The Gazette

You know summer has officially arrived when tomatoes start making their appearance at the market. From roma, grape, and beefsteak to heirloom varieties,, an avalanche of these colorful orbs is now beginning. Come and get ‘em!

This August, lots of fun activities are going on at the Marina market. There will be guitar stringing and tuning workshops as well as a twine rug weaving demonstration. Plus a cooking demonstration—with recipes and free samples! Check local calendar listings for details.

This months Featured Farmer of the Month is Chia Her of Her Farms. Surrounded by piles of colorful vegetables, Chia Her’s friendly face is not to be missed at the Marina market. The Her Farm is a family business. Chia Her, his wife Chia Thao and daughter Kang Her all work in the fields and at the Marina and San Jose markets. A native of Laos from the Hmong tribe, Chia Her came to the U.S. in 1992. Chia Her was a language teacher in Laos and became a nurse when he was living in Thailand. While Chia Her wasn’t a farmer in Laos, he learned to farm in the fields from his brother here in California. Five years ago, he started his own organic farm. Located on 10 acres in Sanger, CA, the Her Farm’s Signature produce is Asian vegetables like Chinese broccoli, bok choy, Japanese and Chinese eggplant, lemongrass, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, and cantaloupe .

Chia Her likes to stir fry beef or pork with luffa squash (xingua) and season it with oyster sauce and garlic. Chia Her also likes the Marina market because "many people are coming to enjoy my vegetables. The Marina market is not to hot and the winter season is very good. I like it"

Please come and visit the Market and Chia Her! We’re open every Sunday in the Marina Village Shopping Center, in the Grocery Outlet parking lot, right in front of Lee’s Garden at 215 Reservation Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.everyonesharvest.org; 831-402-4705.