Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy catering…good fresh, whole food!

This amazing photo of Chef Paul Buchanan’s own personally grown heirloom tomatoes was taken by Sam Paano at the tomato tasting and cooking demo a few weeks back.  The rare “action” shot of expert seasoning, illustrates something Chef Paul emphasized during his presentation – the importance of throwing salt from a great distance to insure even distribution and avoid salt pile ups in one area.  The sporadic over salted nook or cranny caused by a less dramatic arc, is undesirable at best.

The platter, seasoned and drizzled with aged balsamic vinagre.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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The melons at the market right now are just superb.  The orange fleshed muskmelon commonly know as cantaloupe in these parts is especially good.  The one picture above is going in the ground here in Long Beach at a local Urban Farm, it’s called a Melon Charentais.  The seeds are rare heirlooms, available from Baker Creek Seeds and can be found most Sundays at the market in the Farm Lot 59 seed rack!  It might be a little late to plant, but so is the summer heat…so they might have time and ripen by the end of October.  We’ll just have to wait and see!

Grab a few each week and keep them in the fridge.  There are several ways to enjoy an ice cold melon.  They make a great dessert on their own and you will soon be craving the crisp refreshing sweetness for a late night snack.  The kids will like a half a melon filled with an unsweetened whipped cream-just hand out a few spoons.  It’s a real crowd pleaser at the dinner table!

For a savory starter, pile up a slice of prosciutto and the melon on a pick and  add a drizzle of passion fruit.   Enjoy and experiment with the fresh melons at the market right now… see you tomorrow!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Hello friends!   We are hosting another pie contest to showcase the summer fruit you can now find in sweet abundance at the farmers markets.  Last week on the stands there were cherries, peaches, figs, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pluots, apriums, nectarines, plums and so much more!

Please deliver your pies to the tent near the lunch benches by 11am, judging and delighted sighs will ensue with winners announced at 1pm by the band.

Hope to see a great crowd this Sunday with lots to see and do at market…from the Raw Milk Seminar, Pie Contest and Live Jazz to the great produce and food.

We are also welcoming several new vendors over the next few weeks.  Fresh Pasta is now available!  The butternut squash ravioli is delicious with a brown butter – sage sauce.  And the fresh semolina-raspberry cookies are yummy as well!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Organic Pastures Dairy is – Family Owned, Operated, and Inspired

This week July 18th, our Certified Farmers Market will host Organic Pastures Dairy.  At 11am there will be a presentation on the secret of raw milk.  We will find out about becoming part of the dairy co-op and hear all about the nutritional benefits.  Please join us at the market to listen to this important information.  Here is a brief excerpt from their site:

OPDC is rooted in the innovative farming and dairy endeavors of the McAfee grandparents. Since the 1950s, McAfee Farms have been leading advocates of nature-friendly farm practices. In 1988, the family established an organic farm and by 2000, Organic Pastures Dairy Company became California’s first raw milk dairy with certified organic pasture land. The dairy is located near Fresno, California, in the heart of the fertile San Joaquin Valley, and is one of the few remaining family-owned and operated dairies in California.

The Best Milk You Can Buy

Organic Pastures produces Grade A, 100% pasture grazed raw milk of super premium quality. The Company has been recognized repeatedly in independent NFO (National Farmers Organization) tests as having the best milk taste of the dairies surveyed.

Nature’s Health is Your Health

At OPDC the vigor of each cow is a high priority. Our individually named cows are never given antibiotics, hormones, or GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). Only organic green pasture and approved naturopathic methods are used to feed and care for the cows. Preventative, nature-based healthcare keeps the herd healthy all year.

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Hope everyone had a terrific 4th of July!  Market was closed in honor of the holiday and it was a great to be on the streets of our Community enjoying the plethora of block parties!!  Now after the little break – it’s back to the business of summer and the Farmers Market.

July 12th-

The Market calendar for July is bustling!  This Sunday we welcome back several vendors from their journeys, one of them being the Culinary Coach.  There have been many, many inquiries and requests for those delicious sandwiches – so we are thrilled they are back!

