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!Felíz verano! Happy summer!

Farmers' markets mean the opportunity to try something new every week -- especially this time of year! While tomatoes and corn are definitely deserving of the summer spotlight, nopales, a.k.a. cactus paddles, and flores de calabaza, squash blossoms, are two hidden gems that are just as worthy of your taste bud's attention.

Nopales are the perfect addition to your backyard cookout. With their crisp, green-bean-like texture and marginally tart taste, they are at their best grilled whole, in tacos, or as a base for a light summer salad.

Radiant, sun-gold squash blossoms will offer a pop of color and delicate, mildly spicy flavor to your dishes. Try them stuffed, fried, or fresh!

Head straight to Kaki Farm at the Tuesday or Saturday market for gorgeous (pre-cleaned!) nopales. Oya Organics can hook you up with a bouquet of squash blossoms at the Tuesday market.

Easy Eating: This week's recipe picks reflect nopales and flor de calabaza as two ingredients central to traditional Mexican cuisine. For a classic Mesoamerican breakfast, give Nopales and Huevos a try. For a quick lunch, whip up these low-effort beer-battered Tacos de Flor de Calabaza. This Nopales de Colores Salad is sure to impress at your next outdoor potluck. This salad also doubles as a hearty dinner when served alongside a generous helping of black beans. 

For more amazing plant-based Mexican recipes, check out Decolonize our Diet. This cookbook, the product of two Bay Area scholars' exploration of pre-colonial Mexican cuisine, is available at the Ecology Center Store, where you will receive 15% off of your store purchase when you use the code "PlasticFreeJuly" at checkout.


Storage Tips: Squash blossoms should be eaten as soon as possible, so have a recipe in mind when you purchase them, and a plan to whip it up within a day or two. The same goes for nopales, although there is one way to keep them for up to a few weeks: submerge them in a container of cold water in your fridge!
Recipe: Quesadilla con Nopal y Flor de Calabaza

The family recipe of a farmers' market staff!

Ingredients

2 pre-cleaned nopales
1 clove garlic
½ medium onion
2 tbsp olive oil
4 corn tortillas 
½ cup queso fresco or cheese of choice
8 flores de calabaza

Instructions

Cut nopales in ½ inch strips, around 2 inches long. Saute garlic, onions, and nopales in olive oil over high heat and allow the nopal to fry up a bit. Crumble queso fresco or grate cheese of choice. Heat tortillas on a comal, or flat griddle, and fill with cheese and the amount of flor de calabaza and nopal desired. Fold and let cook on each side until tortilla is golden and cheese is melted.

Try Primavera Tamales' blue corn tortillas for extra tasty results! Find them at the Saturday market. 
  
This Week's Vendors

Saturday Downtown Berkeley
Tuesday South Berkeley
Thursday North Berkeley
Brokaw Ranch
Avalos Farm
Kaki Farm
Good Faith Farm
Guru Ram Das Orchards
Golden Rule Organics
Lifefood Gardens
Flying Disc Ranch
Achadinha Cheese Co.
Hudson Fish
Kashiwase Farm
Stepladder Creamery
Happy Boy Farms
True Grass Farm
Vang Family Farm
Solano Mushroom
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Gattonelli
Frog Hollow Farm
Bariani Olive Oil
Blue Heron
Steadfast Herbs
Pomo Tierra Orchard
Swanton Berry Farm
Higher Land Coffee
Tony's Kettle Corn + Crepes
Andy's Thai
Tamales La Oaxaqueña
Cafe Zambala
Picnic
Beber Almond Milk
Big Little Bowl
Your Granola Garden 
Laguna Garden Bakery
Cultured Pickle Shop
Morell's Bread
Obour Hummus
Phoenix Pastificio
Bolani
Coracao
Primavera Tamales
Bun Bao
Off Beet Farm
Kaki Farms
Massa Organics
Oya Organics
Brokaw Ranch
Lou Vue
Avalos Farm
Full Belly Farm
Flying Disc Ranch
Good Faith Farm
Blue Heron
Blossom Bluff Orchards
Solano Mushroom
Dirty Girl Produce
Lucero Organic Farms
Kashiwase Farm
Stepladder Creamery
Riverdog Farm
Blossom Bluff
Smit Farms
Frog Hollow Farm
Little Fish Co.
Queen of Sheeba Honey
Phoenix Pastificio
Three Stone Hearth
Base Camp Bakery
Bolani
Fruit Tree Smoothies
Tamales La Oaxaquena
Andy's Thai
Donna's Tamales



