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As the Bay Area is blanketed in smoke from multiple nearby wildfires, tens of thousands evacuate, and we all battle multiple crises simultaneously, gratitude still fills our hearts. We are thankful for the farmers, farm workers, and vendors who work through difficult conditions to bring us a fresh, nutritious, and deliciously beautiful bounty weekly.
We are currently planning to operate the farmers' market tomorrow, Saturday, September 12, with reduced hours, 10:00 am - 1:30 pm, to reduce smoke exposure for farmers, vendors, and market staff working at the market. Please come out and come early to support all of their hard work to keep our community fed!
Please stay tuned in to our Instagram and Facebook feed for any additional changes if air quality worsens.
With best wishes for your health and safety,
Berkeley Farmers' Market Staff
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Pears
As blueberries, peaches, and melons start to disappear from our markets, the thought of summer's abundance of fruit ending can seem sad. Yet, Mother Nature provides solace in the happy arrival of a delicious fall fruit, pears!
Pears are not harvested like other fruit that are picked ripe from the tree. But instead, they are picked and put into cold storage to prevent the formation of sclereids, which can give pear skins a hard and gritty texture. This way of harvesting creates the pear's warm, buttery flavor.
At Guru Ram Das Orchards, you can get a variety of pears, such as Warren, California, Cinnamon, D'Anjou, and Seckel. Fun fact: Guru Ram Das uses their pears to ripen their persimmons. Solano Mushroom was the first farm to start selling Asian pears (Hosui and Shinko) at our markets, and it's pure delight every year to see them come in. Frog Hollow Farm has Shinko and Warren pears, and uses leftover pears to make their delicious pear chutney. You can also get Asian pears at Kaki Farms and Kashiwase Farms, Warren pears at Peach Jamboree, and Bosc pears at Pomo Tierra Orchards (Bernie's).
Storage Tip: Pears will keep for a couple of weeks on a cool counter. If they have reached the perfect amount of ripeness, but you're not ready to eat them, make sure to store them in the fridge where they can last another week or so.
Zero Waste: Cut off any parts that have gone bad on the pear and chop pears into chunks or slices; then put them in a freezer-safe bag to make a future smoothie. You can also make a pear crumble if you have enough over-ripe pears, because the mushier the pear the better for this dessert.
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Recipe: Cashew Crème Pear Tart
Imagine delicately spiced pears cooked until just fork-tender, sitting atop a luscious pillow of maple-scented cashew crème, all contained within a soft, nutty crust. Sound like a dream? Well, pinch yourself, because this delight is easily a reality!
This tart is one amazing finish to any meal, sure to please all palates and diets alike. Not only is it gluten-free, utilizing almond flour and cornmeal for an unconventional press-in-pan crust, but this tart can also be adapted for low-sugar diets. Simply substitute the granulated sugar in the pear topping and crust with more almond meal. The only danger of serving a dessert suitable for all stripes of eaters is that everyone will want more than just one serving! You might be wise to save yourself a slice before presenting this grand finale to a crowd, as the likelihood of leftovers by the end of the night will be slim to none.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
Crust: ¼ cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar 1 cup almond flour or almond meal ¼ cup yellow cornmeal ¼ cup chickpea flour ⅛ teaspoon salt ¼ cup vegan butter or coconut oil 1-2 tablespoons water
Cashew Crème: 1½ cups raw cashews, soaked for 4-6 hours and drained ⅓ cup plain non-dairy milk ¼ cup maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pear Topping: 2 firm, medium-sized pears ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ cup sliced almonds, for garnish
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325ºF (160ºC).
Combine the sugar, almond flour or meal, cornmeal, chickpea flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Melt the butter or coconut oil and pour it in, along with the water. Stir to combine all the dry ingredients and press this mixture firmly into a lightly grease 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool, leaving the oven on.
In a blender or food processor, begin blending the soaked cashews, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Once the nuts are mostly broken down, crank up your machine to high speed and thoroughly puree. It may take 5 to 10 minutes for the mixture to become completely smooth, so don't stop short. Pause as needed to scrape down sides of the container with your spatula to ensure that there are no lumps. Smooth the resulting crème into your crust and set aside.
Peel, core, and thinly slice the pears. Toss the slices with the sugar and cinnamon to evenly coat. Arrange them in an overlapping spiral on top of the cashew crème layer. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pears are fork-tender. Let cool and sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.
