Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard has been a long-time feature at the Pearl Farmers Market.

Cora Lamar helps a customer at her produce and flower booth.

As revitalization of the Pearl Brewery began several years ago, the owners of the property, Silver Ventures, knew that a farmers market would be a great way of bringing local people to the site while developing a greater sense of community. Three years ago this weekend, the Pearl Farmers Market began with vendors selling everything from fresh vegetables and meats to olive oil, baked goods, lavender products, and flowers.

The lineup of vendors has grown and changed somewhat in that time. Many of the vendors have become old friends over time — Beaune Farms, Biga on the Banks for their breads, Sandy Oaks Olive Orchards, Al’s Gourmet Nuts, Thunder Heart Bison and Peeler Farms chickens, to name a few — and new ones have been added, including Restaurant Gwendolyn, which offers handmade sausages and bacon. The market has also become more at home in its space at the back of the Pearl Brewery, with hundreds of people milling about and many a dog sniffing out the scene.

On Saturday, the spring harvest after the recent rains brought an abundance of items, including breakfast radishes, kale, arugula, cabbage, onions, spring garlic, fennel, green beans, herbs, leeks, brussels sprouts, new potatoes, beets, varieties of squashes, carrots, cucumbers, shallots, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and more. Fredericksburg peaches were going quickly, as were blackberries and a few strawberries.

Chef John Brand serves marketgoers a savory treat.

Cora Lamar of Oak Hill Farm drew customers with the vivid lavender-colored artichoke blossoms that she had. She also had a few artichokes with her, but they sold quickly, she said.

Artichoke blossoms

For those who bought an artichoke blossom for the first time, she explained that they should not be placed in water or they’ll rot. Instead, the flowering plant, which is in the same family as the thistle, should be set up without water. As the plant begins to dry, the green leaves should turn brown, but the flower would retain its color, Lamar said.

The morning sun drew a line to the handcrafted ice cream booth, where flavors included Strawberry Basil, Salty Caramel, Orange Lavender, Blackberry Lemon and Peach Pecan Amaretto.

Fennel bulbs

The anniversary celebration also brought out some of the city’s chefs who provided samples of dishes that used ingredients you could find in the market.

.Fresh-picked carrots

Chad Carey of the Monterey was there with his new chef, Coleman Foster, to hand out chicken meatballs with a peach kimchi. John Brand of Las Canarias and Ostra offered braised lamb’s neck, while Ocho chef Jason Garcia served a quinoa salad with seasonal vegetables  and a tamarind vinaigrette.

It’s always fun to stop by Melissa Guerra’s Tienda de Cocina in the neighboring Full Goods building on the brewery campus. In addition to the great kitchen items that the store always features, Guerra was offering a hula hoop demonstration and she was spinning right along to the DJ’s funkadelic sounds.

Customers shop the market for the freshest produce.

The Pearl Farmers Market turns three on Saturday.

The Pearl Farmers Market, 200 E. Grayson St., celebrates its third birthday this weekend in style.

The fun at the Pearl begins Friday evening with the final Spring Echale! featuring performances from Chico Trujillo, Ana Tijoux and Bombasta. Showtime is 7 p.m.

Then, on Saturday, Pearl marks its birthday with tastings from San Antonio chefs, giveaways and live music for the whole family. It’s a great way to get some last-minute gifts for Mother’s Day.

“Pearl Farmers Market, where each vendor is located within 150 miles of San Antonio, has become a major source of food and fun for our community. For three years, we have connected with the people that grow our food, raised awareness of seasonal eating and the struggles of farming, and brought people together with local food at the center,” said Tatum Evans, Pearl Farmers Market Manager . “We are thankful to the farmers who plant, grow, raise and harvest our food and thankful to the thousands of shoppers who attend market on Saturdays.”

“Going into our third year at Pearl Farmers Market is just as exciting as the very first day we opened. We see new customers every market day who become regular shoppers every Saturday. Local restaurants, individuals, visitors, and families have become part of the Pearl Farmers Market community,” said Cora Lamar, president of the Pearl Farmers Market Association and owner of Oak Hill Farm. “We at Pearl Farmers Market enjoy bringing San Antonio the best LOCAL produce, meats, eggs, and value added foods every Saturday of the year.”

