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Ripe Now! Basil
Have these pandemic days got you feeling like your meals are lackluster? Tired of cooking the same things? No worries! That's why eating with the seasons is not only healthy, but also keeps cooking exciting. Now that the weather has warmed up, we can add the sweet and strong flavor of basil to our dishes! Basil is a culinary herb that is native to subtropical climates and is a part of the mint family (Lamiaceae). There are many varieties of basil, like the purple Thai basil, Genovese or sweet basil, holy basil, lemon basil, etc. You might notice that the various kinds of basil have very different scents and that's because of the essential oils that make up each one. Basil is used in many different cultures from pestos, to soups, to even ice cream! You can pick up a bunch of basil at all 3 of our Berkeley Farmers' Markets right now, at
Lou Vue Farm
,
Vang Family Farm
,
Golden Rule Organics
,
Oya Organics
,
Full Belly Farm
,
Gattonelli
,
Blue Heron Farm
,
Riverdog Farm
,
Peach Jamboree
, and
Happy Boy Farms
.
Storage Tips:
Difficult to store well, basil does not like to be cold or wet. The best method is an airtight container left out on a cool counter loosely packed. Find out more tips from the Ecology Center on
storing fruits and vegetables in this fact sheet
.
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Recipe: Basil Pesto
From Josh Miner, Berkeley Farmers' Markets customer
1 bunch basil
1 small clove garlic
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup toasted walnuts
1/3-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp sea salt
Remove the basil leaves from the stem, wash and let drain (a salad spinner works great). Put the basil, garlic, olive oil, and nuts in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. (If you don't have a food processor or blender, finely chop the basil, garlic, and nuts and whisk together with the oil.) Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the cheese. Add salt to taste.
Hint: basil tends to oxidize (turn brown) after it is blended. This doesn't affect the taste, but to keep your pesto bright green, try adding a bit of arugula, which prevents oxidation. Arugula has a strong, somewhat bitter flavor, so add as much or as little as you'd like.
Serving ideas: Toss with pasta (reserve a bit of the pasta water and add it to the pesto to make everything blend together well). Or, make pizza crusts and use the pesto in place of pizza sauce. Top with something in season: fresh heirloom tomatoes, asparagus, leeks, arugula, etc.
Note: Pesto freezes well. You can make a large batch at the end of summer before basil season ends and freeze single servings in small glass jars (or even wrap scoops in cellophane and put into plastic freezer bags). When enlarging the recipe, be careful not to add too much oil (you can always add more at the end). To save space, don't add the cheese until you're ready to cook. Enjoy the taste of fresh basil through the winter!
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Current Vendors
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Tuesday South Berkeley
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Thursday North Berkeley
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Saturday Downtown Berkeley
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Kaki Farms
Massa Organics
Guru Ram Das Orchard
Oya Organics
Brokaw Ranch Co.
Swanton Berry Farm
Full Belly Farm
Flying Disc Ranch
Blossom Bluff Orchard
Solano Mushroom
Dirty Girl Produce
Triple Delight Blueberries
Kashiwase Farm
Stepladder Creamery
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Avalos Farm
Lou Vue Farm
Blue Heron Farms
Peach Jamboree
Frog Hollow Farm
Lucero Organics
Good Faith Olives
Little Fish Co
Queen of Sheba Honey
Phoenix Pastificio
Three Stone Hearth
Soul Flower Farm
Base Camp Bakery
Bolani
Fruit Tree Smoothies
Tamales La Oaxaquena
Andy's Thai
Donna's Tamales
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Hudson Fish
Sonoma Swamp Blueberries
Lucero Organics
Happy Boy Farms
Green Thumb Organics
Massa Organics
Golden Rule Organics
E&H Mushroom Farm
Riverdog Farm
Frog Hollow Farm
Kashiwase Farm
Phoenix Pastificio
Big Little Bowl
Donna's Tamales
All Things Sharp
Morell's Bread
Upland Apiary
Three Stone Hearth
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Brokaw Ranch
Swanton Berry Farm
Avalos
Farm
Kaki Farm
Good Faith Farm
Golden Rule Organics
Guru Ram Das Orchard
Lifefood Gardens
Gattonelli
Achadinha Cheese Co.
