 SHOP
FOR 4th OF JULY FUN
The Mercato will be open 9 am to 1:30 pm as usual this Saturday, so
you can shop for your 4th of July BBQ or put together a picnic
to take to the embarcadero for fireworks viewing. Visit our farm
stands and choose just-picked corn and steaks for the grill; tasty
tomatoes and basil for a caprese salad; strawberries and blueberries
and vanilla quark to make a red, white and blue Trifle for dessert.
Grab burger buns from Bread & Cie, hot
salsas from Richie's Roasted Peppers and Baba Foods for dipping raw veggies,
and Vignette Wine Country Soda to keep it cool. Then get ready for the Big
Bay Fireworks, the brightest show in town!
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TOMATO TIME
Heirloom tomatoes, grown from seeds saved season after season, are rare, hard to ship, and the tastiest tomatoes around. Just coming into season, they're ripe and ready at the Little Italy farmers' market in all sizes, shapes and colors. Schaner Family Farm offers three varieties of heirlooms: Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, and Brandywine. Sage Mountain Farm, based out of Hemet, also has three heirloom variations for sale at the Mercato, including Prudens Purple, Siletz, and the ever-popular Cherokee purple, "with the possibility of up to 20 more heirloom variations this season" according to farmer Phil Noble. Slice up a plate for a colorful and tasty addition to any meal.
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BRUSCHETTA BOAST
You loved it last weekend when Chefs Eric Bauer of Little Italy's Anthology, Brian Sinnott of 1500 Ocean at the Hotel Del Coronado, Starlite's Marguerite Grifka, and CRA Chef of the Year Hanis Cavin of Kensington Grill served up creative versions of Bruschetta using ingredients available at the Little Italy farmers' market. Voters bought tastes, supporting the Kinder Garden program at Little Italy's own Washington Elementary School. The People's Choice? Overall winner was Chef Bauer, with his fresh fig, burrata and aged balsamic vinegar version, but all the varieties sold out fast. We think they were all winners!
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MERCATO HITS THE ROAD
We took our show on the road this week. Mercato staffers and 6 of our favorite farmers brought farm fresh ingredients to the Hotel Del Coronado, where Chef Brian Sinnott and his team used them to prepare an amazing dinner on the lawn for guests who paid $100 a plate to enjoy the local bounty. Chef Brian shops the Mercato weekly and offers a $40 tasting menu on a regular basis at 1500 Ocean at the Del.
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Photos
by Ramona d'Viola, April Gillette, and Tim Stahl. |
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Shop the Little Italy Mercato every Saturday from 9 am to 1:30
pm, year-round. Shop Date Street from Kettner to Union
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MERCATO
MONITOR
Be sure to pick up the Spring issue of the Mercato Monitor at the farmers' market this weekend, and look for the coupon inside for 20% off tickets to Restoration at the La
Jolla Playhouse. Where better to promote a play about the restoration of Michaelangelo's David than in Little Italy? And watch for the Summer issue of the Monitor. Coming in July, this newspaper covers the pulse of the Little Italy farmers' market and the neighborhood.
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YOU HELPED TOO!
While
supplies last, limited edition Mercato First Anniversary "I Helped
Plant the Seed" t-shirts will be available at the information booth
on Saturdays for $15. Let the world know you helped grow the Mercato
into one of San Diego's favorite farmers' markets!
DATE
STREET BANNERS
There
are a variety of ways that local businesses like Be Beauty and Camden Tuscany support the Little Italy Mercato.
Want Exhibitor or Sponsorship information? Contact mercato@littleitalysd.com or
call 619.233.3769. |
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