Hudson Fish
Happy Boy Farms
Green Thumb Organics
Massa Organics
Chinchiolo Farm
Golden Rule Organics
E&H Mushroom Farm
Riverdog Farm
Frog Hollow Farm
Phoenix Pastificio
Big Little Bowl
Donna's Tamales
All Things Sharp
Morell's Bread
Upland Apiary
Blossom Bluff



The Plastic Free Comeback: Reduce, Refuse, Reuse, and Refill

A Free, Online Panel Discussion

Thursday, July 15th
@ 6pm


The Reuse and Refill Movement is leading the way to combat single-use disposables. Single-use disposable plastics contribute significantly to the plastic pollution crisis at hand. As restrictions are being lifted, food facilities and restaurants are reopening, and reuse and refill services are making a steady and progressive plastic free comeback!
 
Join us for a free, online panel discussion with local shakers and movers in the Reuse and Refill Movement! Featured speakers include Jessica Lybeck, Co-Founder & CEO of Remark; Stéphanie Regni, founder of Fillgood; Lindsey Hoell, Chief Executive Officer of Dispatch Goods Inc.; Jessica Heiges, researcher, practitioner and PhD Candidate; and Professor Kate O'Neill from the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. A live audience Q&A will follow the panel discussion. 
Bring Your Own Bag to Market Again!

It's officially time to bring your re-usable bags back to market -- just in time for Plastic Free July!

While vendors are not allowed to provide customers with plastic bags at the Berkeley Farmers' Markets, by refusing even paper and compostable ones, you'll be help squash disposable, single-use item use and support the Ecology Center's efforts to be a Zero- Waste Market. 

Out of bags? Learn how to creatively re-use old plastic bags at our Woven Market Tote class on July 18th. Or head to the Ecology Center Store for reusable totes and produce bags


For the entire month of July, receive 15% off your store purchase when you use the code PlasticFreeJuly at checkout. 

Volunteers play a huge role in making our markets both smooth and successful. It's a great way to support your community in accessing healthy, farm-fresh food. You'll get to enjoy the sunshine this summer, too!

As a volunteer, you'll help us:
  • Set up and take down the market
  • Greet, welcome, and thank market visitors
  • Feature vendors on our social media
  • Give vendors much-deserved breaks
  • And much, much more!

Click here to access the application!

Masks Encouraged at Market

The Berkeley Farmers' Markets will continue to adhere to the City of Berkeley Public Health, CDPH, and the CDC's recommendations, for our mask requirements and policies. Given the current recommendations, as of June 15, 2021, masks are not required for attendees to enter the Berkeley Farmers' Market.

While it is not required, we respectfully ask that those who are unvaccinated, or partially vaccinated, continue to wear a mask for the ongoing safety of our community. And we also support and encourage all community members in taking the precautions they need for the best interest of their individual health needs. 

We deeply appreciate your support and community spirit during this exciting and tentative transitional time.
Farmers' Market Hours & Locations
EBT and WIC Fruit & Vegetable checks gladly accepted and Market Match incentives distributed at all markets.
South Berkeley
Tuesdays, 2 - 6:30 pm
Adeline St. at 63rd St., 
Berkeley
North Berkeley
Thursdays, 3 - 7 pm 
Shattuck Ave. at Rose St., Berkeley
Downtown Berkeley
Saturdays, 10 am - 3 pm
Center St. at MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley
[Photo credit: Berkeley Farmers' Market Staff]