By Debra Morris–
It’s the Year of the Dragon! On February 10, 2024, the Chinese New Year begins and is celebrated for 14 days. It’s a time to welcome longevity, wealth, and prosperity and to eliminate any negative “chi” or energy. Make a trip to the farmers’ market to pick up the ingredients that dispel the negative and turn 2024 into positive energy.
Food traditions are important to the overall festivities of the Lunar New Year. It’s customary to eat jioazi (a type of Chinese dumpling) at midnight as a symbol of wealth and prosperity in the New Year. The seventh day of the festivities is reserved especially for farmers and is also considered the birthday of mankind. People generally eat noodles on this day to ensure a long life.
Tangerines and oranges are a big part of the celebration and represent happiness and abundance. These are displayed in the home and given as hostess gifts. Giving tangerines, whose stems and leaves are intact, represents lasting friendship. Giving a whole tree in a pot to display at your front door is even better!
Candied fruit is displayed in homes as a “Tray of Togetherness” and promises a sweet New Year. After enjoying several pieces of candy, the adults place red envelopes called lai see in the center of the tray. The lai see contain money and signify luck. Each of the candied fruits has meaning. For example, kumquats are for prosperity.
Other traditional New Year foods include:
• Eight Treasures Rice, which is a mixture of rice, fruits, and nuts;
• Won Ton Soup;
• Song Gao, a cake that is made from rice that is ground loosely;
• Jiu Niang Tang, sweet wine-rice soup that contains small rice balls;
• mustard greens, often eaten on one of the last days of the celebration to cleanse the body;
• long noodles, to ensure a long life;
• and chicken, pork, and spring rolls are also important.
It’s not just food that is significant during the Lunar New Year. Flowers play a meaningful role as well. Plum tree buds are bought the day before the New Year and are hoped to blossom on New Year’s Day. Chrysanthemums symbolize longevity, narcissus represents prosperity, and sunflowers mean “have a good year.”
Bringing together family and friends on the New Year is also an important aspect of celebration. They help to clear out the bad energy and bring in the good. So, gather everyone around you and celebrate good luck and prosperity this year with lucky foods from the farmers’ market.
At the Divisadero Farmers’ Market, beautiful citrus can be found at Allard Farms from Westley.
Candied Sour Citrus Peels
4 large oranges, 3 grapefruit, 6 lemons or limes, halved through stem ends
3 cups sugar, divided
8 to 10 tablespoons lemon juice
Tear out flesh from orange halves, careful not to create holes in peels. It’s okay if you can’t remove all of the pith. Save flesh for another use; cut peels into 1/4-inch strips.
Bring orange peels and 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan and cook 5 minutes. Drain and return peels to pan. Repeat process twice more, using fresh water each time. Return peels to pan; add 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and cook until peels are soft, translucent, and vibrant looking, 30–40 minutes (about 10 minutes longer for grapefruit, or 10 minutes less for lemons or limes).
Drain and transfer peels to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet; chill until cool, about 15 minutes. Whisk lemon juice and remaining 1 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Add peels; toss to coat. Return to rack; let sit at room temperature 1 hour. Toss peels again in sugar mixture. Return to rack; let sit 4–12 hours to dry out.
The Castro Farmers’ Market is closed for the season and is scheduled to reopen on April 3, 2024. In the meantime, please visit the Divisadero Farmers’ Market at 1377 Fell Street or the Inner Sunset Farmers’ Market at 1315 8th Street. Both are in San Francisco on Sundays year-round from 9 am–1 pm. For information about additional local farmers’ markets, as well as on recipes and more, visit the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association website: https://www.pcfma.org/
Debra Morris is a spokesperson for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association.
This Month at the Farmers’ Market
Published on February 8, 2024
Recent Comments