Pie Contest- it’s time for the pie contest part deux.  The last contest was filled with the fall flavors of pecans, pumpkins and apples…now we have the summer fruits!  So, we thought it was time for another gathering of our collective crusts.  Stop by the info booth at the entrance and sign up!

Farm Lot 59-There is a new farm in town, seriously, right in the middle of LB!  Sasha Kanno, the founder of Long Beach Local will be at the market with her flowers, heirloom seeds and farm lot 59 information.  Check out her project and video at Kickstarter.

July 18th-

Pie Contest! Deliver pie entries by 11am with judging from 12noon-1pm.  Winners will be announced by the band….

Raw Milk Seminar-Organic Pastures Dairy will visit the market and share the secret of the raw milk movement.  This will be their first visit to the market and we want them to come back-often with their milk and dairy products, like fresh butter! Yum!!

Jazz at the Market. That’s right, we will be welcoming back to the playground stage-TimbreLine!  The local jazz ensemble will entertain the crowd of bakers, diners and  shoppers.  Should be a good time.

July 25th-

Chefs at the Market is back! And back in a big way…Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy Catering will be on hand to show us what he likes to do with the most amazing fruit of the season – the tomato!  Details and times coming…

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Long Beach Sunday Market in California Heights is hosting a summer pie contest. The first event, which took place on opening day November 22nd, was a rousing success with over 30 entries! And don’t be intimidated to join in – a 4th grader took 3rd place with his interpretation of Joy of Cooking’s Key Lime Pie.

If you attend the market this coming Sunday you will be able to pick up the last of this season’s cherries, which I highly recommend doing…contest or not. The short but sweet cherry season may be over, but if you are going to do your marketing the week before the contest on Sunday July 11th-you may consider pluots, peaches, plums, and berries! This time of year is the most wonderful time for fresh fruit…the kind you can’t get at the grocery store. The market fruit is picked and brought to you just before it peaks, and the varieties available are not bred for holding, but for flavor! Don’t miss the selection and be daring-try something new!

To enter the pie contest-

Stop by the information booth Sunday June 27 or Sunday July 11th (market closed on July 4th), or sign up on the website Long Beach Sunday Market. Just enter “pie contest” in the subject line.

Pies should be made with fresh fruit of the season and delivered to the judging area no later than 11 am, with winners announced a little later around 1pm. Stick around do some shopping and have a sandwich, taco or crepe! Results will also be tweeted to facebook so errant winners can hustle back to the market to pick up their prizes!!

In addition to the pie baking festivities, the July 18th market will feature live Jazzy-Bluegrass tunes by Timbreline and Chef Denter of Culinary Coach will be back with those famous banh mi and fried egg sandwiches!! For more information please email LBSM@me.com

The Long Beach Sunday Farmers Market in California Heights is located on the play ground of Longfellow Elementary School. Maps address is 3800 Olive, 90807, while the actual location is on California at Bixby Road, between Atlantic Ave and Orange Ave. It is a weekly certified farmers market and will be held every Sunday from 9am to 2pm. Farmers, Food, Crafts, Chess, Face Painting, School Groups, Tot Lot, Community!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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We are trying to pack the 3rd Sunday of the month with all kinds of ideas, solutions, vendors and artists that think sustainably.  Each month the Hughes Goes Green team sets up a groovy demonstration of some kind, like composting, chicken keeping, rain capture, & tomorrow they will go over some irrigation solutions!  Super cool!!  Please stop by and tell two friends!!

Hughes Instrumental Music – will be right next door.  Buy a beverage and support the music program at Hughes.  They’re great and we want them to stay that way!  Now more than ever – the schools need our continuous support and attention.  Speaking of which…

Right next door to music will be the Hughes PTA – they’re back and they have bags!  Check out the spring selection of reusable bags…

Longfellow Legacy – is signing up golfers for their annual Cinco de Mayo golf tournament.  Stop by the booth and sign on the line that is dotted…

Restoration Trade Fair! Located on the grounds of Burbank…this event gathers craftsman that specialize in Historic Home restoration.  A selection of vendors will visit the market leading up to their event.  Stop and find out what it’s all about.