Any leftover pear slices that don't quite fit on top of your tart shouldn't be destined for the compost, but could top a thick slice of toast! Bake them in any small oven-safe dish for 10 to 15 minutes until fork-tender. Let cool for a few minutes before piling on top of a buttered slice of toast, and enjoy for snack or breakfast. If you want to get real fancy, go all out and slather it with cream cheese first and top it with chopped hazelnuts.
---- Hannah Kaminsky is the author of My Sweet Vegan, Vegan à la Mode, Vegan Desserts, and Easy as Vegan Pie, and creator of the award-winning blog BitterSweetBlog.com. She is a regular shopper at the Berkeley Farmers' Markets as well as a baker, writer, and photographer, working towards her BFA in commercial photography.
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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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Billy Bob Orchards
Kaki Farms
Massa Organics
Oya Organics
Brokaw Ranch Co.
Full Belly Farm
Flying Disc Ranch
Blossom Bluff Orchard
Solano Mushroom
Dirty Girl Produce
Good Faith Olives
Kashiwase Farm
Stepladder Creamery
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Avalos Farm
Lou Vue Farm
Blue Heron Farms
Peach Jamboree
Frog Hollow Farm
Lucero Organics
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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Hudson Fish
Lucero Organics
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
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Vang Family Farm
Brokaw Ranch
Billy Bob Orchards
Avalos Farm
Kaki Farm
Good Faith Farm
Guru Ram Das Orchards
Golden Rule Organics
Lifefood Gardens
Flying Disc Ranch
Gattonelli
Achadinha Cheese Co.
Hudson Fish
Kashiwase Farm
Happy Boy Farms
Stepladder Creamery
True Grass Ranch
Solano Mushroom
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Four Sisters Farm
Blue Heron Farm
Peach Jamboree
Frog Hollow 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
Your Way to Life Granola
Queen of Sheeba Honey
Soul Flower Farm
Laguna Gardens Bakery
Cultured Pickle Shop
Morell's Bread
Obour Hummus
Phoenix Pastificio
Bolani
Coracao
Primavera Tamales
Abrothacary
Bun Bao (New!)
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Wildfire Update
As we are all feeling the impact of wildfires across the state, please hold our farmers and vendors in your thoughts as they may be experiencing frightening circumstances. Berkeley Farmers' Markets are committed to staying open year-round in order to support the livelihood of our small farmers.
This Saturday, 9/12/2020, the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market will be open for shorter hours, from 10 am - 1:30 pm, to reduce our exposure to the smoky conditions. For now, we plan to return to our regular hours next week. Please check our website, social media, and/or email newsletter for any updates regarding our response to the wildfires.
Staying Safe
When shopping at the market during times of poor air quality, please take precautions to keep yourself safe. Check out the air quality near you. If you have a sensitive medical condition, consider staying indoors to stay healthy. Limit your time outside and wear an N95 mask, if you have one (must be worn with cloth covering over the valve) or a KN95 mask. As per City of Berkeley COVID-19 safety guidelines, please do not wear masks with one-way valves unless covered as they do not protect from the transmission of COVID-19.
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Meet Nizam Porter!
On-Call Staff Associate
Why do you enjoy working at the farmers' market?
I like interacting with my community.
What are some reasons you like to work with the Berkeley community?
I like seeing my friends and neighbors and getting to know them, and positively impacting my neighborhood.
What are the most challenging parts about your job?
Working with the wide variety of people who come to our markets and meeting everyone's needs.
What is one farmers' market food you can't go without?
Fresh, local tomatoes are a hundred times better than grocery store tomatoes. I only eat farmers' market tomatoes.
What is a hobby or interest that you have outside of working at the market?
I am a biology student.
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Did you know that California certifies its farmers' markets to ensure that the farmers grow what they sell at the market? These special regulations also require a Market Manager be at all Certified Farmers' Markets. These folks ensure that the markets are following the agricultural and health department regulations. In addition to that job, these folks work on recruiting and organizing the vendors, liaise with local city staff, promote the markets, and ensure markets are a safe community-gathering space. At the Ecology Center, we are SO GRATEFUL for our Market Managers, essential workers who are out there at the markets working incredibly hard to make sure the markets remain safe and open. We hope you will take a moment to meet our team!
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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: Farmers' Market Staff, Hannah Kaminsky]
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