Good Food’s Weekly Farmers’ Market Digest

This week Santa Monica Farmers’ Market manager Laura Avery talks with Sarah Rathbone, founder of Community Seafood. This west coast dock-to-dish organization operates like a restaurant-supported CSA for fisheries and is championed by Michael Cimarusti of Providence.

Providence chef de cuisine Tristan Aitchison talks to us about this exciting new partnership, and what it’s like upping the ante and cooking with new species like whelk. Question: what do you do with 60 pounds of whelks? Answer: whelk fritters served in a delicious whelk liver sauce.

What You Should Buy This Weekend At the Farmers’ Market:

– The Cape Gooseberriesfrom Rutiz Farms in Arroyo Grande. Click here for ForageChef Cat Castaneda’srecipe for Red Snapper Kinilaw with Gooseberries and Passion Fruit.This Filipino version of ceviche is a perfect complement!

– When it comes to choosing a juicy pomegranate, the uglier the better. Also look for ones that are heavy for their size, as they pack more of the seedy interior. Look for them from Burkart Farms, Schaner Farms, and Murray Family Farms.

– Thai chilies, basil, and fresh ginger from Her Produce. A lovely woman who was grabbing a bushel of Thai chiles recommended that I chop them up along with garlic and add a splash of fish sauce. It makes for a great hot sauce for your table. But be careful, the Thai chilies are hot, hot, hot!

– Hidatsu red beans, White Runner lima beans, and Coco black beans from Milliken Family Farms. These fresh beans conveniently cook up much faster than dried beans. They only need to simmer in a pot for about thirty minutes. Pro tip: There’s no need to add salt until after the cooking process. Just add salt to taste.

– Summerfeld apples and Honeycrisp apples from Ha’s Apple Farm in the Tehachapi Mountains.

– The Barhi dates from Flying Disk Ranch have a vanilla-butterscotch flavor. The bright yellow Barhis are crisp and crunchy, but the ones with brown spots are far from unripe; they are softer and sweeter.

– Try some flavored pistachios from Santa Barbara Pistachio Company. My favorites were the chile-lemon, hickory smoke and onion garlic roast.

Recipes for your Market Haul:

Little Jewel of New Orleans’ Red Beans and Rice

Nyesha Arrington’s Basil Pistou

Pomegranate Panna Cotta on a Gingerbread Cake

Gluten-Free Apple Pie