Ah Nuts! Mission Almond Discount!

Next time you stop by the Winters Fruit Tree stand you may go, well…a little nuts. That is because this small family business carries a billion varieties and flavors, from butter-toffee almonds to italian herb pistachios. And you can still find the classic raw, roasted and salted varieties. To give your salads or party bowls a kick then throw in some chili-lemon and teriyaki infusions! This week and next, show YOUR LOVE for the MISSION and get a a 20% discount on Mission Almonds and nonpareils! Mention this newsletter for the discount on either one ($4/pound)!

Shift, Mix and Support MCM

umlaut /OOH-mmm-lowt/ n
1. A shift in sound with a funny hat.
2. an awesome Rally.org party benefitting MCM

UMLAUT: Come Shift, Mix and Support MCM
Wednesday, September 7th - 7-10pm
144 2nd Street

Rally.org will host an evening with mixology lessons from famouse St. Regis bartenders, Good Foods BBQ, games and good people. Stop by after work, meet all sorts of folks, and support MCM's efforts to transform Bartlett Street with murals, after-school programming and health education. Spread the word!

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What to do with Radishes?

Radishes are a constant temptation at the Market, and for good reason...just look at them. Though usually relegated to being sliced and tossed raw in salads, radishes shine in myriad preparations. The traditional French snack of sliced radishes with good butter and a sprinkling of salt on toasted baguette is definitely one of the quickest and most satisfying ways to eat the little globes. They also make great pickles. Slice a bunch or two in half and pour over them a brine of 1:2:8 (sugar, salt, and vinegar). Let them sit over night in the fridge and enjoy them the next day with some charcuterie or asian inspired dishes.

Radishes can also effectively play accompanying roles in certain dishes. Try chopping equal parts radish, scallion, and cucumber with a bit of fresh mint and stirring that into some fresh yogurt. It makes a great dip with some pita bread on a hot day. You can also add chopped radishes in egg/potato/chicken salad for some pungent crunch. Try slicing a bunch of radishes up (with any other vegetables you may have laying around) and presenting them on tray next to a warm Bagna Cauda sauce. The sauce is made by steeping warm olive oil and a touch of butter with sliced garlic and salt packed anchovies.

Surprising to some, radishes can also be cooked. The flavor changes from sharp and spicy to mellow, rich, and a little sweet, almost like a turnip. You can roast them in a hot oven (450º) with some butter or oil and add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar and pinch of salt. Or if you're feeling a little brave, try glazing radishes. Trim the radishes whole (but keep the greens!) and cut off the root. Melt a little butter in a pan, add some diced shallot, and sweat for a few minutes. Add your cleaned radishes (no more than can fit in a single layer) enough water (or chicken stock if you have on hand) to come almost halfway up the radishes, a dash of vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste and bring up to a boil and turn down to simmer. Simmer covered for about 8 minutes and then boil without a cover for another few minutes while swirling the pan to create a glaze and coat the radishes in it. These make an excellent side dish to roast pork or beef dishes.

When using radishes, DON'T THROW AWAY THE GREENS! The greens are edible and taste like a cross between peppery arugula and sorrel. They can be eaten raw in salads or sliced thin in coleslaws or pasta dishes. They can even be sauteed briefly and added to glazed or roasted radishes. If you have a lot of radish greens that are vibrant, substitute them for watercress in a watercress soup. You can even turn them into a pungent pesto! Blanch the greens and shock them in ice water. Blend them with a nutty firm cheese, a sweet and rich nut, a clove of garlic or two, zest of a lemon, and splash of oil. Season with salt and pepper and use as you would a traditional pesto!

