen Berger hot chocolate and fresh whipped cream. Mmmmm.

Despite the chaos, the vegetables were beautiful. I can’t get enough of the leafy greens right now. They smell so good when cooked in olive oil and are very inexpensive and healthy. Perfect food really.

I was excited to see cardoons today at Knoll Farms. Cardoons are a member of the artichoke and thistle family. I have only had them once at a fancy restaurant (I don’t remember which one), and my memory of the experience is vague. When buying them I was told they need to be boiled in an acidic liquid (water with salt and lemon) to preserve their color. They need to be cooked for approximately 45 minutes to make them tender and remove all the bitterness.

From the fruit world I purchased a Malaysian white guava. They looked interesting, so I figured I should try one. It was very fragrant and more mild in flavor than a traditional guava. Really delicious.

I tried a new egg vendor this week too. I didn’t realize I could get eggs from Happy Quail Farms, apparently it is a well kept secret. They were so colorful–like Easter eggs–I just had to buy them.

Today’s Purchases:

• Cardoons (Knoll Farms)
• Baby savoy cabbages (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Shallots (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Baby leeks (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Baby artichokes (Iacopi Farms)
• Mixed eggs (Happy Quail Farms)
• Bok choy with sprouts (Chue’s Farm)
• Chinese broccoli (Chue’s Farm)
• Collard greens (Capay Organics)
• Clementines (Hamada Farms)
• Cocktail grapefruit (Hamada Farms)
• Meyer lemon (Hamada Farms)
• Navel oranges (Hamada Farms)
• Sweet limes (Bernard Ranches)
• White Malaysian guava (Brokaw Nursery)

Happy Valentine’s Day!! What did you eat today?