Zuckerman’s Farm

Blueberries two ways featuring Zuckerman Family Farms

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Mercado Kitchen, Vendor of the Week, Zuckerman's Farm | Leave a comment

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At Mission Community Market, Zuckerman Family Farms is your go-to-spot for asparagus and potatoes. The farm, located in Stockton, is known best for their white potatoes. But summer weather has brought changes to the booth: the season of asparagus, a spring vegetable, is over, and this summer, blueberries have joined the Zuckerman table.

“Every season something new comes through,” says Marvin, a seller for Zuckerman farms. This is his first year selling blueberries at Mission Mercado––in fact, as I speak with him, this is Marvin’s first day as a blueberry seller. The berries have a short season, and don’t come every year.

Shoppers linger around the booth, dipping their hands into an open blueberry container to sample. Marvin says that though the blueberries mostly go in oatmeals and muffins, the fruit is versatile. In fact, I can’t think of a berry more suited to a variety of cooking techniques––blueberries, while sweet, are relatively mild in flavor, and can be baked, grilled, pureed, or eaten raw.

For that reason, blueberries are an effortless summer classic, ready to be packed in lunches, enjoyed during sunset porch–dinners, or floated in drinks. I explored two ways that blueberries could be prepared and paired with corn.

blueberries two ways

Blueberries from Zuckerman farms are resilient and warm from the sun; the addition of fresh, locally produced blueberries is what makes the following recipes come to life. I encourage you to use berries from your local farmer’s market––the flavor in international bulk-produced fruit is just not the same.

The full recipes appear after the jump!

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Mercado Kitchen: Southern Cabbage Recipe

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Blog, Blue House Farm, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Tomatero Farm, Zuckerman's Farm | Leave a comment

Mission Community Market is pleased to welcome back Tomatero Farm to market Thursdays! This week we have highlighted a good ol’ head of cabbage..

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To some, one of the most confusing vegetables to prepare. Does one steam, boil, sauté, or bake this round, green beauty? This week’s recipe guides you in the southern style of preparing a cabbage. This quick, easy, and delicious technique will highlight the flavor and texture of this mysterious veggie. To accompany the deep flavor of this recipe, mashed potatoes and blanched carrots make for one hearty, healthy meal! The best part about this recipe is that it’s even better on day two after a night of soaking in the fridge!

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Southern Style Cabbage

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage from Tomatero Farm
2 tbs. butter
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
Dash of dill and chili powder
Fresh black pepper
1 1/2 – 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Directions:
Cut the cabbage into quarters and slice off the hard stem. Gently slice each quarter into roughly 1-in. thick strips. In a large pot, add the butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, seasonings, and cabbage. Add in the chicken or vegetable broth and toss. Bring pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring the cabbage occasionally until it is tender. Do not overcook.

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Zuckerman’s Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
Mixed bag of potatoes from Zuckerman’s Farm
2 tbs. butter
Salt, pepper to season

Directions:
Chop potatoes in half and add to a pot of water. Boil for roughly 25 minutes until tender. Drain 90% of the water and mash the potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Blue House Blanched Carrots

Ingredients:
Bundle of carrots from Blue House Farm
1 1/2 cup water

Directions:
Add water to a pan and simmer the whole, cleaned carrots until tender (roughly 15 minutes). This preparation highlights the sweetness of the carrot, while maintaining nutrition and omitting unnecessary fats!

Mercado Kitchen: Char-Broiled Asparagus

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Achadinha Cheese Company, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Terra Savia, Twin Girls Farm, Zuckerman's Farm | Leave a comment

Mission Community Market is happy to welcome back Zuckerman’s Farm to the market! This beautiful 1,500 acre, multi-generational farm in Stockton brings a plethora of bright green asparagus to the market each week, as well as potatoes. Stop by the market this week, grab a bundle, and broil these babies for a tasty meal with the family!

asparagus

Char-Broiled Asparagus

Ingredients:
Bundle of jumbo asparagus from Zuckerman’s Farm
2-3 tbs Olive oil from Terra Sávia
1 Lemon from Twin Girls Farm, cut into wedges for serving
1/2 tsp Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup of Freshly grated Capricious cheese from Achadinha Cheese Co.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Gently break the bottoms off of each asparagus and lie in a foiled sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on top of the bundle and place in the oven; cooking for roughly 10-15 minutes. Once this time passes, remove the asparagus and sprinkle the cheese across all of the stalks. Add a dash of grated lemon zest for a light kick and place back in oven for 3-5 more minutes on broil. When removed, the stalks should be lightly crispy and the cheese just barely golden. Enjoy with a wedge of lemon and pasta alfredo (which you can also grab at Home Maid Ravioli!)