MCM Preserves Tradition (4) - Coastside Farms

That Thursday, I ended my visit at the MCM taste-testing at Coastside Farm’s Salmon and Lox stand, where you can get cured Salmon Bricks (with peppercorn, honey or garlic toppings); Smoked Salmon Lox (plain, lemon-pepper, dill & cognac, and five-peppers & cayenne); Salmon Jerky, Fresh Smoked Trout, and Fresh Smoked Albacore. Every week the proprietor gets new fish. The fish is caught in Alaska, British Colombia or Oregon by the owner’s brother who is a fisherman. Their cousin is the fish-smoker and curer. I bought a peppercorn salmon brick and a lemon-pepper lox. My breakfasts for the week were highly improved with quality protein. Now, if eating fish in the morning is not your thing, here is my recommendation on how to polish off a brick or tray of smoked salmon. First, you pick a cured or smoked salmon style at the Coastside Farm Stand in the MCM. Immediately after, you buy some padrón peppers (they look like baby-poblano peppers) in the next stand. Now, you make an appetizer or snack: Fry the peppers in olive oil until they puff-up! Place in a platter and season to taste with pepper, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve next to the salmon. Pour yourself a drink, and kick-back and enjoy every bite.

MCM 8/25: Swinging for Sweet Success!

What a day! We got an early market music mixdown by DJ Lamont Young right before some swing lessons by Cat's Corner! Not to mention Brentwood's own G&S Farms Sweet Corn brought a flavorful addition to the market as well! You can catch the gallery here on our Facebook page!
MCM 8/25 - Sweet Corn Swing!

Free Swing Lesson Today!

Free Swing Dance lesson this week with Cat's Corner from around the corner on Mission and 25th. Every fourth Thursday of the month. Join Nathan and co. Today at 6:00 pm!

Lend me your Ear: Corn is Here!

You know how every time you see "Mission Mercado" you see a stylish block print of corn / maize, the 10,000-year-old staple of the Americas? Well now you can taste a fresh bit of ancient history every Thursday! Welcome Brentwood's own G&S Farms to MCM!

Emilio Ghiggeri planted the first sweet corn in Brentwood in the 1940s when the area was known primarily for its production of lettuce, apricots, and melons. The farm became G&S (Ghiggeri and Stonebarger) Farms in the 1980s when Glenn Stonebarger, who is a 3rd-generation Brentwood farmer, married Emilio’s daughter, Jeannie. Today, Brentwood is famous for its sweet corn production, and in particular, a variety of called Brentwood Diamonds, which G&S Farms was the first to grow in the 1990s.

It doesn't get much more local and delicious than this. Get an earful this Thursday with G&S Farms corn.

New Vendor! Mixcoatl!

photo from: Kevin Y via Yelp!

We'd like to present our newest vendor, Mixcoatl! Known for having a colorful display of luchador masks outside their store on the corner of 24th and S. Van Ness Ave, Mixcoatl offers a wide variety of it's own unique merchandise. From folk art to t-shirts, and even jewelry like silver and turquoise, Mixcoatl is well known for their their high quality handmade items. Come out and see what Mixcoatl has in store for you this week at the Market!

Local Biz Spotlight: Welcome Klick the Case!

Klick the case, an Istanbul – San Francisco based sleeve company, makes fun, unique yet simple sleeves for laptops, tablets like iPad and netbooks. Klick cases exist to keep your electronic friend safe and cook because it is colorful, playful and functional. Klick is not a mass production thing. Every pattern is limited edition and every sleeve unique to its owner. All cases are made of premium quality Turkish cotton. Klick the case has an environmentally responsible attitude; no toxic coloring or toxic plastic materials are used, and that makes all Klick products safe for environmentally conscious minds, sensitive skins, children & babies. www.klickthecase.com, www.facebook.com/klickthecase, @klickthecase

