hungry consumer

After talking to the Ecology Center Employee, I stopped to buy three baskets of strawberries from the Blue Heron Farm's tent, then I walked over to Frog Hollow Farm's tent. This farm is in Brentwood and has a very fancy website. Their pears are amazing, and I knew this because there was a person sampling out all the different kinds of pears saying, "Try this pear. That's the warren one. It's like butter, it'll melt in your mouth." He said this about fours times, as many people were walking by trying to get samples. 

As I left the pears, some strange-looking eggplants caught my eye in another tent. They were called fairy tale eggplants. I asked the person working the tent what they were like and how you should cook them, and the tent-worker said they were pretty similar to regular eggplants & that they're really nice pan-fried or in some sort of curry. I ended up buying some of their chilis, as I'm planning on making a spicy curry. I asked the vendor is they work at the Peach Jamboree (formerly known as the Woodleaf Farm) & they said they live there. I knew it was in Oroville, which is about 2.5 hours from my house, so I asked them if they commute for all three farmers' markets. They said they do actually, and that it's going to be nice to stop commuting next week, as they've sold all of their summer produce and are now going to be selling their fall squash up near the farm, instead of selling it down in Berkeley.  I congratulated them, as they seemed really excited to share this good news. They said they do peaches mostly, then pears and apples, then persimmons, then squash. They said they were glad they don't grow winter crops, because they don't want to stand in the rain. I thanked them, then moved on to another tent.

I went to visit the Berkeley Downtown Farmers' Market this last Saturday morning. I purposefully didn't eat breakfast before I went, so I'd be really hungry looking at all the food tents. This farmers' market is my go-to market, as it's about 4 blocks from my house. I didn't realize that it was National Farmers Day, but a sign in the middle of the market told me it was. This market is run by the Ecology Center, that also ran the previous farmers' market I visited, but this one has a much different crowd. This one is right next to Berkeley's Civic Center, and there was an event happening in the park next to the farmers' market, so it seemed extra crowded this Saturday. First thing I did was walk up to the information tent to use my EBT card to purchase tokens to buy goods at the vendors. I meant to mention in my previous farmers' market posts that the Ecology Center matches your EBT dollars, up to ten dollars, in produce tokens. These tokens are a little different that the regular EBT tokens because the EBT ones are brass and the produce-only tokens are silver. 

After I got my tokens, I asked the Ecology Center employee about their experience at the market:

ECE: Have a great market!

Me: Thank you! Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about the market?

ECE: Sure, shoot!

Me: Is it always the same vendors that sell here or is there, like, a rotation?

ECE: Um, yes, but sometimes they're out of season, or some folks, like, in the winter just take a couple months off. Like, our avocado peoples are just, like, out for the season. A lot of our farms have been here for a while.

Me: Oh cool. How do people, like, sign up to have a tent here and stuff? Do they, like, pay a commission, or like a percentage?

ECE: Yeah, they have to apply, and we try to run our markets at, like, capacity, but um yeah there's definitely, like, openings, like, here or there, because we have three markets in Berkeley a week. We have an application online and, uh...

Me: Is there, like, a criteria?

ECE: Yeah, uh we have, if they're, like, around 80% organic. Um, so we try to prioritize people who have, like, sustainable farming practices, and ya know, like farmers of color or women farmers, we, like, try to prioritize those people too. Um, what else? If they're, like, accepted into the market, there's like a stall fee, like fifty bucks for a ten by ten each week.

Me: Oh okay, that's not bad at all! 

ECE: Do you know people who have farms?

Me: I know some people who work on farms up in Santa Rosa, but they probably wouldn't be down with the commute to come here. 

ECE: Yeah, well, we have people from all over. Some of our farmers come all the way from Yolo County. And, well, if they're ever interested, they should apply online.

Me: Cool, yeah I'll talk to some of them and see what they think. Thanks for all the info. Have a nice weekend, see ya around!

Still at the North Berkeley Farmers' Market! 

Normally, after I get my tokens, I do a quick walk-through the market to get a sense what kind of goodies are available that day. After I surveyed the tents, an interesting-looking melon caught my eye. It's called a sharlyn melon. I had never seen one before, so I thought I'd buy it & try it out! I walked up to the tent clerk & asked him about the melon. He said it's a very sweet melon, & that you can tell if it's ripe when it becomes a lighter color & it gets a little softer. I asked him if he's been working for River Dog Farm for a while & he said he only works at the tent here in Berkeley, as the actual farm is up in Yolo County & that was too far of a commute for him. He said he has actually been working at all three Berkeley Farmers' Markets locations, in the River Dog Farm tent, for the last four years. I asked him if he liked it, but then I kind of answered for him, saying he must like it if he's been sticking around for four years. He agreed. I introduced myself & he said his name is Paras. I told him I usually go to the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market because it's closer to my place & he said he hopes to run into me there sometime.

