Page 53 - Sonoma County Gazette July 2018

Flowers You Can Eat
L.I.F.E. (Local Incentive for Food & Economy ) matches customers’ Calfresh benefits spent at participating markets (EBT), dollar-for-dollar, up to a $10 or $20 maximum, depending on the market. Participating Markets marked with:
Seasonal Markets
Bodega Bay Community Farmers’ Market ~ Sun. 10- 2p (Thru Oct), Community Center, 2255 North Hwy 1, Bodega Bay, 707-875- 9609, bbcommunityassoc@comcast.net
Cloverdale Farmers Market ~ Tues 3-6:30p, (Thru Dec 18) 225. No. Cloverdale Blvd. Empty lot next to Plank marne@14feet.net, cloverdaletuesdayfarmersmarket.com
Cotati Community Farmers’ Market ~Tues. 4:30-7:30p (Thru Aug 30) LaPlaza Park Old Redwood & Sierra. facebook.com/CotatiFarmersMarket
Forestville Certified Farmers’ Market~ Tues. 4-7p (Thru Sept. 11) Moves to Wed. on July 4. 6990 Front St. Under the Shady Oaks. Wendi Flowers, 707-481-3565
Gualala Farmers’ Market ~ Sat 9:30- 12:30p, (Thru Nov 3). Gualala Community Center, Hwy 1, Gualala. 707-884-3726
Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Markets ~Sat. 8:30a to Noon (Thru Nov 24) West Plaza Parking Lot N & Vine St. 707-824-8717/ 707 529-4884, Healdsburgfarmersmarket.org
Kenwood Community Farmers’ Market ~ Sun. 10-2p (Thru Sep 30) St. Patrick’s Church 9000 Sonoma Hwy. 415-999-5635
Occidental Bohemian Farmers’ Market ~ Fri 4-dusk (Thru Oct) 3611 Bohemian Hwy. 707-874- 8478 facebook.com/occidentalfarmersmarket
Petaluma Theater District ~Wed 4:30-7:30p (Thru Aug. 29) 2nd St Between B St. and D St. 415- 999-5635 facebook.com/PetalumaFarmersMarke
Petaluma Walnut Park Farmers’ Market ~ Sat 2-5p (Thru-Nov. 17) Petaluma Blvd S. at D St. 415-999-5635, info@communityfarmersmarkets.com
Rohnert Park Farmers’Market ~ Fri 5-8p (Thru Aug 31) 500 City Center Dr. Rohnert Park. 415- 999-5635 facebook.com/rohnertparkfarmersmarket
Russian River Certified Farmers’ Market, Guerneville ~ Thur 3-7pm, (Thru Sept. 17) 5th St, corner of Armstrong Woods Rd.481-6800, pegi@thesantarosafarmersmarket. com
Santa Rosa Downtown Certified Farmers’ Market ~ Wed 5- 8:30 pm, (Thru Aug) Courthouse Sq, Santa Rosa www.wednesdaynightmarket.org
Sonoma Garden Park ~ Sat. 9-12p (Thru Oct) 19996 7th St. East Sonoma. Master Gardeners available. sonomagardenpark.org
Valley of the Moon Certified Farmers’ Market ~ Tues.5:30p (Thru Sept.) Sonoma Plaza, behind City Hall. 453 1st St E, Sonoma, www.sonomaplazamarket.org/
West End Farmers’ Market ~ Sunday 9:30-2p. (Thru Oct 28) #9 4th St. Railroad Square Santa Rosa 707-477-8422 wefm.com
Windsor Farmers’ Market ~ Sun. 10a-1p (Thru Dec 10 ) & Thur 5-8p
(Thru Sep 6) Windsor Town Green, 701 McClelland Dr at Market St, Windsor windsorfarmersmarket.com
Year Round Farm-Fresh Food
Laguna Farms CSA (Direct) Shop/Pick-up ~ Year-round, Tues. & Thurs., 1-7p, Wed., Noon-5p, Fri. 10-3p, 1764 Cooper Rd. Sebastopol, 707-823-0823, lagunafarm.com
Oakmont Certified Farmers’ Market ~ Saturday 9a - noon, at the Wells Fargo parking lot corner of White Oak and Oakmont Dr. 707-538-7023
Petaluma East Side Farmers’ Market ~ Tuesday 10a -1:30p, Year Round, Lucchesi Park, 320 N McDowell Blvd, Pet. communityfarmersmarkets.com 415-999-5635 info@ communityfarmersmarkets.com
Santa Rosa Community Farmers' Market at the Vets Bldg ~ Wednesday 9a - 1p and Saturday 8:30a-1p Veteran’s Bldg, 1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa
415-999-5635 info@communityfarmersmarkets.com
Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers’ Market ~ Wednesday and Saturday 8:30a 1p. Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa. thesantarosafarmersmarket.com 707-522-8629
Sebastopol Farmers' Market ~ Sunday 10a -1:30p Sebastopol Plaza Downtown Across from Whole Foods Market sebastopolfarmmarket.org, 707- 522-9305 facebook.com/Sebastopol-Farm-Market-115479670123
Sonoma Valley Certified Farmers’ Market ~ Friday 9a - 12:30p, in the Arnold Field parking lot at 241 First St West, Sonoma 707-538-7023, svcfm.org
