Farmers Market offerings can help spread holiday cheer
From baking ingredients to delicious gifts to meal planning, the farmers market is the place to come for your holiday shopping.
Holiday baking will be a snap with crunchy almonds and walnuts from Winters Fruit Tree, farm-fresh eggs from Great Valley Poultry out of Monterey and sweet-tart citrus from Diaz Farms of Fowler in the mix. Lemon cookies, almond crescents, nut bars and honey nut chews will disappear as fast as you can bake them.
You can fill holiday gift baskets with fresh citrus, nuts, bakery items, flowers and so much more. Don’t forget to pick up some of Napa’s Bistro Blends olive oil and vinegar gift sets. The possibilities are endless – and delicious.
The market even has handmade soaps, lotions, candles and lip balms from Delta Moon Soapworks of Rodeo. They’re made from the best olive oils, honey and goats milk ingredients in the cold process method. Check out her gift sets with special holiday scents, including cranberry marmalade, honey gingerbread and pumpkin spice. Her candles have aromas like pine mint, spiked eggnog and pumpkin vanilla. These well-made, gentle products are hard to resist.
Your appetizers and holiday meals will be the talk of the party when you select fresh and local products. Dinner rolls, pies, fresh breads, pastries and other delectable sweets will add to your meal presentation. Special lamb cuts from Hanson Family Farm in Clayton will leave guests satisfied, and fresh holiday flowers from Sunrise Nursery in Watsonville will add to your holiday decor.
Visit the Concord farmers market throughout the season and enjoy the ease of shopping without the holiday crowds while you select the freshest, locally grown products.
Pick up a bag of lemons and enjoy a holiday cocktail or two with this lemon drop recipe. Have a great holiday season from all of us at Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.
Meyer Lemon Drop
This delightful cocktail will ward off your cold weather blues and bring some post-holiday cheer. It relies on a simple ratio of 3-2-1: three parts vodka, two parts Meyer lemon juice, one part superfine sugar. So however you measure your ingredients, be it cups or tablespoons, this ratio is a constant.
If you don’t have superfine sugar, put a cup of sugar in the food processor and process for 1-2 minutes. Measure after processing.
To make four cocktails:
1 cup vodka
2/3 c. Meyer lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
1/3 c. superfine sugar
Put ingredients in a sealed container (like a mason jar) and shake until the sugar dissolves. Add ice and shake again until chilled. Serve immediately with a lemon wedge and if you like, a lemon-sugared rim.
For more about the Farmers Market, go to www.pcfma.org