After paying for the cool-looking melon, I kept wandering up the row of tents until I saw the tamale tent! I love Donna's Tamales, and I was so hungry I had to buy a couple. They had a new pumpkin & bean one, which was amazing with Donna's mango salsa. I've never seen these tamales at any store, only at the farmers' market, but they're some of the best I've ever had. Donna wasn't working at her tent though, it was a guy named Omar. He was handing out samples, which I greatly appreciated. I decided to get a pack of pumpkin tamales, a zucchini & goat cheese tamale pack, and a pack of sweet corn & roasted chili tamales. Omar said that all the ingredients are organic, and they have a lot of vegan options. I asked him if Donna ever works at the farmers' market with him, but he said she lives in Martinez, so she only overlooks the kitchen there. I told Omar that I thought I had seem him before at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market, and he said that was his evil twin. I asked him how he liked working at the market and he said it was so nice to be able to work outside, as he used to do catering and he didn't like having to always be inside. He also said he like the pace of the market so much more that being a server. I asked him if he still liked working outside when it rained, and he said he loved the rain, because he can just sit on a cooler in the tent and pay on his phone. We had some good laughs & I said I'd see him around after I thanked him.

Last week I visited the North Berkeley Farmers' Market on Shattuck Avenue! It was my first time going there, even though I've driven by it several times. I was pretty hungry when I arrived, as I had been in class all day & didn't have any snacks. It's definitely smaller than the other farmers' markets I've seen in the Bay Area. It was easy to find parking right next to the market & it was a beautiful day! There was a band playing in one of the tents in the market, which I've never seen before in a farmers' market. The musicians were young & very talented. The first thing I did was walk up to the information tent, as I wanted to use my EBT card to buy tokens that I can use to buy goods at the other tents. The tokens are good for almost everything at the farmers' market, except ready-to-eat foods, like foods from food trucks. I knew this already as I've used my EBT card to get tokens at the Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Market in the past. The Ecology Center runs three Berkeley Farmers' Markets, including the North, South, and Downtown Berkeley Farmers' Markets.

The farm had great vibes. I appreciated that we were encouraged to work at my own pace, which made the whole experience very stress-free. I loved how one of the senior volunteers, Cole, led our break times, encouraging everyone to speak about what they learned and what they enjoyed and what they were thankful for. I asked Cole what his favorite thing they grew was and he said he loved the heirloom tomatoes and the squash. I asked Cole how the Gill Tract Farm deals with pests, and he said that there were so many ways they handle pests without pesticides. He said they grow a variety of produce, as intermingled as possible, and encourage bugs that eat pests to come into the garden. He gave the example of how ladybugs eat grubs that eat the produce, so they want more ladybugs to come into the garden. I got to meet one of the other volunteer's dog. His name is Malo, which means 'bad', but he was so GOOD & PERFECT.

Local bakeries donate their unsold baked goods to the farm to show their appreciation for the farm's community support, so I had a morning bun before we started working. I had not had breakfast and was pretty hungry, so the bun helped, but I was still pretty hungry for most of the day. I was surprised and happy to see non-students coming to the farm to pick their own produce from the field. All the student volunteers were into teams to harvest specific produce that was deemed ripe and ready for the picking. I saw someone I recognized already working on the farm, so I approached them first. Their name is Jabril and they're a regular volunteer at the farm. I asked him how long he had been volunteering there and he said he has been working there every weekend for the last couple years. He said he's studying pesticide usage and the negative affects associated with using pesticides. He's an anti-pesticide activist and also works with Black Earth Farms. I recognized him because he also volunteers with a group of UC students who're fighting the UC system's investment in the telescope that's planned to be built on Mauna Kea. He said he loved working at the Gill Tract because it gives so much to the community and he loves the people who work there.

After talking to Jabril, I realized how fortunate I was to be put into a harvesting group with a classmate whose family grows their own produce. I did not know what a lot of produce looks like when it's growing out of the ground. My classmate was able to help me identify various produce and I learned so much from him.

I've known about the UC Gill Tract Farm since I started driving past it on San Pablo Avenue back in 2017. My first impressions of the plot were formed when I noticed the colorful signs, rows of vegetation, and wild turkeys. My friends and I even referred to it as "that open plot with the wild turkeys at Marin Avenue." I've been curious to stop by, but not knowing how the place ran made it an intimidating endeavor and I never paid a visit.

Still at the Berkeley Natural Grocery Company! 

After talking to Stephanie I started to mingle over in the bulk item section next to the produce when I saw my next interview victim, a middle-aged gentleman wearing an apron that said Berkeley Natural Grocery Company on the from. He was taking inventory of the bulk stock. I approached him & our conversation went something like this:

Kat: Um, hey there. Um, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?

Amon: Sure.

Kat: Cool, um uh, how long have you been working here?

Amon: Long time.

Kat: Oh really? Oh okay. Is the produce here all organic? I'm seeing a lot of organic signs in here.

Amon: The produce and fruit, all organic. But, yeah, some commercial goods are sold too. Organic more.

Kat: Oh cool. Do the owners, do they, like, live around here?

Amon: Oh yeah, I think they live in El Cerrito. Two store. One is here and one that's bigger than this in El Cerrito.

