Mar Vista Farmer’s Market Wrap-Up 4/18/10

Today I ran into my old friends Sandy Kroopf and Lisa Bromwell at the market. They’re going to make a couple of delicious things: Cannelini beans with Tuscan kale and swiss chard (soak the beans, then cook with carrot and onion, then chop kale and chard and add to the bean mixture, wilting it all together)Plus braised baby artichokes (cook with some orange zest, garlic, saffron until soft, then toss with pasta and top with oil-cured olives and chopped almonds — and of course, chopped parsley as well — Lisa’s favorite garnish). Sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing your meal ideas with us!

Then I ran into Valerie D., the Plastic Bag Monster, Vanity G., and Fernando A. from Venice High’s CASAA program (Culinary Arts and Sustainable Agriculture Academy) and you can learn more about their program through the Venice High Learning Garden’s website. They were at the market to promote awareness of the evils of plastic bags (they are monstrous!) and to offer an alternative: the ChicoBag, which is reusable and which they are selling to raise money for their school programs. They’ll be at the market every 2nd Sunday if you’d like to stop by and support them.

Teachers from Grand View Elementary School were on hand to spread the word that the school will be holding a Community Open House this Wednesday, April 21st from 8:30am – 10am to promote the Dual Language Spanish Immersion program and all the other great programs available there.

New at the market today: Kazimir Klossowski and Reisha Fryzer of Vital Zuman, a backyard fruit and vegetable co-op.

And in the Green Booth today, Christopher McKinnon and Jeanne Kuntz were on hand promoting next week’s Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase. If you see a garden with this banner flying, then it’s on the tour and you can feel free to stop and check it out! Don’t forget: it’s next Sunday, April 25th, from 2 – 6pm.