As the autumn chill sets in and much of the Northern Hemisphere prepares for snow, we Californians can rejoice that our local farms will be providing fresh food throughout the cool season. In the coming months, we will enjoy hard squash, lush greens, root vegetables, citrus, kiwi, pears, apples, persimmons, pomegranates, nuts, poultry, and other meats (not to mention delicious cheeses, breads, and preserves).
However, this fall the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market will offer no turkey for Thanksgiving. Mountain Ranch Organically Grown has raised Thanksgiving birds for many years, but they only have a handful of turkeys this year, which have already been claimed by customers.
“Turkey is the most difficult thing to market,” explains Norman Gunsell of Mountain Ranch. “Most people want to buy one turkey, and they want to buy it for one day of the year. That doesn’t work well for a farmer. It’s a marketing and logistical nightmare.”
For a small farmer like Norman, who raises all of his animals on pasture with the utmost care, the economies of scale for raising turkeys make it hard to compete with large turkey farms, where the birds are raised in crowded warehouses, fed grain that contains GMOs and antibiotics, and sold cheaply. For meat to be truly sustainable, it must be economically viable for local farmers.
Rethinking Thanksgiving
At the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, there are plenty of alternatives to the conventional turkey. You’ll find a variety of locally and humanely raised meats, straight from the rancher. Hearty winter squashes, beans, grains, and mushrooms make it possible to also have a sumptuous meat-free Thanksgiving (veggie turducken, anyone?).
The local bounty provides ample inspiration to create our own California food traditions. After all, the original 1621 celebration in Plymouth, Massachusetts, was an entirely local feast, and did not feature the canonical Thanksgiving dishes: no can-shaped log of cranberry sauce, no fluffy mashed potatoes, no pumpkin pie with whipped topping. The main elements of the first feast were most likely deer, shellfish, and wild turkey, not the Broad Breasted Whites bred for modern industrial agriculture.
In Northern California, the fall harvest is worthy of our gratitude. Please join us in giving thanks for the abundance, and for every hard-working individual who helps bring it to the table. Here are some shopping tips and recipes to inspire your farm-fresh feasts!
Farmers Market Schedule
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is open on the following days to satisfy all of your holiday needs:
Saturday, November 21, 8 am to 2 pm
Tuesday, November 24, 10 am to 2 pm
Wednesday, November 25, 10 am to 2 pm (special market)
Note that there will be no Thursday market on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. Instead, we will have a special Thanksgiving market on Wednesday, November 25, for all of your last-minute holiday feast needs. See the full list of vendors.
CUESA will also be hosting a pop-up market at The Yard at Mission Rock with Thanksgiving-themed activities on Sunday, November 22.
Humanely Raised Meats
Think beyond the turkey with these locally and humanely raised meats available at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market:
Mountain Ranch Organically Grown raises 100% certified organic “jumbo” Cornish Cross chickens (5 to 7 pounds each). The birds are raised on pasture, where they can forage for seeds, grasses, and bugs during the day, and have access to spacious, well-ventilated shelter. The Gunsells also have guinea fowl, which tastes similar to turkey but is much smaller. Perfect for two, guinea hens average about three pounds.
Eatwell Farm breeds their own heritage Black Australorp chickens, which are pasture-raised on the farm for their entire life cycle. These meat birds have a rich and delicious flavor, which many compare to turkey, and make a fantastic alternative if you’re looking for something smaller than a Thanksgiving turkey. They are on the leaner side, so if roasting, it’s best to give them an extra bit of fat, lard, or duck fat for a superb extra crispy skin.
Devil’s Gulch Ranch offers smoked boneless ham roasts, smoked ham hocks, boneless pork loin roasts, pork racks (special order), rabbit, quail, and lamb leg. The pigs as Berkshire cross and are fed a diet of whole milk, brewer’s grains, tortillas, and organic whole grain breads. The rabbits are all natural, with no hormones or antibiotics.
Massa Organics has bacon and pork fat (for pie crusts!). The pigs are all heritage breeds, including Glousteshire Old Spot, Red Wattle, and Berkshire, with a small amount of wild boar mixed in. The pigs live in temporary pens in and around the fields, and most of their feed comes directly from Massa’s rice, wheat, safflower, and hay crops.
