See you out there!

Part of the Food For Thought 2012 Event Series
Sponsored by Marin Organic and Point Reyes Books

POINT REYES, Calif. – February 28, 2012 – Ken Cook, Executive Director of the Environmental Working Group, and Dan Imhoff, author of Food Fight, will present an engaging and educational dialogue on how the 2012 Farm Bill impacts local food security, public health, and the ecological and economic sustainability of America’s food system on Thursday, March 22 at 6:30pm at Dominican University. The lecture and discussion format will allow the audience to ask questions and leave the event with powerful and practical advocacy tips surrounding this critical legislation.

Every year billions of tax dollars are spent on the American food system, but most citizens don’t know where it goes or how it dictates what food choices ultimately end up available at the grocery store. “We want our tax dollars to go where they can do the most good – to promote organic farming, support local farmers, protect and conserve land and water, and help feed children whose families have been hit hard by a struggling economy,” says Cook. And with nutrition programs and food stamps making up the largest budget item of the Farm Bill – around $314 billion – this legislation is accurately and commonly referred to as the “Food Bill.”

The scales are currently tipped in favor of conventional U.S. food production, which is chemical-intensive and destructive to the environment over the long term. Though 814 million acres in the U.S. are dedicated to crops and livestock, less than 1 percent is organic farmland. And of the massive subsidy funding offered to farms, 74 percent goes to the largest 10 percent of operators in the country, excluding many small and bio-diverse family farms.

“The Farm Bill only comes around once every five to seven years and it’s our chance to set things right. Used correctly, it can incentivize an agriculture and food system that remedies rather than perpetuates many of today’s problems,” says Imhoff. “If American citizens don’t weigh in on the Farm Bill, the agribusiness lobbyists will be happy to draft the next one for us as they have done for the last 30 years. Now is the time for concerned eaters and voters to learn to dig in politically and make this food fight a fair fight.”

For more details on this special 2012 Food For Thought event, please visit www.marinorganic.org/events. To purchase tickets, click here.

Events Contact:
Sasha Fedulow
Business Manager at Marin Organic
sasha@marinorganic.org

Market Match doubles the value of CalFresh/EBT/food stamps at AIM farmers markets. For example, for every $10 in CalFresh (food stamps) transacted, an additional $10 in Market Match tokens will be provided, thereby turning $10 into $20 for use at the market (up to $20 per single market day per customer).

This program not only expands the customer base for AIM farmers and vendors, but allows customers using CalFresh/EBT/food stamps access to locally grown, farm fresh produce. In 2011, AIM processed over $40,000 in EBT transactions, and that only accounted for four months of the Market Match program which began in September, 2011. We anticipate an upsurge in CalFresh/EBT/food stamp usage in 2012 and encourage AIM farmers and vendors to welcome new customers with open arms and a bountiful harvest.

Allowed items include: Breads and Cereals; Fruits and Vegetables; Meats, Fish, Poultry and Dairy products; Seeds and Plants that produce food for the household. Unallowed items include: hot, prepared foods and any non-food items, including flowers.

The program continues until the funds are used. For more information, visit the following page on our website.

We‘re back!

Thank you for your patience as AIM Farmers Markets took a short break during the holiday season to celebrate with friends and family. All markets are now back to their normally scheduled hours, and we eagerly await all of your faces at the market, especially those of you whose New Year’s Resolution is to eat more locally and sustainably.

Next time you’re at the market take a second to say hello and have a chat with your market manager because we certainly love talking about food! Here’s to delicious food in 2012.

Image source

• Sunday Marin Farmers Market
• Stonestown Farmers Market
• Newark Farmers Market

The following markets will be open during their regularly scheduled hours throughout the holiday season, including Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31) for the Saturday markets:

• Thursday Marin Farmers Market
• Grand Lake – Oakland Farmers Market
• Hayward Farmers Market

Please see individual market pages for specific details.

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
4 medium shallots
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
½ tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Square off ends and cut squash in two just above bulbous part.
Stand sections on flat ends and use peeler to remove outer peel, slicing from top to bottom. Cut rouned end in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut squash into uniform cubes to make about 3 cups. Put on baking sheet.
Pee and quarter each shallot and add to squash.
Drizzle oil over vegetables;toss to coat.
Sprinkle rosemary, salt, sugar, and pepper of squash; toss to coat
Roast for 20 minutes, stir, and then continue roasting until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 10-15 minutes more.

Recipe by Brigitte Moran, Executive Director of Agricultural Institute of Marin, from her book North Bay Farmers Market Cookbook

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Cut top off head of garlic, drizzle with 1tsp. of olive oil, wrap in square parchment paper and then in aluminum. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove.Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
Toss potatoes with 1 tbsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. salt, pepper, and rosemary. Spread on sheet pan and roast 30 min. or until tender. Transfer to bowl and mash.
While potatoes roast, in a 6-8 quart pot, heat remaining olive oil. Add onions and salt. Saute for 5 min. Add minced garlic and leeks, decrease heat, and saute until both are golden. Add roasted garlic by squeezing it from its skin and saute for 30 seconds. Deglaze pot with 1 cup of stock.
Once liquid evaporates, add 7 cups of stock and simmer for 15 minutes
In a blender, puree potatoes and broth in small batches, adding broth first and then potoatoes. Puree until smooth. Return soup to pot, salt/pepper to taste.

Recipe by Rebecca Katz from her book One Bite at a Time

Ingredients

1/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped almonds
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 small apples (your favorite variety), about 1 3/4 pounds total weight
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons dark honey
2 teaspoons walnut oil or canola oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, toss together the cherries, almonds, wheat germ, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.

The apples can be left unpeeled, if you like. To peel the apples in a decorative fashion, with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, remove the peel from each apple in a circular motion, skipping every other row so that rows of peel alternate with rows of apple flesh. Working from the stem end, core each apple, stopping 3/4 inch from the bottom.

Divide the cherry mixture evenly among the apples, pressing the mixture gently into each cavity. Arrange the apples upright in a heavy ovenproof frying pan or small baking dish just large enough to hold them. Pour the apple juice and water into the pan. Drizzle the honey and oil evenly over the apples, and cover the pan snugly with aluminum foil. Bake until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes.

Transfer the apples to individual plates and drizzle with the pan juices. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: This recipe is one of 150 recipes collected in The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, published by Mayo Clinic Health Information and Oxmoor House, and winner of the 2005 James Beard award.

However, the Thursday Civic Center market that normally takes place on November 24^th will take place on Wednesday, November 23^rd, same time (8 am – 1 pm) and same place (Civic Center in front of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium).