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Mercado Kitchen: Watermelon Lemon Cucumber Mint Agua Fresca

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Blog, Blue House Farm, Happy Boy Farms, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Tomatero Farm | 2 Comments

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To celebrate the beginning of summer and the start of the most delicious season, we made Agua Fresca. When the summer heat comes this transformable beverage is fantastic to sip on a warm afternoon or as a fresh accompaniment with a weekend breakfast. Easy to make and simply delicious, you can use just about any fruit you have on hand to make Agua Fresca and you can make it as sweet as you like by controlling the amount of sugar that you add.

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For this batch, we used juicy pink Watermelon from Tomatero Farm, bright Lemon Cucumbers from Happy Boy Farms, and crisp clean Mint from Blue House Farm. The Watermelon was ripe enough that we didn’t add very much sugar to assure that our beverage was refreshing and thirst-quenching and less dessert-like.

To make this recipe you will need:

1 medium-sized watermelon

3 lemon cucumbers

1/4 c. sugar (Adjust this to your preference level) or agave nectar

1/4 c. water

1 bunch of mint

1 tray of ice cubes (about 12 cubes) Read more

Spotlight on Arzimendi Bakery

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Arizmendi Bakery, Blog, Vendors | Leave a comment

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Imagine working in an office that didn’t have a boss. All decisions would be made through a vote and each employee would have ownership of the business. The employees of Arzimendi Bakery work in such a place.  As a worker-owned cooporitive, decisions at the Arzimendi Association are made by group committees, not individuals. There are five locations around the Bay Area including one in the Mission District on 24th at Valencia.

We spoke to Yeni from Arzimendi who shared that she is often questioned about the business’ unique system. She explained that decisions may take longer to make by a group but ‘worker-owners’ are more involved and invested because, “the success and failure of the business is on us, not a supervisor.”  Their inspired baked goods and breads certainly delight the masses as there is frequently a line extending out the door of the bakery and they sometimes sell out of goods at the Mission Mercado. Yeni said one of her favorite parts about operating a stand at the Mission Mercado is her ability to interact and talk to shoppers about the products and offer tastings. Her favorite items at the market right now are the Caramelized Onion and Gouda Sourdough Boules and the Lavender Shortbread Cookies. Every single day Arzimendi creates a different type of “thin crust” pizza, a fruit scone, and a bread pudding. They announce these flavors on their twitter account @arizmendi_val, so follow them to stay up-to-date!

Yeni said that they’ll be featuring a ‘Red White and Blue Pie’ at the shop with raspberries, white peaches and blueberries in the coming weeks! Keep an eye out for tasty treats from Arizmendi at MCM each week 4-8pm on Thursdays!

Strawberry Bonanza at MCM!

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Blog, Blue House Farm, Tomatero Farm, Vendors, Yerena Farms | Leave a comment
From the Top: Albion, Rosa, Eclaire, and Seascape Strawberries

From the Top: Albion, Rosa, Eclaire, and Seascape Strawberries

Strawberries may possibly be the most plentiful summer fruit at the market these days. Many people don’t know that there are actually several varieties of strawberries, and those of you who do might wonder how to choose between them! Well, you can’t really go wrong with any of these delicious offerings, but, there are indeed a couple key differences amongst them.  Thank you to Spencer from Tomatero Farms, Minnie from Blue House, and Sylvia and Justice from Yerena Farms for breaking down the features of the strawberry varieties they bring to market…

Albion – These big guys are one of the most common commercial strawberry varieties grown in California, particularly in the northern parts.  They are firm, hollow, and more sugary than other kinds of strawberries. Minnie from Blue House said that Albion is a “classic, sweet, juicy red berry which is great for baking or snacking.”

Chandler – The most commonly grown variety across the United States, Sylvia from Yerena says that they are “the most juicy.” Although we do not have one pictured above, Chandler’s vary from being long and wedge-shaped to large and conical.

Éclair – With their early season productivity a big plus for farmers, Sylvia likes this variety for their light sweetness.  Typically, she says, they are white on the inside.

Rosa – Another great choice, Spencer describes the Rosas as “smaller and juicier” with a more tropical flavor that is reminiscent of pineapple.

Seascape – Developed at UC-Davis, this variety is hearty and resistant to many diseases that can afflict strawberries while they are growing.   Sylvia says the Seascapes are “sweet, with a little bit of sourness.”

Sweet Ann – A newer variety on the strawberry scene that is making waves for being very flavorful, Spencer calls them “big, very sweet, and more juicy” than other varieties. They are larger, with medium firmness, and can have a sharper conical shape.

So next time you are at the Mission Mercado, keep an eye out for these varieties and don’t hold back–ask the farmers which berry is right for you!

Mercado Kitchen: Peach Galette

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Blog, Mercado Kitchen, Twin Girls Farm | Leave a comment

Galettes always look so fancy and beautiful, so I felt very intimidated to try make one on my own. You have probably seen a galette before – they’re more free-form than a fruit tart, with a simple, flat butter crust. They are very popular in France, both in their savory and sweet forms. With the help of my roommate (whose mother is a galette afficianado), I decided to rise to the challenge, inspired to make a sweet galette by the incredible peaches we’ve had from Twin Girls Farm in the recent weeks.

Peaches from MCM!

Peaches from MCM!

You’ll need

  • 2 – 3 peaches
  • 1 ¼ cup flour
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup butter
  • 3 TBs ice water Read more

People of MCM: Chris

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Blog, Blue House Farm, Chaac Mool, People of MCM, Peter's Kettle Corn, Roli Roti, Shrimp & Love, Tomatero Farm, Twin Girls Farm, Vendors | Leave a comment

peep o week

Chris regularly comes to MCM with his family. The rest of the family was feeling a little camera-shy, but they all love visiting the market!

Where do you live? Noe Valley

How often do you come to the MCM? Twice a month, after picking up the kids at the Friends School nearby.

What are you buying? We always stop for kettle corn at Peter’s Kettle Corn!  Today, we got fruit from Twin Girls, carrots and berries from Tomatero, some other veggies at Blue House. Sometimes we get a chicken from Roli Roti, or dinner from Chaac-Mool.  We’ve also bought the ceviche from Shrimp & Love Ceviche.

What’s your favorite part of the market? It’s very convenient and friendly. We love the live music, too.

What’s the best kept secret at MCM, or something you would like people to know about? We tell all our friends to stop by, because you can easily find a parking spot on Valencia towards the beginning of the market.