Rancho Llano Seco offers bone-in holiday hams. They are currently accepting orders at their booth for Thanksgiving, and the hams can be picked up at the market fresh on November 21. The pigs are a cross of Duroc and Yorkshire breeds, confinement-free and humanely treated, and fed GMO-free, vegetarian grains and legumes, 80% of which are grown on the ranch.
Stemple Creek Ranch will be offering prime rib roast, top sirloin roast, beef osso bucco, leg of lamb, and rack of lamb, from animals raised without artificial hormones, growth promotants, or antibiotics. All animals are grass fed and grass finished, with no supplemental corn, soy, or grain.
For the oyster appetizers, don’t miss Hog Island Oyster Co., who will be making an appearance at our special Wednesday market, in addition to Saturday.
Handcrafted Sweets
Three Babes Bakeshop is offering made-from-scratch holiday pies at the market on the Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Enjoy seasonal favorites like Pumpkin, Classic Apple, Salty Honey Walnut, Bourbon Pecan, Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan (gluten-free), and Pear Blackberry Crumble. They will have a limited selection of pies on hand at the market, but to ensure that you get your pie of choice, pre-order now for pickup at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Batter Bakery will have seasonal quick bread loaves, pear mesquite upside-down cake, pumpkin cakes with coconut pecan or cream cheese frosting, apple cranberry crisp, hand-decorated turkey cookies, and iced fall leaves.
June Taylor Company offers mincemeat, a deeply concentrated fruit mixture that’s ideal as a stuffing for meat dishes like roasted pork loin, venison pie, or game hen, as well as sweeter uses, such as tart fillings or baked apples. June offers both a traditional version made with suet and a vegetarian one made with sweet butter.
Farm Fresh Thanksgiving Recipes
Make fall produce the star, and nourish your family and friends with these seasonally inspired recipes shared by local farmers and chefs. For more ideas, browse our recipe archives.
Tastebud Teasers
Lightly Pickled Fall Root Vegetables | Alice Waters, Chez Panisse
Root Vegetable Chips with Roasted Carrot Hummus | Joanne Weir, Kitchen Gypsy
Persimmon Pickles | Sophina Uong, Revival Bar + Kitchen
Fall Harvest Punch | Dillon Lockwood and Alex Smith, Novela
Soups and Salads
Curried Persimmon Soup | Bryce Loewen, Blossom Bluff Orchards
Della Panzanella | Kathleen Weber, Della Fattoria
Cauliflower Zahlouk | Joyce Goldstein, Inside the California Food Revolution
Asian Pear, Persimmon, and Almond Salad | Margo True, Sunset Magazine
Savory Sides
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey, Rosemary, and Hazelnuts | Craig Stoll, Delfina
Rainbow Chard with Squash Seeds | Annie Somerville, Greens Restaurant
Cauliflower Cheese | Leanne Brown, Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day
Roasted Winter Squash with Brown Butter, Sweet Spice Gastrique, and Pecorino | Mark Gordon, Terzo
Hearty Vegetable Entrées
Tamale-Stuffed Winter Squash | Donna Eichhorn, Donna’s Tamales
Nutloaf-Stuffed Delicata Squash | Green Gulch Farm
Wild Mushroom Brioche Pudding | Andrew Court, The Fairmont San Francisco
Butternut Squash Galette with Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onions, and Toma | Jennifer Luttrell, Pt. Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.
Meaty Mains
Spinach and Shaved Root Vegetable Salad with Moroccan Spiced Chicken | Joanne Weir, www.joanneweir.com
Three-Ingredient Prime Rib Roast | Ryan Farr, 4505 Meats
Honey-Glazed Roots with Smoked Ham, Lacinato Kale, and Pickled Mustard Seeds | Isaac Miller, Maven Restaurant
Pumpkin Seed Crusted Lamb Loin with Persimmon Chutney | Francis Hogan, Bluestem Brasserie
Farm-Fresh Pies
Classic Apple Pie | Lenore Estrada & Anna Derivi-Castellanos, Three Babes Bakeshop
Lorraine’s Sweet Potato Pie | Lorraine Walker, Eatwell Farm
Kabocha Crème Fraîche Pie with Candied Pecans | Ze Lin Xiao, Pie Contest Winner
Glashoff Farms Walnut Pie | Larry and Maria Glasshoff, Glasshoff Farms
Article Topics:
Culinary
Holiday
Seasonal