Go Back to the Seasons

What is your favorite farmers market meal to prepare? Please share your best recipes of the season by contacting adriana@agriculturalinstitute.org with a detailed recipe including ingredients, quantities and instructions. We look forward to sharing your culinary creativity! Thank you.

Apple Braised Prather Pork Loins

With a prep time of just five minutes or so, this dish makes its way to my table even when I don’t feel like cooking. Braising time is more – about two hours – but you can forget about it and do other things. The pork of choice is Prather Ranch, whose pork is among the finest I’ve had. Don’t trim the fat! It’s absolutely delicious.

Beef(less) Stroganoff

Chef Bob Simontacchi, of the new restaurant Brick & Bottle, shared this vegetarian entree with customers at the Sunday Civic Center Farmers Market in a Chef Demonstration. This dish can easily be made for meat lovers by replacing the Beefless Tips with grass-fed ground beef from your favorite local rancher.

Beet Salad with Smoked Trout

Vibrant, freshly cooked beets bear no resemblance to the canned monstrosities we all hated as children. This extremely colorful salad can be a meal in itself if you have a nice loaf of crusty bread around.

Beets Roasted in Lavender Salt

Eat Local 101 chef, Eric Gower was kind enough to share some of his favorite holiday recipes with market shoppers. We hope you continue to enjoy these dishes throughout the Winter. Nothing could be simpler than turning on the oven, rubbing some olive oil and salt over beets, wrapping them up in foil, and baking them for an hour. You can think of these as your starch – try them instead of the usual baked potatoes.

Chibo's Scones

Try this scrumptious and simple recipe from Chibo in Sausalito. Owner and head baker Tera Anacona, will share this recipe with Civic Center market-goers on Sunday, September 5th. Stop by the info booth to get a sample of her delicious treats.

Clams with Umeboshi Sauce

Clams with Umeboshi Sauce

Curried Kale Omelet

This spicy twist on a classic omelet is a creation of Leah Smith from the Marin Agricultural Institute. Leah is the brains behind MAI’s Farm to Fork Program, which delivers farm-fresh produce to Bay Area top chefs, caterers, and school cafeterias bi-weekly. Follow her simple steps below to a delicious and seasonal breakfast with a kick!

Fish Tacos with Creamy Lime Guacamole & Cabbage Slaw

Try these tacos from the "North Bay Farmers Market Cookbook". The dish makes 10 servings and is a quick and healthy fix for a hungry crowd. In the winter, ditch the tomatoes and substitute them for something juicy at your local farmers market. If you are feeling zesty, we recommend blood oranges for their exquisite color and flavor.

Grass Fed Beef Sliders

David Evans of Marin Sun Farms and his grass-fed, pasture-raised meat will partner with Chef Angela Karegeannes of A Fork Full of Earth for a tasty market treat to be prepared at the MFM Farm to Fair Chef Demos during Marin County Fair on July 5th. Check our special events page for demonstration times and location.

Lavender Lamb Chops

Here is another one of Eat Local 101 chef, Eric Gower's favorite holiday recipes. Lamb and lavender is one of those sublime combinations; nothing more is needed, except maybe a small splash of lemon to wake it up, right at the end. Serve with potatoes or rice, along with a vegetable side dish.

Magic Mineral Broth

This recipe comes from local author Rebecca Katz, a regular customer of the Civic Center Farmers Markets in Marin. You can find this recipe in Rebecca's book "One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends".

Plucky Mole Roasted Chicken

Much has been written on the perfect roasted chicken, but I do believe this one comes very close: moist, deeply savory meat with crisp, salty skin, with almost no effort at all. The key is finding prepared mole at your local Mexican grocer; all of the ones I frequent sell tubs of dark brown, thick, Oaxacan style mole that is just perfect to spoon under the skin. You could, of course, make the mole yourself, but when it’s this good and this easy, why bother? We especially like the chicken from Plucky, available here at the market.