Among the chefs who’ll be on hand are Jeff Balfour (Citrus), John Brand (Las Canarias and Ostra), Chad Carey (The Monterey), Jason Dady (Tre Tratorria, Bin 555, Two Bros. BBQ), Mark Weaver (Tre Trattoria Alamo Heights), Matt Hanck (Tre Tratorria Downtown), PJ Edwards (Bin 555), Jeff Foresman (The Westin), Jason Garcia (Ocho), Steven McHugh (Luke) and Rob Yoas (RoMo’s Café).

Additionally, MesAlegre returns with a complete sensory experience for food enthusiasts with a fantastic lunch prepared by La Gloria’s Johnny Hernandez. There is availability for 40 reservations, please call 210-434-4388 for more information or to make reservations for MesAlegre.

Market hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Original Baja Fish Taco

Original Baja Fish Tacos

This recipe involves several steps and a merging of a few recipes before you get the final tacos, but the end result is well worth it. One taste will convince you why these are a Baja California favorite.

Only the Secret White Sauce recipe is slightly different, because chef Eric Nelson doesn’t really want to see the secret in print. But he will give it to you over the phone. So, give him a call at (210) 241-2006 and ask. Your family will thank you for it.

Nelson, corporate executive chef at Zachry, demonstrated this recently at the Pearl Farmers Market.

Herb Garden Mexican Oregano Beer Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (12-ounce) beer
1/4 cup Mexican oregano
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Water to thin batter

Mix flour, baking powder and sugar with eggs, melted butter, beer and Mexican oregano. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Thin out with water if needed.

Makes 1 quart.

Secret White Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fire-Roasted Texas-Grown Red Tomato Salsa

4 fire-roasted tomatoes, preferably Texas grown
2 white or yellow onions
4 cloves garlic
3 serrano chiles
1/4 bunch cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste

Rough chop tomatoes, onions, garlic, serranos, cilantro, olive oil and salt, and pulse with hand blender.

Makes 1 quart.

Tacos:
1 quart oil for frying (canola, soybean or peanut) or Fry Daddy
8 ounces mahi mahi or cod, cut into strips 2 ounces each
2 ounces flour seasoned with salt and pepper
8 ounces Herb Garden Mexican Oregano Beer Batter
4 white corn tortillas (use 2 per taco if they are thin)
8 ounces Secret White Sauce
4 ounces Fire Roasted Texas Grown Tomato Salsa
4 ounce green cabbage, shredded like coleslaw
1 lime quartered

Eric Nelson demonstrates how to make fish tacos at the Pearl Farmers Market.

Heat oil in a fryer to 350 degrees.

Dredge mahi mahi in seasoned flour.

Dredge fish in beer batter and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Warm corn tortillas in skillet.

To assemble: Place 1 corn tortilla on a plate with 1 piece of fish in center. 2 ounces Secret White Sauce on fish, 1 ounce salsa on top of white sauce, then 1 ounce shredded cabbage.  Squeeze 1 quarter of lime juice on cabbage.

Makes 4 tacos.

From Eric Nelson

With the economy still in the tank and some of us marginally employed, why would we purchase Czech bacon at the price of $7 for a half pound?

First, it’s pork. Second, it’s one of our favorite artisan foods: charcuterie. This is the preparation of pork (mainly, though other meats can be prepared similarly) specialties such as pâtés, rillettes, sausages, and, of course, bacon.

If the product is made by those who adhere to a “slow-food” ethos, it becomes even harder to resist. This was our pleasurable predicament after sampling from the Kocurek Family Artisanal Charcuterie Saturday at the Pearl Farmers Market.

The Kocureks have been selling prepared sandwiches and packaged sausages, bacon and other hand-crafted foods at the Pearl market for some weeks now. Their stated mission is to “preserve the art of traditional charcuterie using local, free-range, hormone-free meat and game, and above all else, the preservation of our happiness in making authentic food with our family.”