MCM Preserves Tradition (part 3) - Hapa Ramen

Richie Nakano founder of Hapa Ramen is best known for selling homemade ramen soup at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. But, the reason why Richie loves his new stand at the MCM is because now he can also be known for his meat curing mastery. He and his crew receive an organic-fed, sustainably-raised pig a week, and truly honor the animal by butchering the cuts themselves and using every bit to make lard; ramen (with the belly and shoulder); Pickled Pig Feet Terrine (cured in soy, sugar, star anise and white vinegar); Smoked Bacon (over hickory and almond wood); Guanchale (Italian style cured pig’s jowl – like bacon from pig’s cheek- that’s excellent for making carbonara); Sake-Cured Sausage (uncased); Paté (country style and bacon & liver); and a truly delicious Mac n’ Head Cheese (slowly-braised pig’s brains and macaroni terrine). Richie took his first cooking lessons from his grandfathers. Richie’s Japanese paternal grandfather is a chef and taught him how to cut fish, make dashi and miso soup. On his mom’s side, his English grandfather is a gardener. With his mom, he taught Richie how to grow food in the back of the house and use herbs for cooking. Before setting up his own shop, Richie worked in a few favorite San Francisco restaurants such as Nopa and Sushi Ran. Now he is making his own artisanal and sustainable food! At the Hapa Ramen stand you can also find Almondac Mustard, French-style pickled baby shallots and carrots, Kimchi, preserved Meyer Lemons, and other preserves. Come on through and say hi to Richie, Susanna, Kevin, Svet and the Hapa crew!

Amate Mission!

It seems like yesterday when local artist Jet Martinez took upon painting a new mural on the Mission Market Building. Now through the help of San Francisco's StreetSmARTS program and Mission Community Market, Jet has been able to complete the project and was there to present it to the community during the Market yesterday. The mural itself incorporates elements of the 'Amate' style paper art that has been practiced in Mexico for centuries. The name 'Amate' (Spanish for 'Love yourself') also refers to breathing a fresh new perspective into the Mission district itself. Jet hopes the piece will remind those living in the Mission the beauty of it's presence and the mixture of cultures residing in it. Come check out photos from the ceremony along with music from Diana Gameros and our newest vendors!

ALBUM: MCM: Amate Mission Dedication, Diana Gameros, klickthecase!

MCM Preserves Tradition: Olive Healthy

Gina was tending the olive stand when I visited. She is the daughter of Georgio Zografos, founder of the California Olive Oil Farm (Corning, CA). Gina explained to me that her dad is Greek and her mom is Mexican. 25 years ago her dad arrived in California and started growing olives. Today the family together grows, prunes, tends, and waters the trees, and later harvests and cures the olives. At the farm they grow 6 varieties of olives, cure them in 9 different ways, and pit 3 styles. The day I visited, the stand carried Sevillana, Picholene and Kalamata olives, made from 6 different curing processes. All the olives are grown through natural processes, and all cured in brine. With her mixed heritage, Gina loves being an ambassador of the Mediterranean diet in a Latino community, opening people’s ideas to food, in a neighborhood in which she has many friends. She’s travelled about world, from Brazil to Italy, during which time she’s gained a greater appreciation for slow food and sharing food. Gina is happily back in California participating fully in the family business philosophy which is to build relationships directly with consumers, and build a community around healthy local food. For our tables, the California Olive Oil Farm also offers buttery, grassy or pungent olive oils, and a few olive spreads. With different family friends, they’re also producing and offering Apple and Plum Cider, as well as wildflower, sage, blue curls, and crystal honey. Gina welcomes opportunities to talk about food in the Mission… How about Thursday?

Love Yourself!: "Amate Mission" Mural Dedication

Artist Jet Martinez has been hard at work painting a mural that tells a uniquely Mission story. It's called "Amate Mission," Amate being Spanish for "Love yourself" and also a style of art thought to originate in Guerrero, Mexico. Amate is now practiced by many artisans throughout Mexico, with each artist giving it his/ her own stylistic touches. Martinez’s mural reinterprets the traditional form in a “San Francisco Mission District style.” Jet's mural was made possible by MCM in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission's StreetSmARTS program, the Mission Market and the Mexican Museum. In celebration of the mural's completion, a dedication will be held at 5pm on August 18th, at the Mission Community Market with Jet Martinez present. Join us as we admire all of Jet's hard work and the love, fun and color it brings to the neighborhood.

Mission Community Market 8/11 - Dave's Apples, Sang Matiz, and The Heated!

