Marin Independent Journal
8/18/2007
Rob Rogers Each of Marin's farmers markets has its own personality. Fairfax's market, like the town itself, offers residents the opportunity to express themselves. "We have a lot of members of the town who have adopted that market as a place to voice their environmental and civic concerns, and we keep a forum open for them to do that," said Alpha Lewis, market manager. "A lot of other festivals have taken root from the farmers market - not so much the pure farmers market aspect of it, but the community feeling, the organic nature of that festival has directly inspired other people to make their own creations." Larkspur is the "slow food" market of Marin, especially popular with older shoppers, said Lynn Bagley, executive director of the Golden Gate Farmers Market Association. "There's more parking availability closer to the market, and it's a more intimate market experience, more the way things used to be," Bagley said. Billed as the "family market," Novato's Tuesday night event combines a generous selection of fresh produce with live entertainment, children's rides and games, al fresco dining and booths that spotlight some of the city's own Front Street merchants. Point Reyes may be Marin's most restrictive market. All produce must be certified organic, and all goods for sale - from wool to coffee to honey - must be produced within 20 miles of Point Reyes Station. "Point Reyes is all-organic, and everything in it comes from the area," said Steve Quirt, who serves on the market's board of directors. "The products include oysters, eggs, fish, beef dealers, chicken, hogs and all kinds of little jams, and there's always a chef's demonstration going on. It's a sweet little market." San Rafael's three markets couldn't be more different in character. The city's Thursday morning market, held at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium parking lot, is popular with chefs, both locally and in San Francisco. "There's all sorts of fresh local produce and farmers who are knowledgeable about what they're growing now and why," said Erica Holland-Toll, executive chef at Larkspur's Lark Creek Inn. "On one recent trip, I picked up some melons from Full Belly Farms, and the same day discovered a new paneer cheese made by Cowgirl Creamery. I put the two of them together, tasted them, and added a beautiful escarole from Full Belly for a salad that became a menu item." San Rafael's Thursday evening market, which occupies much of downtown Fourth Street, has the atmosphere of a weekly street fair, with a United Nations of food vendors and rows of arts, crafts and trinkets. "The farmers are definitely a draw, but because it's at nighttime, people want dinner and to go shopping," said Monique Anderson, who works at the downtown event with her mother, Brigitte Moran, who serves as executive director of the Marin Farmers Market Association. "We have a lot of entertainers and a lot of imports that the other markets don't allow - Thai food, chicken, hot dogs, Italian - really, food from everywhere." The Sunday farmers market at the Civic Center parking lot is the granddaddy of them all, with as many as 175 booths hawking everything from heirloom tomatoes, fresh-caught fish and this-week-only apples to organic tofu, ground buffalo, handmade jewelry and massages. Sausalito's market, held in conjunction with the city's weekly waterfront jazz concert, has a "European feel," Bagley said. "The town feels European in essence, and we get so many people from out of town - so many languages there - there's more of an international feeling," she said. |
