All through the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, one can hear the same complaint from tourists: “If only I had a stove in my hotel room.” That’s because the culinary offerings found in the market at the foot of San Francisco’s Market Street include many items visitors to the city can never find back home. On a sunny Saturday morning in early February, the market had as many people playing hooky from a nearby medical convention as local shoppers. They were lured in by the scent of narcissus and daffodils at the flower stands, and the rows of the first fresh asparagus of the season standing at attention like a phalanx of green soldiers.

This 13-year-old market is for serious foodies, of which the Bay Area has more than its share. Shoppers came to fill their baskets with many items unavailable even at their well-stocked supermarkets, including 12 varieties of mushrooms, black radishes, and green garlic. The market is sponsored by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. Prices can be somewhat higher than at other markets in the region, but few others can boast its variety of fruits and vegetables, or its eye-popping views of the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco skyline. In addition to produce, vendors also sell bread, artisanal cheeses, honey, grass-fed beef, eggs, olive oil, yogurt and soybean products including fresh tofu.  

Swanton Berry Farm from Davenport, California proudly displayed the black eagle banner of the United Farmworkers of America at its booth. Swanton is the first berry grower and the first organic farm in the nation to sign a contract with the UFW union. Berry season has not yet begun, but Swanton was offering 16-ounce jars of strawberry and blackberry jams for $7, baby artichokes at $2.50 per pound, and celery at $1 per bunch. The 23-year-old farm has 10 full-time and 20 seasonal employees.  

Farwest Fungi of Moss Landing had a huge assortment of organically grown mushrooms, including bluish tree oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) for $5 pound, shitake for $9.50 a pound, lion’s mane at $8 per pound, portobello at $5 per pound, and king trumpet (or Erengyii) for $8 per pound. Proprietor John Garrone has a permanent store front inside the Ferry Building as well as an outdoor booth. He’s been growing mushrooms for 30 years.

Lutz Beet

Shoppers took turns hefting the monster-sized Lutz beets at Tierra Vegetables from Santa Rosa . Proprietor Lee James says most of the beets she had for sale that day were in the 3 pound range, but she’s sold some that were as much as 7 pounds. She recommends roasting this variety of beets, but says they are so big that they should be cut into smaller pieces or they will take forever to cook. Last year she said one customer bought one, carved it into a heart shape, and served it roasted on Valentine’s Day.

Tierra Vegetables is best known for its varieties of specialty chilies that, in February were sold dried and smoked. In the summer, Tierra sells fresh them fresh. James had dried Chihuacle negro pepper that is an essential ingredient in dark, rich Oaxacan mole sauce. Her smoked Hungarian peppers were selling for $7.50 pound.

She was also the only vendor selling salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius), which is a long slender white root vegetable some say tastes like oysters. Most shoppers were unfamiliar with the vegetable and were asking James for cooking tips. She says she uses salsify much the same way she’d use parsnips in soups and stews.

Iacopi said the Eurochoke is slightly less flavorful than the Green Globe but suggested cutting them in half and sautéing them with olive oil, garlic and some red pepper flakes. The Green Globes were $1 apiece, with baby-sized selling for $3 per pound. The Eurochokes were $2 per pound.  

Rick and Kristie Knoll have been farming on 18 acres in Contra Costa County’s Brentwood for the last 27 years. Rapid urbanization is gradually eating up much of the farmlands and orchards near the San Joaquin River. The Knolls are active in the Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust, which is a non-profit group working to protect farm land from development in the region. BALT, as the land trust is commonly known, will be working with about 20 area chefs presenting a dinner May 20 to raise funds to promote local agriculture.  

Chantenay (left and right) and Red Indian Carrots (center)

I’ve never been much of a fan of raw carrots, but I have to take a low-cal snack to a meeting this week. So I bought two colors of Chantenays and several skinny Red Indian carrots from Mariquita Farm that I will cut up into carrot sticks. We can have a carrot tasting at the meeting. I also bought some green garlic from Mariquita that I plan to sauté and then mix in to mashed russet potatoes. Several great green garlic recipes can be found on the Mariquita website. I was tempted by Mariquita’s sorrel, but will wait until wild salmon is in season. Sorrel makes a perfectly wonderful wrap for grilled salmon and any other kind of rich fish.

Price: $1.25/lb. for carrots
$1.50/bunch for green garlic

Satsumas and Asparagus

I also bought the very last Satsumas of the season, grown by Paradez Farms of Exeter, California. They barely lasted long enough to be photographed as they are so sweet and delicious. It will be a long time until they come back into season late next autumn. I bought the bright green asparagus from Zuckerman’s Farms. Although I love the quick and easy oven-roasted asparagus, I’ll invite friends over for my favorite spring dish, penne with asparagus and bacon. If I were gilding the lily, I’d substitute the leaner—and pricier—pancetta for bacon. 

Price: $3/bunch for asparagus
$1.50/lb. for Satsumas

Blue Cheese and New York Strip Steak

Usually I stick to produce at farmers markets. But some of the non-produce offerings at the Ferry Plaza Market are so excellent, albeit expensive, that I also came home with meat and cheese. The Original Blue cheese from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company was so silky and intense that I brought home a less than half-pound wedge for $5.82. I also spent $16.14 for an elegant-looking New York strip steak from Marin Sun Farms also of Point Reyes . I have combined butter, blue cheese, chives and brandy for a savory butter placed on top of steak after grilling, but the Original Blue is too elegant to be used merely as recipe ingredient So I’ll just eat it with French bread and a good cabernet sauvignon.