It's been another great day at the Market! Hope everyone got a chance to snag a few of Dave's Apples and check out Cristina Espinosa's designs from her band The Heated. And speaking of bands, what a great duet performance by Sang Matiz! We hope you all had a great time yesterday and for those who couldn't make it out this week you can still check out photos of what went down yesterday! Until next time, see you at the next Market! http://ow.ly/61QmV

Music This Week: Sang Matiz!

Beautiful music will fill the streets this week with Sang Matiz, San Francisco's own Latin Fusion band with members hailing from .... everywhere! Try Peru, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Iran and here, to name a few. Their name is a combination of two words: Sang, meaning blood in French and Matiz, meaning "Harmonious Mixture" in Spanish. The band adopted this name because of the diverse cultural and musical backgrounds of its members. Sang Matiz uses elements of Rumba Flamenca, Cumbia, R&B, Salsa, Reggae and other World beats. Check out their show in two weeks at Yoshi's with Diana Gameros (....guess who's playing MCM next week!). Come hear Sang Matiz live and free, this Thursday 5pm.

Local Biz Spotlight: the Heated

The Heated's Cristina is a local artist, designer, musician and all-around awesomist. Check out her designs and locally-printed tea towels, aprons and totes. Welcome back Cristina!

Hale Apples: Keep the Doctor Away

Dave hails from Sebastopol and will teach you everything you need to know about apples before you can say "gravenstein!" This week Gravenstein and Pink Pearls! Welcome back Dave!

Local Biz: Happy Anniversary to En Vie Naturals!

Happy Anniversary to Kim Leonard and En Vie Naturals! Kim created En Vie Naturals as an inspired skincare line for multi-ethnic skintypes on year ago. Her first sale was at the Mission Community Market! From bath salts to facial scrubs, and massage oils to make-up removers, En Vie Naturals provides the essential ingredients that promote healthy skin. The En Vie line targets skin impurities, promotes skin repair, creates a radiant and smooth skin texture without using animal products, animal testing, parabens, or toxins.

Wish Kim a happy anniversary this week! Come for your anniversary special: Buy $20 or more and get $5 off!

Recipe: Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)

Next time you've got a bunch of kale sitting around and you want to try something different, give this recipe a shot. It's easy, delicious, and inexpensive. It's our version of the traditional Portuguese soup with a couple of twists that make it extra yummy. You might want to make extra, as this soup is always better the day after you make it

8 oz Spanish Chorizo, diced (or chouriço, or linguiça, or bacon or guanciale from Hapa Ramen)
2 ea Onions, diced (from Arata Farms)
4 ea Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced (more if you're using bacon or guanciale)
8-10 ea Small Potatoes, medium dice (nicola potatoes from Happy Boy Farms work beautifully, or any other small waxy potato)
1 bu Kale, stemmed and cut into 1"x4" strips (from Blue House Farm or Tomatero Farm, we like using green curly kale)
1 tb Pimentón (smoked spanish paprika)

Start by adding a splash of olive oil (from Olive Healthy) into a pot over medium-high heat. Throw in your diced pork product and turn down the heat to medium to let the fat render. After a couple of minutes add the garlic and stir. At this point, we like to add a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes to add some heat, but feel free to leave them out if you don't like spice (at this point you could also a bay leave or two if you're so inclined). After another minute or two, add the onions and the pimentón, stir and let cook until the onions have softened. Toss in the potatoes and about two quarts of water (you can substitute homemade stock here if you like, but keep in mind this soup was born out of poverty) and turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, turn down to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are completely done, about 20 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, season the broth with salt and pepper. We also like to add a splash of sherry vinegar (you can use red wine vinegar if you don't have sherry vinegar) and a little bit of honey, about 2 tablespoons, to round out the spiciness of the soup and the bitterness of the kale. When the potatoes are cooked, add the kale and cook for a few more minutes until the kale is tender. Once done, serve with some toasted and buttered crusty bread (hello Arizmendi!) and a little more olive oil on top of the soup. Et Voila!

Mission Community Market 8/4 - Honeydrops and Hirano!

Hey all!

Thanks for stopping by at the Market yesterday to see The California Honeydrops and Toshio Hirano! It was a good way to make the most of a cloudy day!

