Farmers Market Update: January in San Francisco
January in San Francisco is apparently a zillion times nicer than summer. Sure we had some rain last week, but it was so warm, clear and beautiful today I actually went to the market in a summer dress. After last year’s summer of fog, this is was glorious.
I don’t know if this is global warming or what. It’s certainly strange to see tulips, usually a hallmark of spring that appears in early April or late March, on the last weekend in January. Hard to complain though.
Despite the sun, most of the produce is still fairly wintery. One of the reasons I love this time of year is that brassica vegetables (the leafy greens) are so delicious now that eating lots of them is an absolute joy.
I can’t get enough kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. This weekend we got a bunch of cabbage, daikon and carrots to make a big batch of healthy, probiotics-filled sauerkraut.
And speaking of carrots, they and other root vegetables like turnips and radishes are as sweet as can be. My puppy Toaster has learned to prefer these amazing farmers market carrots (yes my dog loves vegetables, go figure) and will actually turn his nose up at the ones I get at Whole Foods. Such a snob!
It’s also a great time for fennel.
For those of you still obsessed with my winter squash recipe, unfortunately they’re getting harder to find. That is, unless you prefer delicata the size of a watermelon.
All in all it was a lovely day. Happy winter!
Today’s purchases (~$20):
- Purple cabbage (Chue’s Farm)
- Daikon (Chue’s Farm)
- Ginger (Chue’s Farm)
- Romanesco (Capay Organics)
- Cauliflower (Swanton Berry Farm)
- Kale (County Line Harvest)
- Carrots (County Line Harvest)
- Cherry juice (Hidden Star Orchards)
Hey there,
I’m in the Bay area frequently but usually stick to the Oakland farmers market – where is this one?
Ferry Building at Embarcadero.
Do you ask permission to take pictures? Occasionally I see some strange stuff at Alemany, would like to take a picture, but don’t want to get yelled at, and I don’t assume that we speak the same language enough to ask.
I’ve never asked, and everyone knows me at this point. I’ve shot at Alemany before and no one said anything.