Buongiorno. We're three days away from our group dinner, and the ingredients we'll be using are peaking. Two Dogs Farm brought to market some delicately scented edible flowers you can buy separately or mixed with their organic spring salad (flowers $1/bag, 1/2 lb. organic salad mix $2). I can't wait for Two Dogs farm's Early Girl tomatoes to ripen: I look forward to their peppery, grassy flavor all year.
Don't forget: you can follow my latest finds on Twitter. Come and say hi.
Here's what else I liked this week at the San Francisco Heart of the City farmers market:
Corn, sweet corn ... I think this year these golden ears fooled even San Francisco weather into thinking it's summer: it's actually warm and sunny on July 16th. Here's a selection of recipes from Allrecipe; $1 for 2 ears.
Sweet purple basil from The Herb Guy. This one's just right for a tangy, herbal pesto with fresh spring garlic and roasted red walnuts. I brought it home and handmade some semolina orecchiette (little ears) pasta to go with it: because of their spoon-like shape, orecchiette can hold sauce to deliver bursts of flavor with every bite.
The Herb Guy also carries thyme, marjoram, three kinds of basil, dill, cilantro, an impressive range of mints, lemongrass, pennyworth, sorrel and shiso; $3 for your choice of 4 herbs.
Such a variety of summer squash, from Ronde de Nice, perfect for stuffing, to romanesco zucchini, which I stir fry and add to my frittatas. The cost: $1-2/lb of organic squash.
For more of an occasion, try my Summer squash risotto cooked in spumante with zucchini and basil. I use Gloria Ferrer's Blanc de Noirs and drink the rest with it.
I also wrote a primer on risotto, so you can invent your own.
More summer squash recipes from Allrecipe.
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Delta blueberries are here, and they're already pretty good. These vary a lot in flavor, so try before you buy at $6/pint, $10/quart.
The brief,glorious peaches and nectarines season is in full swing - don't let it pass you by. I'm a big fan of Frog Hollow Farms and Bella Viva. Don't miss out on the Bella Viva sale August 15th at the Ferry Building if you're planning to can or make jam from these beauties: $10/flat.
Enjoy, and see you Sunday!
Marco Flavio






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