Come check out more pictures of new vendors and great food on Facebook!
http://ow.ly/5Wh14

Until next week!

How to pick melons

Here are some tips to take with you next time you're looking for melons...

Watermelon - Watermelon actually continues to ripen after it's been picked, and as watermelon sits, it develops a flat spot that is usually yellow in color. Look for watermelons with a large yellow spot which indicates it has spent some time ripening. You could also place one of your hands on one side of the melon and try palm-slapping with the other. If you feel it vibrate on your other hand, that means there's plenty of water in it, which means it won't be mealy. You don't want to hear a hollow sound.

Cantaloupe - If you're buying cantaloupe at a farmers market, try smelling it. It should smell sweet and perfumed. Also look for an orange color under the skin of the fruit. Avoid melons that are grey-ish under the skin, which can indicate under-ripeness. The blossom end, the end opposite the stem end, should also give ever-so-slightly when pushed.

Honeydew - Honeydew melons are the trickiest to figure out. Generally, you're looking for a melon that is heavy for its size, and whose blossom end also gives a little when pushed. You're also looking for creamy yellow-white skin, instead of bright white or green, which can indicate under-ripeness. There are also some that believe that there's a very fine veining that can be detected on its surface by touch, only when the melon is ripe.

Good luck melon hunting!

MCM Preserves Tradition (part 1) - Emmy's Pickles and Jams

The Mission Community Market grew this season in an ancient culinary art: preserving food through pickling, brining, curing, and smoking. MCM is proud to offer Emmy’s Pickles and Jams, the Zografos’  Olive Healthy, Richie Nakano’s Hapa Ramen, and Charlie's Coastside Farm’s Salmon and Lox!

Picklers and curers have traditionally helped humankind through the cold, with fruit, vegetable and meat preserves –often improved in vitamin B by the preservation process. And, while we may associate food preservation with the Winter months, the preserver’s craft truly begins, right now, in the peak harvest season of Summer through Fall! At the market, you’ll find many of the same fresh fruits and vegetables that end up in the preserves, jars and pies for sale a couple of tents down. Come around to meet some of our artisan preservers!

Emmy learned her craft at home. Pickling was a family activity when she was a kid: sterilizing jars, creating the perfect brine, chopping and cooking and canning; everyone had a part. Emmy had been a food activist for several years, when her friends began to rave about her pickles. Emmy started wondering: Could she create a small business out of a craft she simply loved to share? With the help of enthusiasts buying her pickling art, she’s thrown down a root in the Mission Community Market. Emmy gets her inspirations from a variety of worldly cuisines, bringing us jars of Mexican jalapeños with carrots and onions, Boston bread and butter pickled cucumbers, and Indian turmeric Cauliflower. She also makes harvest fruit jams. The produce she picks is organic and local, sometimes from the same farmers at the market. Last year, she made jam with Twin Girls Farm plums. As soon as she began selling, all the plum jars were harvested right off her stand by eager market visitors. (She’s going to make a larger batch this year.) She also makes jams with Tay berries from Yerena Farms, and apricots from Arata Farm. You can visit all three farm stands here in the MCM! We also can’t rave enough about Emmy’s jalapeño jelly, which goes great with anything in need of a savory-sweet kick. Emmy’s been doing so well since beginning at MCM, her  There’s another thing I should mention about Emmy… She has sunshine in her smile. So stop by her stand for her story and preserves.

Next in MCM Preserves Tradition: Olive Healthy’s California Olive Oil

August 4th- Toshio Hirano

photo by Paul Trapini

Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Toshio Hirano fell in love with American Folk/Country music at an early age. Influenced by Country music legend Jimmie Rodgers, a young Toshio set out to the States to explore the origins of American Country music. After polishing his skills at Texas open mic's, Toshio moved to San Francisco where he continued to create a buzz with his guitar licks and old time country yodeling. Toshio remains appreciative of the audience he has acquired over the years and even more thankful to be able to pursue his passion to this very day. Toshio will be preforming at the Market this Thursday, at 7 p.m., be sure to come on down and prepare to be mesmerized by a real life cowboy!