October

Incubating the business of the family farm - farmers' markets play a critical role — October 1, 2010
By Leah Smith, Grown in Marin Newsletter
Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), a 501(c)3 non-profit, formerly known as Marin Farmers Markets, has been incubating the businesses of small family farms for 27 years. By operating vibrant farmers’ markets, providing organizational support, and spearheading public outreach and education, AIM enables about 200 regional farmers and ranchers to successfully market their products directly to the public..

August

A Taste of Southern Marin — August 19, 2010
By Pat Fusco , Pacific Sun
TAKING IT TO (AND FROM) THE STREETS For devoted food shoppers, Sausalito is the place to be on Saturdays. Two new destinations make it fun to cruise for goods in very different ways. The latest farmers market from the Agricultural Institute of Marin is situated in Marin City's shopping center. .

Farmers' Market Dinners at Piatti Mill Valley — August 12, 2010
By , SFGate
Thursday nights just got better. Today I met Piatti Mill Valley's chef Todd Shoberg who gives guests a taste of the Marin farmers' market every Thursday evening. Todd heads to the market in the morning, choosing the best produce of the season (and day) and bikes back to the Piatti kitchen to create a one-night only menu..

Mature at last, Marin County's cheeses stand alone — August 10, 2010
By Rob Rogers, Marin Independent Journal
There are those who say Marin County's Cheese Renaissance began on July 7, when Point Reyes Original Blue was crowned "Best of Show" at the California State Fair..

The Taco Guys: Longtime Line Cooks Take Fine-Dining Chops Mobile — August 9, 2010
By John Birdsall, SFWeekly.com
This may be San Francisco's Summer of Truck, sure. But 2010 has seen the birth of another street trend: The restaurant chef gone mobile. .

New farmers market takes hold in Marin City — August 3, 2010
By Will Jason, Marin Independent Journal
The nearest Safeway is three miles away. The more upscale Mollie Stone's is closer - about one mile - but some say its prices are out of reach. A CVS pharmacy offers a small selection of fruit. For the most part, Marin City residents have been hard pressed to find fresh produce nearby..

Fields of dreams: Photojournalist chronicles working conditions of farm workers in San Rafael show — August 2, 2010
By Paul Liberatore, Marin Independent Journal
In the 30 years that he's been a photojournalist, taking prize-winning photographs of the farm workers of California, Richard Steven Street has never had an exhibit of his work in Marin County, where he grew up and still lives..

American Pie — August 2, 2010
By Jacqui Gibson, Idealog
It's Sunday morning in San Francisco and the stomachs of the city's 800,000 residents are growling. People rise and take to the streets in pursuit of breakfast in a town that offers gastronomic treats on every corner. I jump on the M train to the Stonestown farmers' market. I'm hoping to get there before the New Zealand-style savoury pies, raved about in local newspaper SF Weekly, sell out. I'm a little anxious..

Santana Opens Doors — August 1, 2010
By Mimi Towle, Marin Magazine
As Carlos Santana, longtime Marin resident and acclaimed musician, looks forward to a new album release next month and upcoming wedding, he is also celebrating another success, the achievements of his children-centered Milagro Foundation..

July

Artisan Cheeses of Sonoma — July 29, 2010
By Jeanette Hurt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Why not round out your wine touring with a visit to a quality-minded creamery?.

Somerville, Raskin talk about green farming, food — July 29, 2010
By Michele Anna Jordan, Press Democrat
A Green Green Green Day in Petaluma: On Saturday, book lovers from Sonoma County and beyond will gather from 2 to 5 p.m. at Mimi Luebbermann's Windrush Farm (2263 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma) for an afternoon of conversation about green farming and green cuisine, with special guest Annie Somerville, executive chef of, yes, you guessed it, Greens, San Francisco's iconic vegetarian restaurant. There will be plenty of yummy green things to eat, too, including pizza from a wood-fired oven. Green attire is not required, but why not dress in the spirit of the event?.

Defining ‘Farmers Market’ – The Devil is in the Details — July 14, 2010
By Brigitte Moran, Farmer's Market Coalition
In May 2010, the Farmers Market Coalition Board of Directors approved a definition of “farmers market” in an effort to clarify what is an authentic farmers market. I don’t aspire to be a contrarian, and so it is only with the permission and encouragement of Sharon Yeago, FMC’s Board President, and Stacy Miller, Executive Director, that I share my thoughts on “What Makes a Farmers Market? Farmers Market Coalition Takes Stance.”.