Springs Community Farmers Market ~ Sun., 4-7p, Larson Park, 329 Dechene Ave. Boyes Hot Springs, facebook.com/TheSpringsCommunityFarmersMarket
By Kelly Smith
As we enter into Summer there are so many great things to pick up at the
farmers’ market. One very special thing that is cropping up during summer time is edible flowers. You can find borage, calendula, bachelor buttons, lavender, nasturtium, roses and more in a few stands around the market. They add color to your salad or deserts and will dazzle your dinner guests.
Over the ages flowers have held a sacred place in the Epicurean’s handbook. Mustard Flowers were used in Roman love potions for their aphrodisiac powers. Daisies steeped in wine with sage and southernwood were considered a cure for insanity if a patient drank for 15 days. Calendula, considered the poor man’s saffron, adds a subtle flavor to salads and can be sautéed in olive oil for a more robust flavor. It has been used since ancient Greek and Roman times. Given flowers romantic nature, it’s a no brainer that they were very popular during Victorian times.
In our modern times we think of plants as edible or decorative but that has not always been the case. We once used plants for medicinal purposes prior
to our current world of pharmaceuticals. A classic story that illustrates the power of flowers as medicine is the story of the Foxglove. In 1775, an English physician and botanist named William Withering was asked to treat a patient suffering from dropsy, a broad term that at the time meant “fluid retention.” He had heard of an “old woman in Shropshire” who knew a secret cure which included the foxglove plant. Dr. Withering, after using the secret remedy, which was a concoction of over twenty herbs, found it amazingly successful, but also quickly perceived that only one plant in the mix was working the cure. The whole stew was said to be a diuretic, but Dr. Withering knew that the major cause of dropsy was congestive heart failure. He also knew that foxglove, with its powerful toxic properties in the proper quantity, could strengthen cardiac contraction and enable the heart to pump more efficiently, delivering blood
to the rest of the body. Ten years later, Dr. Withering published “10 years of clinical data on patients treated with foxglove.” The rest, as they say, literally, is history--medical history.
Edible flowers were often used to brighten up drinks and other foods including elderflowers, which the English have used for centuries. American colonist relied on flowers to make candied roses and dandelion jelly as well
as wine. The history of edible flowers is a rich one giving a bright spot to the culinary landscape. They are available to everyone from rich to poor. Next time you are at the farmers’ market take note that not all flowers are not just to put on display in vases.
Summer Salad with Fresh Flowers
Ingredients:
4 cups each of baby spinach and oakleaf lettuce leaves
1 cup field greens or microgreens
1/2 cup each of sliced radishes, garlic chive flowers or 2 Tbs. minced fresh chives Handful of borage & calendula petals or other edible flowers
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbs. peeled and minced fresh young ginger or 1 Tbs. mature fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup safflower oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Combine the spinach, oakleaf lettuce, microgreens, radishes and chive flowers. Toss gently to mix and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, ginger and garlic. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the vinaigrette is well blended. Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the vinaigrette over the greens and toss to mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the borage and calendula and serve immediately. Serves 6.
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