By Liza Gershman
Late April and early May in Healdsburg is a time of delicious contradiction. We’re caught between spring’s softness and summer’s heat—the day grows longer, the air shifts into something slightly more perceptible, more viscous, noticeable on the skin and lips. Our hills are flush with leprechaun green, lingering for one last glimpse before summer’s tan sets in.
In this moment of burgeoning spring, the farmers’ market overflows with a temptress’s invitation: Eat what’s fresh—it’s abundant!
At the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market, strawberries are reaching their peak sweetness, their scent lingering in the air before they are even visible in the stalls. Spring onions and green garlic are tender, fava beans are shelled by the pound and sugar snap peas—the kind of bright green that seems to be omnipresent in my life lately—offer that crisp, wet-mouth crunch that makes them an irresistible snack.
As we turn the page into May, the market becomes even more robust, providing arugulawith bite, radishes in every shape and lettuces so tender they practically glow.
There’s something deeply grounding about shopping this way—letting the land set the menu. In Sonoma County, that instinct is second nature. But I didn’t always know how rare that was, or how lucky I was to grow up surrounded by such nourishing and honest ingredients.
We traveled internationally when I was young, but my first real encounter with “American” food culture came in Boston in 2001, when I moved there for graduate school. I landed on Sept. 9. It was a different time—so much so that my travel companion boarded our flight with an entire cutlery block in her carry-on. A full set of knives. Truly!
When I went grocery shopping that week, I was stunned. The produce aisle was sparsely stocked, and what was there looked like it had already been boiled. Wilted greens. Pale tomatoes. Boston has come a long way since then, and so has our national food culture—but we still don’t always realize the uniqueness of what we have here in Sonoma County.
Only three years ago I was living in Savannah, Georgia—a town that prides itself on its farmers’ market culture. One Saturday, I found myself standing at the center of the market and stopped several passersby to ask where it was, convinced I hadn’t found it yet. They looked at me and said, “You’re in it. This is the Farmers’ Market. Isn’t it great?”
Our market, by contrast, is impossible to miss. It’s robust, overflowing, electric with life and very edible food. You can’t not know you’ve arrived. That’s part of what makes it so special.
Just last night I was invited to a spontaneous dinner at a beautiful home on Dry Creek Road. Tucked into the valley floor, hidden from view in a nest of trees, we dined by the river—at a proper swimming hole—where steelhead return every three years from their cycle at sea. Our hostess “threw together” a few simple things from the house. But nothing is ever really simple about the way we eat here, even when there’s no fanfare or fuss.
We noshed on salumi and prosciutto from Journeyman Meat Co., dipped oven-fresh bread into truffle pâté, salivated over warmed porcini mushrooms stuffed with pesto and Gruyère, and sampled a selection of local wines. This is how we live here. This is Healdsburg.
Maybe it’s those years spent in veritable food deserts that make me cherish our community and our sustainable food system even more. That local knowledge—passed from farmer to table to friend—is exactly what we’re celebrating in Farm + Market: Healdsburg, the book I’m creating in partnership with the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market. It’s a love letter to the people, recipes and rhythms of our town.
And now I’d love to invite readers to be part of the book, too. Share a recipe (go to healdsburgtribune.com to see the rules and a sample recipe). Step in front of the camera for community portraits. Help us celebrate the people, plates and traditions that make Healdsburg so special.
Liza Gershman’s upcoming book, “Farm + Market: Healdsburg,” will celebrate the people, recipes and local bounty of the community. Proceeds from the book go to support the Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market. For more details, please visit the website at healdsburgbook.com.
What’s in Season
Early May in Healdsburg:
– Strawberries (at peak sweetness)
– Spring onions and green garlic
– Fava beans
– Sugar snap peas
– Arugula, radishes and tender lettuces
– Mint, parsley, chervil
– Early-season basil (just beginning to appear)
– First-of-the-season tomatoes (small quantities arriving)