Marin artist with cerebral palsy lets her vibrant paintings speak for her — July 14, 2010
By Paul Liberatore, Marin Independent Journal
Mia Brown has not had an easy time of it. Born with cerebral palsy, she cannot walk or use her arms. She speaks with great difficulty, straining to make herself understood. But despite the hardships she's endured, including a recent life-threatening bout with pneumonia, her soft brown eyes are clear and bright and her smile radiates what everyone agrees is nothing short of pure joy..

Organic dairy family turns to cheese making — July 12, 2010
By Loralee Stevens, North Bay Business Journal
WEST MARIN COUNTY – Seeking relief from wildly fluctuating milk prices, another organic dairy family has turned to cheese making..

A local exercise in diverse storytelling — July 11, 2010
By Brenda Payton, San Francisco Chronicle
July 3 was a perfect farmers' market day. At Oakland's Grand Lake Farmers' Market near Lake Merritt, the crowd was characteristically diverse and people were friendly, relaxed, enjoying the warm, sunny weather. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/11/INEK1EART4.DTL#ixzz0tUTvl1Jd.

Local grocery stores cater to ‘locavores’ Markets cater to growing demand for food products made in Petaluma area — July 10, 2010
By Terry Hankins, Petaluma360.com
As the “locavore” movement in Petaluma grows, so does the selection of locally made products at grocery stores in town. Many stores sell local produce, cheeses, meats and other products. While some of these groceries seek out nearby companies and some have the companies come to them, the market for local products in Petaluma — with a rich agricultural and dairy background — is still going strong..

The new kids in town in the North Bay — July 2, 2010
By Rob Rogers, Here Magazine
Most of the customers who come to Julie Rossotti's goat meat stand at the Marin Farmers Market on Sunday mornings know something about the product they're buying. Many have heard that goat is low in cholesterol and high in protein. More than a few know Rossotti's goats are grass-fed from her organic pasture in northern Marin. Those who know Rossotti, a fourth-generation Marin rancher, know the pride she and her husband take in making sure their goats are humanely treated..

Artful Home chief Lisa Bayne's favorites — July 1, 2010
By Lisa Bayne, San Francisco Chronicle
Pimientos de Padron from Happy Quail Farms: "These are available at the Saturday Farmers Market at the Ferry Building. The supply is limited, the growers are artists of the pepper and incredibly enthusiastic. Nothing makes me happier than scoring a bag, taking them home, frying them in olive oil and sea salt, and enjoying them on a San Francisco night on my roof with a glass of wine." (www.happyquailfarms.com).

Marin's Farmer's Market Maven — July 1, 2010
By Jim Wood, Marin Magazine
Part of what makes Marin great is its many farmers’ markets … and Brigitte Moran’s job is to make those farmers’ markets first rate. “Right now, about 5 percent of Marin residents shop at a farmers’ market,” says the San Rafael–Dominican resident. “Our goal is to get 10 percent of Marin shopping at farmers’ markets.”.

Grand Lake Wins Best Farmer's Market — July 1, 2010
By Best of the East Bay, East Bay Express
See pp.55 where it lists Grand Lake Farmers Market as the best farmer's market in the East Bay..

You can almost taste the grass... — July 1, 2010
By UCCE, Grown in Marin Newsletter
Randy, Rick and Scott Lafranchi of Nicasio are making and marketing their family dream. Around 1973, Will Lafranchi, their father, started it all. Rick Lafranchi says,“We knew Dad was up to something. But he never mentioned outright that we were going to make cheese.” It was some years later, aft er the family members found sketches, doodles,and notes on cheese making, that they discovered Will’s secret passion for making the Swiss-Italian-style cheese that he grew up with on the slopes of the Swiss Alps..

June

Bread & Butter: Here comes the Sun again in Pt. Reyes — June 8, 2010
By Anna Haight, Marin Independent Journal
When the New Year's Eve floods devastated Marin a few years ago, one of the county's hardest-hit restaurants was the Marin Sun Farms Cafe and Butcher Shop in Point Reyes. Owner Dave Evans suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage - much of it his grass-fed beef - and was forced to close his fledgling cafe, which he'd opened just a few months before. At the time, he was unsure if he'd be able to reopen the cafe. As of Memorial Day weekend, the cafe is cooking again..

Little Saigon Cafe (with Happy Dumplings) Offering Mostly Takeout in the Tenderloin — June 8, 2010
By Jonathan Kauffman, SFWeekly.com
After reading Luis Chong's post yesterday about a new restaurant being opened by the owners of the popular Happy Dumpling stand at the Stonestown farmers' market, SFoodie contacted owner Chuck Kerson to learn more. He and partner Linda Jiang were in the midst of opening day madness, but took some time out to talk. .

