We always thought that a story regarding an organization called "welovejam.com" would be NSFW. But this is actually pretty innocent. These two fellows, Eric Haeberli and Phineas Hoang, started an operation in the Santa Clara Valley with a very simple concept. See, there's apricot called the Blenheim that's been proclaimed to be endangered by Slow Food USA. It's very fragile. Haeberli and Hoang are trying to preserve this flavor in the form of preserves. Jam. They make the Blenheim into jam. ...

A few years back we had to spend some time in Vegas on business. This was before they had a Whole Paycheck. We were determined we were going to buy at least some local vegetables and tried to search out the farmer's markets. Silly us, Vegas really is in the middle of the desert, so the produce that some poor farmer schlepped in from California for the markets--not so much. This experience did, however,......

Unless you shop at farmer's markets—and we know you do, so send this to your friends—you probably have never tasted good garlic. Supermarkets usually carry one of two types that travel better than they taste. No surprise, since 70% of that garlic comes from overseas, where cheap labor keeps costs down. But there are 200 or more strains of the famous aromatic, and each tastes different from its cousins. Some have more heat, some......

We're tired of lying to the San Francisco fooderati: We used to hate goat cheese. There. We've said it. Happily, we came to our senses nine years ago and now we promote the chalky, salty flavor of caprine milk with all the passion of a new convert. Of course, we weren't alone in those dark, pre-goat cheese days. Thirty years ago, few Americans knew anything about this French staple. A woman named Laura Chenel......

Finally! Some cold weather! We've pouted over this winter's heat, which has prevented us from cooking our favorite seasonal dishes. High up on the list of foods we would've made? Beans. Just imagine: Slow-cooked onions, beans, maybe a bit of bay leaf for an aromatic component, maybe a bit of salt pork or bacon for a rich meatiness? Is there anything more soul-filling? (Yes, we know about bean salad, but that's not what we're......

Dark greens last week, turnips this week. If you need proof that winter is here, the produce at local farmer's markets drives the point home. On the other hand, Kitchen photographer Melissa spotted a late batch of strawberries at the Grand Lake Farmer's Market, and we've spotted tomatoes recently as well. And we wonder why other parts of the country envy our markets. Oddball summer produce aside, root vegetable season has returned, and carrots,......

When it came time to pick the best place to shop for food, we fretted over the decision. We knew the winner would be a farmer's market, since seasonal produce bought from local farmers beats virtually every store's fruits and vegetables. But which market to choose? The Bay Area probably has more farmer's markets per capita than anywhere else, each with its own personality and devotees. The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market gets plenty of......

Certain summer fruits—tomatoes and peaches come to mind—are poster children for farmer's markets. When these ingredients are bound for the supermarket, they're picked way too early and stored in taste-damaging conditions. We've always thought the European pear (as opposed to its expensive Asian cousin) was more forgiving. It keeps well in a cool environment, allowing a producer to stretch the season for months. It ripens off the tree so you can pick it when......

We're loving the visual tableau of peppers at the farmer's markets right now. Grocery stores charge dearly to provide these vegetables in predictable, saturated colors, but we like the Jackson Pollock-esque coloring of inexpensive market stand peppers. The unripe green color many associate with bell peppers gives way to varying shades of red, brown, yellow, or purple, sometimes all on the same pepper. "Since one plant may have many fruit at different stages of maturity,"......

Our photographer Melissa has been intrigued by the vibrant green, slightly squishy, wrinkly bitter melons we've seen at various farmer's markets, and she suggested we put it through its paces. We were excited to try out the new ingredient, at least until we researched it a bit more. "I grew up with bitter melons and love their taste," begins Madhur Jaffrey in World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking. But she finishes that thought ominously: "I know that......

Nothing from the garden tastes so essential. The acid-tinged sweet richness is like summer distilled on a plate. - Ed Behr, The Artful Eater. You knew this post was coming. You've seen tomatoes piled up at the farmer's markets, a gumball machine of green, yellow, orange, and red spheres, and you've wondered when we're going to talk about them. Never fear, we intend to take full advantage of this mouthwatering selection. Though supermarket versions have......

We know you're probably tired of stone fruit posts here in the SFist Kitchen, but we believe in seasonal cooking and, well, it's stone fruit season. Bear with us a bit longer, because this week we're all about that most iconic summer fruit: peaches. Mmmm. Peaches. Repeat after us. Mmmm. Peaches. We've been slurping down sample slices at various farmer's markets stands, and we were drawn to the Gold Dust heirloom peaches from Frog......

SFist interviews new contributor Derrick Schneider...

Cherries are out in abundance at farmer's markets, though quality still varies from stall to stall, so we reccommend sampling first. We liked the red-black meaty Bings from Lagier Ranches enough to grab a bag for dinner, but we didn't do a full survey of the gold and pink Rainiers at other stalls. SFist Eve was thrilled to hear that these stone fruits would be the topic de la semaine, but she and other......

We first tasted green garlic at the Chez Panisse Café eight years ago. Gosh, was it really that far back? We were mere toddlers, of course, but we remember the restaurant served it with fresh parsley-flecked pasta topped with black trumpet mushrooms and goat cheese. We liked the way the heady perfume and mild garlicky taste—less harsh than the older bulbs most people know—filled out the dish. We tried to replicate the recipe at......