Czech bacon, thickly sliced and seasoned with herbs and spices, comes from the Kocurek Family Artisanal Charcuterie in Austin.

Lawrence and Lee Ann Kocurek met at culinary school a decade ago, then moved to New York. Lawrence is an honors graduate from The French Culinary Institute and Lee Ann is a certified sommelier from the American Sommelier Association. They have a young son, born in 2009, who was their inspiration, after careers with top restaurants and wine merchants, to go into business for themselves in Austin.

As Lawrence described it, the bacon is not as salty as American bacon. It is seasoned, however, with a lengthy list of herbs and spices. The flavor was plenty bacon-y, and we didn’t miss all the salt we have become accustomed to. It sizzled nicely in the pan and turned very crisp. It was utterly delicious with scrambled eggs, green chile salsa and hot corn tortillas for breakfast, and in BLTs at lunch.

Later on Sunday, my husband and I pan-broiled the Kocurek’s Saucisse de Toulouse, a half-pound French sausage made with pork, wine, garlic, nutmeg and other seasonings. Served with an herb-scented pilaf of tiny green French lentils seasoned with salt pork and sliced fresh tomatoes, it was a perfect Sunday supper.

John Griffin took home with him his own packages from the Kocurek booth, not being able to resist the Boerewors sausage, a taste of South African-seasoned beef, pork and bacon with red wine, garlic, coriander, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and Worcestershire sauce among the spices. We’ll look forward to the report on that— or, better still, a taste!

To look at a comprehensive product list of the Korcurek family’s charcuterie, a schedule of the farmers markets they visit, and to sign up for their newsletter, click here.

Saucisse de Toulouse, pan-grilled and served with French Lentil Pilaf with Wine.

For the French Lentil Pilaf with Wine recipe that we served with the Saucisse de Toulouse (see below), click here.

Photos by Bonnie Walker

Want to learn how you can enjoy tomatoes, squash, peaches and more seasonal favorites year-round? The answer, of course, is canning.

Connie Sheppard of the Texas Agrilife Extension and Marilyn Magaro of the Texas Department of Agriculture are teaming up for a class set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Pearl Farmers Market, 200 E. Grayson St.

Their demonstration is one of three on canning planned for the summer. The remaining two will be at 9:30 a.m. July 16 and Aug. 13.

By controlling what goes into the canning jar, you know exactly what it is that you are eating, a release from the market says.

A “Beginner’s Guide to Canning & Recipe Booklet” will also be available at the Pearl information table.

Crowds at the San Antonio Herb Market’s Basil Fest on Saturday at the Pearl Farmers Market, and the Pesto Challenge named a new winner.

Luis Morales, of Humble House Foods demonstrates making pesto.

Luis Morales of Humble House Foods demonstrated his “secret recipe” Basil Pesto earlier in the day. The difference? Morales uses walnuts in the popular Mediterranean sauce, made of fresh basil leaves, olive oil and cheese.

“Walnuts are less expensive than pine nuts,” Morales explained as he demonstrated how to make his pesto in a food processor. He was handing out recipe cards at the demonstration, so the secret of his pesto was soon revealed. (Click here for recipe.)

Chef Michael Flores also shared his recipe for Piquant Citrus Sauce with Basil & Spinach. It incorporates goat cheese, ricotta cheese, fresh spinach and chiles, and can be a spread, a dressing for a bean salad or tossed with pasta. Check out Flores’ recipe by clicking here.

Malabar Spinach grows as a vine.

Sunny weather and a steady breeze kept things comfortable at the market as customers made their way through the stands and tables. John Marrs had big, healthy basil plants for sale from Marrs’ Garden. Nature’s Herb Farm had a large selection of all types of herbs, as well as some flowers and even a hot weather-friendly green, called Malabar Spinach, that produces spinach-like leaves on a sturdy, climbing vine.

Brilliantly colored cut flowers for vases and fresh vegetables were available, as always, from Oak Hill Farm, and Sol y Luna Bakery did a brisk business with its whole grain baked

Fresh eggs, in a variety of colors, offered at the Pearl.

products. Other sellers had farm-grown tomatoes as well as squash, eggplants, cucumbers, beans, sweet corn, eggs and cuts of grass-fed beef. Indoors, Imagine Farms sold lavender products and olives, olive oil and olive-leaf products were available from the Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard’s table.