Tomato Gals expand their empire — June 6, 2010
By Joe Eaton & Ron Sullivan, San Francisco Chronicle
Peggy Kass and Helen Krayenhoff offer the ultimate in locavore produce: seedlings that will flourish in your backyard. Though they merged their names about 16 years ago to form Kassenhoff Growers, most of their customers know them as the Tomato Gals. Recently they branched out into selling certified organic vegetables, herbs and ornamentals at their farmers' market stand on weekends in Oakland. .

May

Farmers Market Round Up — May 12, 2010
By Chef Ron Siegel, Haute Living Magazine
Because fresh ingredients are the foundation of my cooking philosophy, I thrive on my weekly trips to our local farmers markets. The process of personally selecting the produce is as important as the act of chopping, preparing and cooking the meal..

‘Tis the Season…for Bay Area Farmers’ Markets — May 11, 2010
By , Red Tricycle, online
Farmers’ Markets are cropping up like strawberries this month, sweetening life all over the Bay Area. For those of us who could use a little know-how about seasonal and local eating, these markets are where it’s at (don’t be hoodwinked by the watermelons at the grocery store—melon season won’t start for another couple of months)..

March

The Marin supervisor who represents two thirds of the county’s land — March 23, 2010
By Jim Wood, Marin Magazine
As a Marin County supervisor, Steve Kinsey makes just under $120,000 a year including benefits and allowances. At first glance, considering Marin has five supervisors and a little more than 250,000 residents, that’s hardly a taxing task. Do the math: that is around 50,000 people per supervisor. Can’t be too tough..

Editorial: Are there are too many farmers markets in Marin? — March 1, 2010
By , Marin Independent Journal
IS MARIN'S growing number of local farmers markets becoming too much of a good thing? Some involved with the markets are concerned the increase is putting a strain on farmers and the business some of the more established markets generate..

February

Time to Play by the Rules — February 25, 2010
By , Marin Agricultural Institute
When MAI learned that the Marin IJ was writing a follow up piece on the recent Wall Street Journal article regarding the proliferation of farmers markets in CA, we were excited to continue the conversation. The article was going well until Johann Smit, farmer and MAI board member, was misquoted and oddly pitted against Brigitte Moran, Executive Director of MAI. Contrary to the article’s framing, Johann and Brigitte are on the same team, working toward the same goal of creating the most vibrant and viable farmers markets for both the farmers and the community at large. Ultimately, we felt the heart of the story was missed. California Code of Regulations for Direct Marketing allows for a certified farmers markets to be operated by only three entities: one or more certified producers, a nonprofit organization, or a local government agency. Unfortunately, permits to operate farmers markets have been issued to individuals/businesses that do not fit into one of these categories. The law was designed to support California’s small family farmers by ensuring a level playing field among the organizations that run farmers markets. MAI believes that the transparency you expect from the people who grow your food should also be expected from the organization that runs your market. MAI is proud to be a mission-driven 501(c)3 non-profit, dedicated to community education, and governed by a Board of Directors representing our farmers, food purveyors, and artisans as well as MAI’s partner agricultural organizations and the community at large. We’d like to invite members of our community to support MAI by posting a comment to one of the following articles, As the Number of Marin Markets Grows (Marin IJ), Farmers Markets See Risk From Growth (Wall Street Journal), What about the Farmers (Marin IJ). Thank you for your ongoing support..

A Young Woman Discovers Her Passion for Sustainable Food — February 15, 2010
By Amy Strawbridge, Civil Eats
I took what is called January Term (J-Term) at University High School this year. The focus of the term was the importance of sustainable food and understanding our current food system. I feel that what I learned about the food movement, and slow food, has inspired me to one day develop my own farm and grow vegetables..

Local Flavor: Happy Dumpling's Pot Stickers and Lamb Kebabs — February 12, 2010
By John Birdsall, SFWeekly.com
Linda Jiang and Chuck Kerson stumbled on pot stickers by accident, really. When they first set up at the Sunday Stonestown Farmers' Market last July, they called their stand Rou Chuan, literally "lamb meat on a stick" in Mandarin. .

Farmers Markets See Risks From Growth — February 11, 2010
By Ben Worthen, Wall Street Journal
Bay Area communities are more eager than ever to set up their own farmers' markets—but there are too many farmers' markets and not enough farmers—or customers—to go to market..

Marin Voice: What about the farmers? — February 5, 2010
By Brigitte Moran, Marin Independent Journal
IT'S TIME we had a conversation about opening farmers markets without taking into consideration the unintended consequences to the dedicated farmers that participate in our existing Marin markets..