Mercado Kitchen: Asian Pear & Walnut Risotto

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Achadinha Cheese Company, Blog, K&J Orchards, Mercado Kitchen, Recipes, Terra Savia, Winters Tree Fruit, Zuckerman's Farm | 1 Comment

This week’s recipe is the perfect representation of the change in seasons from winter to spring that we see here in San Francisco. It’s incredibly light and gentle on the palate, balancing a blend of Mission Community Market’s sweet and savory offerings.

Stop by K&J Orchards this week to try their mouthwatering asian pears! The subtle sweetness of the fruit expands into a powerful flavor with each bite. This family-owned farm lies north of San Francisco in Winters, CA and produce a variety of tree fruits throughout the season.

Next, walk just a few stalls up 22nd street and visit Achadinha Cheese Company’s stall. to try their wide variety of goat cheeses. Their enthusiastic salesperson Chris will intrigue you with all the creative combinations you can think of (and some you may never have thought of)!

Asian Pear Walnut Risotto

Ingredients:

1-2 Asian Pears from K&J Orchards
Butter
Coriander
1 cup Organic Arborio Rice
4 cups of water or broth
1 bunch julienned Asparagus (Asparagus from Zuckerman’s Farm could be available at the market as early as 1-3 weeks from now! We’re excited!)
1 1/2 cups of Walnuts from Winter’s Fruit Tree
5-6 Shiitake mushrooms from Far West Fungi, chopped
Honey from Terra Savia
Olive oil from from Terra Savia
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Feta from Achadinha Cheese Co.

Instructions:

Add a teaspoon of butter to a pot and melt. Add 1 whole chopped asian pear and half of the asparagus with a light sprinkle of coriander. On low heat, lightly brown the pears and asparagus.

Add 1 cup arborio rice with 1 1/2 cups water or broth into the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. In a separate pot, heat 2 1/2 cups of water or broth.

Throughout the duration of the rice cooking, periodically stir well. Halfway through cooking add the rest of the julienned asparagus. Once the liquid is absorbed, begin to add the hot water/broth (1 cup at a time). Cook and stir after each addition until the liquid is fully absorbed before adding another cup.

Simultaneously in a separate dry pan (without any oil) brown the walnuts.

In another pan, add oil and chopped shiitakes. Cook on low heat.  Towards the end, add less than 1 tablespoon each of honey and balsamic vinegar. Stir well. At culmination, add 2 tablespoons of water and let the shiitakes sit in the warm pan until dinner is served.

Once risotto is almost complete, add a little bit of the brine from the feta container.

Plate risotto and top with shiitake, walnuts, feta, and some freshly shaved asparagus and asian pear.

(Serves 2-3)

Hello, Spring!

walnutrisotto

Apple Season is Here at MCM!

Posted on by Mission Community Market in Blog, Hale Apple Farm, Vendors, Zuckerman's Farm | Leave a comment

Last week marked the official start of Apple Season at MCM. Our favorite Sebastapol apple farmer, Dave Hale, brought with him the first crops of the season, and they did not disappoint.

Pink Pearls pictured below from Hale Farm are a customer favorite for their unique pink flesh that rivals watermelons in brightness and color.

pink pearl

Hale Farm grows over 30 varieties of apples, including Gravensteins, which they also have at MCM right now. These delicious apples are native to Sebastapol, a little bit tart, and perfect for pies. This week, Delta-based Zuckerman’s Farm will also have their first crop of Gala Apples which we can’t wait to try!

Come on down to MCM this week and have a taste of these varieties of apples, and get excited for the bounty that is yet to come this autumn.