Kat: Oh really? I've only seen this one. I've never seen the one in El Cerrito.

Amon: Where do you live?

Kat: I live in Berkeley.

Amon: Oh Berkeley! Yeah, two stores. Same owner and same everything is organic.

Kat: Cool. Are the people who shop here more, like, neighborhoody kind of people?

Amon: Oh yeah, all family neighborhood, all these things.

Kat: Oh, so you, like, know a lot of the people who come through here?

Amon: Oh yeah, all familiar people. Only you are the first time I've seen you here.

Kat: Oh yeah, well I want to come back more. What was your time?

Amon: I'm Amon, with an A.

Kat: Oh nice! Nice to meet you Amon. I'm Kat. I'll see you around. Thank you!

Amon: Nice to meet you too. Take care.

Kat: You too! I appreciate it.

After talking to Amon, I grabbed a cinnamon roll and an orange juice and headed to the check out line. I loved how it smelled like fruit and fresh bread in the store. There was only one other patron in the store, so I thought I'd have a moment to interview the clerk, as she was the only other employee in the store at the moment. We exchanged pleasantries and I asked her how her day was. She said it was pretty slow and that she was happy to have a chill work day. I asked her what her favorite part of working at this store was and she said, "Probably the people. I know most of the people in the neighborhood thanks to this job. Lots of good folks, and dogs." We both shot a look at the cute dog tied right outside the store and laughed. I thanked her & left the store and pet the dog waiting for her owner.

After I visited the Berkeley Food Pantry, I decided I wasn't too far away from the Berkeley Natural Grocery Company on Gilman Street. I had a little snack while I was at the food pantry, but I was still very hungry when I went to the store. The BNGC opened in 1972 & has been employee-owned since 2002. I had only been to this cute little store twice before, as my house mate is Tibetan and a few of this store's employees are also Tibetan. We've gone to visit his friends while they were working here a few times & I was always surprised how empty the store seemed to be. I didn't see my Tibetan acquaintances when I paid a visit, but I saw a few new faces. 

There are lots of signs outside the store informing people on the street that they accept EBT, they buy local and fresh, they sell organic produce and grass-fed meats, they're looking to hire a new store supervisor, they're open, they're a certified Bay Area Green Business, they have many fair trade certified items, and that they welcome service animals. What's not to like here? When I walked inside there was upbeat instrumental jazz music playing. When you walk in the organic produce is displayed on the left, the aisles of packaged goods are in the middle of the store, there are fridges in the rear, and there are homemade deli and bakery items on the right side.

A little more about my trip to the Berkeley Food Pantry!

I visited the Berkeley Food Pantry on September 18th after walking several dogs for a few hours, so I was pretty hungry when I arrived. I'm a regular monthly visitor to this pantry, as I appreciate & need the help with my grocery expenditures. They're only open for two hours at a time (2pm-4pm) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This food pantry opened in 1969 and is meant to help food-insecure folks residing in Berkeley & Albany get some free groceries once a month. The pantry is ran out of a Quaker church's back room near the North Berkeley BART station. It's run by volunteers from the community, and not all of them are Quakers. The food is donated by many local grocery stores and organizations. Not only is this pantry reducing the amount of food being wasted & thrown away, it's also giving people groceries they may not have been able to afford to buy directly from a store. 

When you walk up, there's always a wait to get inside. It smells like parking lot and homelessness. You have to sign up with a person at the front door to get on the wait list to enter. Once it's your turn, they have you walk inside and a person on a computer asks to see your ID to verify that you've signed up and actually reside in Berkeley or Albany. They also need to make sure you didn't already visit that month, as you can only visit once per month. Once you're all verified, they hand you off to a 'personal shopping assistant'. The assistant walks you through the pantry and goes through all the items you're allowed to take. They'll say things like, "You can pick two packages of meat from this fridge, as much bread as you like, three yogurts from that fridge, two items from that shelf, and as much produce as you like." The amount you're allowed to take is based on your household size. There's usually someone handing out free snacks in the waiting line, like popsicles or pretzels or sandwiches. 

I’ve been procrasti-baking! Thought I’d take a moment to share my favorite burned butter chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Ok, so preheat the oven to 400F!

Go ahead and get two sticks of butter (1 cup) & melt it slowly in a pan.

Be careful not to let the butter burn, despite the recipe name.

In a big dry-ingredient bowl mix 2 cups of brown sugar, 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of baking powder, & 2 tsp of salt.

Mix all that melted butter into the dry ingredients (oooooyeaaaaah).

After it cools a bit, you're gunna go ahead & mix in 3 egg yolks, 1 tbsp of vanilla extract, & 1 cup of chocolate chips!

You could probably add about 1 more cup of flour at this point till the dough isn't sticking to your fingers when you're forming the cookie dough balls.

Slap those puppies on some baking sheets & put them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. 

I rotate them half-way through the baking cycle & I like to slightly under bake them.

I've been making chocolate chip cookies for a long time using this recipe & it has never failed me. A real crowd-pleaser!