The Pearl Farmers Market is every Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

This is a simple recipe, but rich and versatile. You can use it as a spread or a sauce, a dip or to toss into hot pasta. It’s become a summer classic, but this one, by chef Luis Morales, is made with walnuts instead of pine nuts.

Humble House Foods Pesto

8 ounces fresh basil leaves
1 pound Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
8 ounces walnuts
2 ounces fresh, peeled garlic
2 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt

Basil is the main ingredient in a classic pesto.8 ounces walnuts"2 ounces fresh, peeled garlic2 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until desired consistency is achieved. Use immediately or freeze for later. It will last about six months in the freezer, too.

Makes about a quart of pesto.

From Luis Morales at Humble House Foods

Michael Flores, chef.

Michael Flores, chef and cooking teacher, offered this recipe at the Pearl Farmers Market Saturday. It uses lots of fresh basil, which is flourishing right now. And, calls for two types of cheese along with fresh spinach and some red chile flakes to give it bite.

Piquant Citrus Sauce with Basil and Spinach

1 1/3 ounce fresh basil, trimmed and washed
16 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
15 ounces ricotta cheese (fat free)
10 ounces fresh spinach leaves, trimmed, washed and drained
2 teaspoons red chile flakes, or to taste
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 lemon

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Store in refrigerator and use as needed.

Note: Serve tossed with cannellini beans over salmon fillet, toss with cooked noodles for a pasta salad, mix with diced tomatoes and serve atop toasted croutons for bruschetta, or present alonside grilled or boiled shrimp as a dipping sauce.

From Michael H. Flores (www.cookwithmichael.com)

Basil is one of the top herbs that cooks keep in their kitchen gardens.

If you’re going to the Pearl Brewery’s farmers market this weekend, you have the added enticement of the San Antonio Herb Market’s Basil Fest, with lots of information, plants for sale, a Pesto Challenge and recipes by chef Michael Flores.

The Basil Fest will be during the same hours as the farmers market, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. There is no entrance fee.

For a complete list about the events happening during the day, click here.

Below is an unusual cookie recipe calling for cinnamon basil. If you don’t have cinnamon basil, regular basil would work.

Cinnamon Basil-Lime Cookies

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons fresh cinnamon basil, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped lime peel (zest)
1 cup pistachios, chopped

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In large mixing bowl beat butter at medium speed until light. Gradually beat in sugar; add egg, vanilla basil and lime peel, beating until very light and fluffy.

At low speed, beat in dry ingredients in 3-4 additions. Mix in chopped nuts, using hands if necessary.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each half into a roll 6-7 inches long. Roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 8 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut dough into 1/8-inch slices and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned around bottom of cookies (do not overcook). Immediately remove from sheet with spatula and place on wire rack to cool. When completely cool, store in airtight containers.

Note: Rolls of dough may be frozen. Thaw for a short time before baking.

From “Southern Herb Growing” by Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay with Jean Hardy

Bagels boxes will be available on Saturdays.

Had a hankering for traditional bagels, gravlax and cream cheese? The Sandbar at the Pearl Brewery, 200 E. Grayson St., Suite 117, will be offering these during the farmers market each Saturday.

Orders for bagel boxes will be taken during the week, chef Andrew Weissman said. Then people can pick them up during the farmers market, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This Saturday marks the beginning of the venture.

In the beginning, Weissman promises two to four varieties of bagel, white fish salad and chopped liver salad in addition to the gravlax and cream cheeses.

The menu will be available at the restaurant and on Sandbar’s Facebook page, he says.

The Saturday pickup will be available for the first six weeks. If there’s enough interest, home delivery on Sunday morning will be phased in, Weissman says.

The chef, who also owns Il Sogno, has long wanted to start a deli. Here’s hoping this is a first step toward that.

To place an order, call Sandbar at 210-222-2426.