Worms & Vermiposting – stop in at Leilani’s booth to find out how you can make your own black gold for the garden!  The worm bin is easy to maintain and the results in your garden.

Vida Verde – a shop that specializes in green and recycled items!  They were out last month and we are thrilled to have them back.   Bella Cosa is at the Grand Prix this weekend, but will be out next month too.

Gama Farms – Eggs, onions, garlic, potatoes…I just read that organic farm fresh eggs are lower in cholesterol.  That is just super great news!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Jamie Oliver has jump started the food revolution…

Locally-Chefs Paul Buchanan & Michael Poompan are knee deep in le revolucion!  Paul and Dana of Primal Alchemy just taped a “days of taste” with the Jamie Oliver crew in LB.  They have been doing this food thing with the kids for 10 years.  Thank goodness!  Now that the public is ready, they are more than ready to show us what’s what. Chef  Michael of the Renaissance Hotel (LBC best kept secret for super tasty menu – we have to change this!) will be at the Sunday Cal Heights Market shopping and getting inspiration April 18th and cooking next Sunday April 25th – on the menu?  Kids healthy lunches, of course!

So click on the button in the right margin…to the right of this post…and join the revolution!

“I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It’s time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!

You live in an amazing country full of inspirational people and you have the power to change things. With your help, we can get better food into homes, schools and communities all over America and give your kids a better future. Sign the petition to save America’s cooking skills and improve school food. It could be the most important thing you ever do for your family. America’s health needs you now!” – Jaime Oliver

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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Nice to be back at the market today, after the lengthy 14 days break!  Fava Beans have finally arrived and the sugar snaps, artichokes, & asparagus still look great.  Apples are starting to wane, so grab what you can for your apple slaws and pie fillings.  Avocados are looking really good and very tasty for the pozole!  Grabbed a couple of quarts pozole, cilantro, cabbage, lemons, avocados and dinner is served.  Everyone can do what they want to the temperature, you know with chiles, peppers and such.  Dinner done!

Good Food had a great recipe for a “spring time mess”, which you can hear about on the KCRW site.  It is the perfect way to get all the best of spring in to a dish at one time, quickly and deliciously!  Basically you take the peas, pea shoots, leeks, green garlic, mint and anything out there green, saute with salt & pepper in olive oil.  Toss with pasta, put on toast, puree for soups or sauces.    I have a whole green mess on the counter right now.  Sounds like a perfect solution for later this week.

Here’s a little springtime culinary inspiration-

Gourmet Cover April 1954-

From the column, Sugar and Spice-

“Preparation is half the fun, as every chef worth his gros bonnet will agree:  The more intricate the dish, the greater the pleasure of proving your skill.  En garde!-a ballotine de volaille a la Regence is in progress.  The chicken has been boned and stuffed-a few filets of tongue remain-rolled in cloth, and tied in sausage shape.  The carrots and greens, spring pride of the market, so crisp and April-fresh, the onion and bay leaves and peppercorns, the cloves of garlic-all await the art and discipline of the master.”

Does that make you want to break out the old Mastering the art of French Cooking?  These old Gourmets and many of my cook books read more like poetry than mere recipes.   Happy Sunday, cooks!!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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After a successful kick off of our first Chefs at the Market events, we are excited to announce our next cooking workshop with Delius Restaurant’s Chef Louise Solzman on the 28th of March.  Come and join us for this educational and entertaining event and an opportunity to meet Chef Solzman.

Food is a passion and an art for Louise Solzman. She has been cooking as long as she can remember, and now works to rave reviews as Executive Chef at Delius Restaurant in Signal Hill, California, that she operates with her husband, Dave, the General Manager/Sommelier.(...)
Read the rest of Tomorrow is Foodie Funday at the Farmers Market!

© Long Beach Sunday Market, 2010.

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