Fall Abundance at the Market
Sweet or savory? Breakfast or lunch? DJ from La Crepe a Moi is ready to create your favorite crepe at the Saturday Orinda Farmer’s Market.
DJ gathers local strawberries, spinach and tomatoes from the market stands to fill some of his freshly made crepes. Gluten free? Check out crepes made from organic, gluten free buckwheat flour.
Follow up by shopping for an abundance of fall produce now arriving at the market, including apples, pears, pluots, pomegranates, tomatoes, peppers, shell beans and squash. Be sure to include a few bunches of grapes in your basket to enjoy as a healthy snack or toss into salads.
The table grapes we see on market account for a relatively small share of the total grape harvest. The majority is made up of raisin and wine variety grapes, and I enjoy some from each category!
Thompson and Red Flame seedless grapes are the most common and offer a most desired crunch and flavor. As the weeks progress, look for the sweet Ruby and crisp, slightly tart Crimson to arrive. Worth the try are full flavored, old-fashioned seeded grapes such as Muscat and Tokay.
Grapes may be classified according to their color, by how they are used or by their skin type. All grapes in the pale yellow to green category are considered light, while dark types include grapes with pale red to deep purple-black skin. Those labeled as fresh, edible table grapes are considered low acid; wine grapes such as Cabernet are high acid and too tart to eat.
Color is the best indicator of mature, sweet grapes. Green grapes are sweetest when yellow-green, red varieties are best when all grapes are predominantly red and blue blacks are best when deep and richly colored. The dusty bloom on fresh grapes is produced by cells in or near the surface which forms a natural waterproofing to prevent the skin from cracking. Always buy grapes with bloom!
The Orinda Market is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Orinda Way in Orinda Village. More information is available at www.cccfm.org, facebook.com/OrindaFarmersMarket and Instagram at OrindaFarmersMarket, or call the market hotline at
925.431.8361.
DJ shows off his expertise spreading batter at the crepe griddle.
