Mercado Kitchen: Never hard-boil eggs again!
Hard-boiled eggs are a wonderful, pre-packaged, protein-packed snack! They also serve as great breakfast accompaniments to granola or cereal that alone just won't keep you going until lunchtime. But hard-boiling eggs is a pain! How much water to use? Read more
People of MCM: Kevin, Raffle Winner!
Meet Kevin, who was the lucky winner of $50 towards shopping at MCM in our neighbor appreciation raffle! Neighbors who received an MCM flier on their door were eligible to enter, and Kevin took home the prize! Where do you Read more
Promoting Hepatitis Awareness at MCM
Did you know that May is National Viral Hepatitis Awareness Month and May 15th is National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day? As many as 75% of people with Hepatitis C are infected but don't know they have it, and viral hepatitis Read more
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!
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!
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
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!
MissionCommunityMarket’s photostream on Flickr.
Mission Community Market is back this week with new vendors like Organic Keiki and Aurelia Styles! Hope you got to ‘swing’ by for a free dance lesson provided by Cat’s Corner and pick up some good BBQ from Good Foods Catering!