Hudson Fish
Kashiwase Farm
Happy Boy Farms
Stepladder Creamery
True Grass Ranch
Solano
Mushroom
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Bariani Olive Oil
Four Sisters Farm
Blue Heron Farm
Peach Jamboree
Frog Hollow Farm
Vang Family Farm
Off Beet Farm
Pomo Tierra Orchard
Higher Land Coffee
Tony's Kettle Corn + Crepes
Andy's
Thai
Tamales La Oaxaquena
Cafe Zambala
All Things Sharp
Beber Almond Milk
Big Little Bowl
Soul Flower Farm
Queen
of Sheba Honey
Your Way to Life Granola
Laguna Gardens Bakery
Cultured Pickle Shop
Morell's Bread
Obour
Hummus
Phoenix Pastificio
Bolani
Coracao
Primavera Tamales
Bun Bao (New!)
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Accessibility at Market
We know that parking can be one of the biggest challenges, especially for those with disabilities. At each of our markets we have created extra disabled parking spots in addition to the existing City of Berkeley designated parking spaces. Below are maps to help you locate the nearest disabled parking spots.
In addition to providing accessible parking for each market we
are initiating an
Accessibility Fast Pass,
for shoppers
who have
disabilities that prevent them from standing in line.
If you are u
nable to stand in line because of a disability please ask our staff at the Farmers' Market Info Booth about our Accessibility Fast Pass program.
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7/15- Eco Lunch Bunch: Producer Responsibility & Plastic Recycling
Join us to discuss Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Plastic Recycling! It is clear that plastic pollution is all around us and piling up, but what are we going to do with those plastics? Should the government or producers be responsible for managing plastic waste? In this discussion group, we will go over what Extended Producer Responsibility is and what it means for plastic recycling.
The Eco Lunch Bunch offers sociable, interactive, discussion-based sessions covering various topics. To encourage group participation, sessions will be limited to 10-15 people, so sign up today!
7/22- Eco Lunch Bunch: Get Plastic Out of Your Life
Join us to discuss ways to Get Plastic Out of Your Life! Learn tips from your own community members and dig into why going zero-waste seems so difficult!
The Eco Lunch Bunch offers sociable, interactive, discussion-based sessions covering various topics. To encourage group participation, sessions will be limited to 10-15 people, so sign up today!
7/25- Plastic Free July Solutions Salon
We've all seen the devastating viral video of the sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nose. Or the heartbreaking photos of deceased sea mammals washed up on beaches with bellies full of plastic bags and film. We've gasped at the news of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and most recently, have observed an abundance of improperly discarded plastic gloves and face masks amidst the global coronavirus pandemic. While the plastic pollution crisis is not new, envisioning a plastic-free lifestyle and identifying realistic solutions and actionable ways to join the movement, can seem impossible.
Join the Ecology Center and a variety of local community partners for a virtual Salon to discover solutions on how to make plastic-free living a reality. From grocery shopping and personal care to reuse programs and sustainable fashion and gardening -- join us, for tips, demonstrations, and plastic-free ideas to inspire your zero waste efforts!
7/30- Story of Plastic Virtual Watch Party & Plastic-Free July Panel Discussion
The Ecology Center invites you to a virtual screening of
The Story of Plastic. To wrap up Plastic Free July, this discussion will move beyond the problem of the plastics crisis and instead focus on opportunities and strategies towards solutions!
The Story of Plastic presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it -- so where do we go from here? What can we do at local, state, federal, and international levels to bring systemic change?
Join us for a solutions-oriented panel discussion moderated by Ecology Center Executive Director, Martin Bourque, and featuring experts in policy and legislation who will speak to current and future efforts in the fight against plastic pollution. The panel discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
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Farmers' Market Hours & Locations
EBT and WIC Fruit & Vegetable checks gladly accepted and Market Match incentives distributed
at all markets.
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South Berkeley
Tuesdays, 2 - 6:30 pm
Adeline St. at 63rd St.,
Berkeley
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Thursdays, 3 - 7 pm
Shattuck Ave. at Vine St., Berkeley
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Downtown Berkeley
Saturdays,
10 am - 3 pm
Center St. at MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley
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[Photo credit: Berkeley Farmers' Market Staff
]
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