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Ripe Now! Arugula
Hungry for some rocket? No, I'm not talking about space aviation. Rather, some spicy leafy greens. Arugula (also known as rocket in places like the U.K.) is a vegetable in the brassica family, alongside broccoli, kale, and cabbage. Native to the Mediterranean, Arugula was traditionally used as an herb, grown in gardens or collected in the wild. Now, it's available widely in grocery stores and farmers' markets, as well as grown in the wild in Europe and North America.
Arugula is mostly eaten raw in salads to add a nice peppery flavor. It is also used as a garnish on top of pizza, used in sauces, and enjoyed as a condiment for meats and fish. Arugula contains high levels of beneficial nitrates that can help lower blood pressure and bone-beneficial nutrients like vitamin K and calcium.
Easy Eating:
Storage Tips:
Dunk in cold water and spin or lay flat to dry. Arugula should not stay wet! Place dry arugula in an open container wrapped with a dry towel to absorb any extra moisture.
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Recipe: Arugula and Grilled Goat Cheese Salad with Walnut-Oil Dressing
From Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook by Mi Ae Lipe*
Ingredients
Croutons
About 1 tablespoon olive oil
About 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 slices Italian bread
Apricot Sauce 3 tablespoons apricot jam ¼ cup white wine 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Walnut-oil dressing 3 tablespoons walnut oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) cylinder-shape goat cheese, at room temperature Generous handful of arugula 3 to 4 ounces (about 4 cups) frisée (curly endive)
Directions
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To make the croutons, heat the olive and vegetable oils in a frying pan and fry the slices of Italian bread on one side only, until lightly golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
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To make the sauce, heat the jam in a small saucepan until warm but not boiling. Push it through a strainer into a clean pan to remove the pieces of fruit, and then stir in the white wine and mustard. Heat gently and then keep warm until ready to serve.
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Blend the walnut oil and lemon juice and season with a little salt and pepper.
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Preheat the broiler a few minutes before serving the salad. Cut the goat cheese into 2-ounce rounds; place each piece on a crouton, untoasted side up, and spread the cheese to mostly cover the bread. Place under the broiler and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese melts.
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Toss the arugula and frisée in the walnut-oil dressing and arrange attractively on four individual serving plates. When the croutons are ready, arrange on each plate and drizzle them with a little of the apricot sauce.
* Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook by Mi Ae Lipe is available to purchase at the Ecology Center Store |
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Our partner Seasonal Bay Area tracks down each vendor every week to get an up-to-date list of what will be for sale at our Tuesday South Berkeley and Saturday Downtown Berkeley markets.
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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
Oya Organics
Brokaw Ranch
Avalos Farm
Full Belly Farm
Flying Disc Ranch
Good Faith Farm
Blossom Bluff Orchards
Solano Mushroom
Dirty Girl Produce
Kashiwase Farm
Stepladder Creamery
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
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
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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
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Brokaw Ranch
Avalos Farm
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
Stepladder Creamery
Happy Boy Farms
Solano Mushroom
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Four Sisters Farm
Frog Hollow Farm
Bariani Olive Oil
Soul Flower Farm
Pomo Tierra Orchard
Higher Land Coffee
Tony's Kettle Corn + Crepes
Andy's Thai
Tamales La Oaxaqueña
Cafe Zambala
All Things Sharp
Beber Almond Milk
Big Little Bowl
Your Way to Life Granola
Laguna Garden Bakery
Cultured Pickle Shop
Morell's Bread
Obour Hummus
Phoenix Pastificio
Bolani
Coracao
Primavera Tamales
Bun Bao
Bariani Olive Oil
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Sourced from the Berkeley Farmers' Market, Powered by Local Youth
online by 9am Thursday for curbside pick up on Saturday at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market.
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MARIELA'S MUSIC TIME ENVIRONMENTAL SING-A-LONG FOR KID'S & FAMILY
Mariela's Music Time is an educational, energetic and interactive bilingual performance for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families. Children will learn about reuse and the things they can do to care for the environment from musician-educator Mariela Herrera. A favorite at the Berkeley Farmers Markets, Mariela will lead young students to move and sing to a Latin beat and singalong in both Spanish and English.
Filled with rhythm and multi-cultural sounds, she will use maracas and rhythm sticks and more. Her sing-a-long songs and discussion will address the topic of reuse and encourage them to ask questions. Use, don't abuse! Recycle and reuse! will be the message that includes science, conservation and ecology.
For the past decade, Mariela has drawn upon her background in music and studies of Early Childhood Education to create a program that not only explores the music, but also addresses the kids' curiosity by telling the history of the instruments and their cultures. She uses kinesthetic techniques in her bilingual storytelling to make foreign words understood. In no time, the kids are singing in another language as they dance and have fun.
Saturday | February 20, 2021 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Online Event
Become an Ecology Center member and you will receive a discount on registration and enjoy continued membership benefits including store and event discounts!
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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 [email protected] to sign up!
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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.
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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 Rose 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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