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Ripe Now! Lemons

Want the perfect fruit to clear out 2020 from your system? Well, luckily lemons are pouring into the market right now to help you with that cleanse. 

Lemons grow on a small evergreen tree and are native to South Asia. The lemon tree can produce fruit year round, but produces the most fruit in late winter and early spring. You can find Eureka and Meyer lemon varieties at our markets. The light yellow Eureka lemons are tart and bright, while Meyer lemons with their darker, thinner skin are slightly sweet and floral. (Meyer lemons have about 4 times more sugar than Eureka lemons!) The pH of a lemon is at about 2.2, which gives it that sour taste. Lemons are high in vitamin C (1 lemon provides half the daily recommended intake), soluble fiber that is great for digestion, and has plant compounds that can help reduce cholesterol. The rind can be used for lemon zest, the juice is used in drinks, and the peels can be preserved. There's so much you can do in the kitchen with lemons!

You can get lemons at all 3 of our farmers' markets right now at Blossom Bluff Orchards, Kaki Farm, and Guru Ram Das Orchards!

Easy Eating
There's countless ways to enjoy lemons. Start off your day with a cup of coffee and a delicious Meyer lemon tart! Try out all different types of refreshing lemonade. Make a Meyer lemon marmalade for spreading on baked goods or marinating chicken. Use them in this delicious lemony chicken and rice soup (Avgolemono) recipe. Finally, if you want to make the lemon season last all year long, learn how to preserve your lemons with this recipe

Daily Tips:
Roll lemon on the counter a few times before squeezing to maximize the amount of juice.

Storage Tips: Lemons stay fresh at room temperature (not in direct sunlight) for 7-10 days; or, you can store them in the refrigerator for 4-5 weeks. Lemon juice can also be frozen in ice trays for later use.
Recipe: Fresh Lemon Pesto
This unique pesto can be used in pasta, as a pizza topping, served with rice, or spread on bread. Feel free to adapt to your liking--try substituting peppery arugula for the basil.  

Ingredients: 

2 cups fresh basil leaves
½ cup almonds
½ cup lemon juice
1 leek, white part only
¾ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

In a food processor or blender, add the basil, almonds, lemon juice, leek, salt and pepper. Turn on to break down the ingredients. Scrape the sides of the container then slowly drizzle in the olive oil until well combined. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
  
Current Vendors

Tuesday South Berkeley
Thursday North Berkeley
Saturday Downtown Berkeley
Kaki Farms
Massa Organics
Oya Organics
Full Belly Farm
Flying Disc Ranch
Blossom Bluff Orchards
Solano Mushroom
Dirty Girl Produce
Kashiwase Farm
Stepladder Creamery
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Avalos Farm (out for January)
Frog Hollow Farm
Little Fish Co.
Queen of Sheeba 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

Little Fish Co.
Happy Boy Farms
Green Thumb Organics
Massa Organics
Golden Rule Organics
Pomo Tierra Orchard
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

Avalos Farm (out for January)
Brokaw Ranch
Kaki Farm
Good Faith Farm
Guru Ram Das Orchards
Golden Rule Organics
Lifefood Gardens
Flying Disc Ranch
Gattonelli
Achadinha Cheese Co.
Little Fish Co.
Kashiwase Farm
Happy Boy Farms
Stepladder Creamery
Solano Mushroom
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Four Sisters Farm
Frog Hollow 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
Your Way to Life Granola
Queen of Sheeba Honey
Laguna Garden Bakery
Cultured Pickle Shop
Morell's Bread
Obour Hummus
Phoenix Pastificio
Bolani
Coracao
Primavera Tamales
Bun Bao
Bariani Olive Oil
Bring Home a YEA Farm Box in 2021!
Sourced from the Berkeley Farmers' Market

Ecology Center's Youth Environmental Academy (YEA) is pleased to offer weekly produce boxes available for curbside pick up at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Markets!

Farm Boxes include a variety of fruit, veggies and salad greens from Farmers' Market vendors. Your purchase supports your local food system and youth employment opportunities.

For $5 off, at checkout use the coupon code: CARROT
This offer expires Jan 15, 2021. Please be sure to place your order between Monday and Wednesday, for pick up the following Saturday.

Gardening All Year: Prepping Your Edible Garden for Spring

It's time to start thinking about that Spring/Summer garden! Join us for the first Ecology Center class of 2021 as "Compost Gal" Lori Caldwell shows you how to transition from your Fall garden. She will discuss seeds vs. starts, crop rotation, building healthy soil, irrigation and great crops for your Spring garden.   
 
Become an Ecology Center member and you will receive a discount on registration and enjoy continued membership benefits including store and event discounts!

Gardening All Year: Prepping Your Edible Garden for Spring
Sat Jan 9, 2021  
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Looking for a way to give back to your community in this challenging time?
Become a volunteer at the Berkeley Farmers' Markets! As an essential service, the Berkeley Farmers' Markets continue to provide fresh, healthy food for the community and a livelihood for small and mid-scale farmers. We have implemented extensive operational changes to protect customers, farmers, and staff, and to mitigate the spread of disease, and so volunteers are needed more than ever to help support staff in implementing these.
If you are healthy, not in the high risk category, and not living with high risk people, please consider volunteering at our three weekly farmers' markets.

Volunteer tasks include:
  • Supporting the development and execution of a curbside pickup or box-style produce pick-up program (in development)
  • Greeting customers at market entrance and providing them with info on the social distancing requirement
  • If needed, supporting staff in queueing customers at the market entrance, if the number of customers already in the market exceeds our maximum crowd count.
  • Hanging signage in the market
  • Monitoring vendor lines, helping customers know where to wait, and thanking customers for adhering to the social distancing guidelines
A short, virtual volunteer training will be scheduled prior to working at the market. Shifts start 30 minutes prior to market opening time, and length can be flexible depending on availability. Our three markets operate year-round, rain or shine:
  • Downtown Berkeley | Center Street @ M. L. King, Jr. Way, Saturdays 10 am - 3 pm
  • North Berkeley | Shattuck Avenue @ Vine Street, Thursdays 3 pm - 7 pm
  • South Berkeley | Adeline Street and 63rd Street, Tuesdays 2 pm - 6:30 pm
In addition to supporting the community in accessing healthy, farm-fresh food, the benefits of volunteering 5+ hours include an Ecology Center Membership. Contact mariana@ecologycenter.org to sign up!
Staying Safe

Wearing a face mask and social distancing are required to shop at the Berkeley Farmers' Markets per City of Berkeley COVID-19 safety guidelines. We enforce a limit on the maximum amount of customers in market at one time in order to ensure space for social distancing. This means we may have a line to get into our market at the entrances. If you are feeling sick or may have been exposed to COVID-19, please stay home. 



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 Vine St., Berkeley
Downtown Berkeley
Saturdays, 10 am - 3 pm
Center St. at MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley
[Photo credit: Berkeley Farmers' Market Staff]