There has been lots of news in the melon world as of late. (You may recall that Laura Avery and I went to Onyx, CA a few weeks ago to visit Ruben Mkrtchyan’s farm where he grows unique Uzbek melons.) And now melon heads are abuzz with the news that Christian Drake of the fabulous Baker Creek Seed Company (out of Petaluma, CA) will be at the Mar Vista Farmers Market THIS SUNDAY, August 19th showcasing his rare melons. The melons in question were grown from seeds out of the Baker Creek Seed Vault for the upcoming Heirloom Festival in Santa Rosa this September. He will bring a total of 50 varieties such as Cappucino, Jenny Lind, Petit Gris de Rennes, Bidwell Casaba and many more that you’ve never heard of. (No doubt the intrepid David Karp will be there!) If this all weren’t exciting enough, Chef Jeremy Fox (formerly of Ubuntu and now of the much anticipated Barnyard restaurant) will be on site making a melon soup.
Christian will be at the market from 9 am – 2 pm at the intersection of Pacific and Grand View with melons to buy and sample. At 11:00 am Chef Fox will be doing a demo and will have soup to taste at the same location.