There’s a big wide world of farmers’ markets and direct to consumer growers out there beyond our small but excellent Foothill Farmers’ Market Association.

I recently had the privilege of attending the Seventh Annual Place Making International Market conference in San Francisco. What an amazing group of people to spend some time with. There were activists from 10 countries and 36 states sharing thoughts, dreams, and plans for making our world a better place to live through the benefits of eating fresh and local. There were representatives from the federal government urging us to try to use federal property for marketplaces, big developers wanting to share their expertise on partnering business with small agriculture, and marketing experts sharing their experience with marketing farmers’ markets.

My focus was on marketing. How can we get the word out about our amazing farmers’ markets and how can we spread the news that we live in a place of incredible bounty?

Here are a few things that I learned at the conference.

First, the number one way people learn about farmers’ markets is through word of mouth. Do you love your local market? If you attend a local farmers’ market and you value that market, tell everyone you know about it. If bad news like the Swine Flu can spread all over the world in a day, shouldn’t we be able to get the word out about something positive, like farmers’ markets? Instead of bad news traveling fast, we should create a campaign to have good news travel fast.

Second, no matter how much I resist it, social networking Web sites aren’t going to go away. They are rapidly becoming a valuable tool for marketing farmers’ markets.

As a result of the conference, Julie, our new tech-wise employee, has begun to help bring me into the 21st century. She created a Facebook page for the markets. It’s an easy way to let people know what is going on in the markets and it provides an opportunity for the community to give the markets feedback. Are you interested in a particular fruit, maybe wondering when it will be coming to market? I posted the arrival of peaches at the Fountains market on our Facebook page yesterday. I have to say that I was resistant to this idea but I am having fun now that I am getting the hang of it. I don’t understand it all yet, but I am learning about walls and pirates and other terminology I am not familiar with. Don’t be afraid, try it! Follow us at FoothillFarmers.

I am not as sure about Twitter as a tool. I think it will work best to let followers know when products are at the market. Imagine getting a tweet that says “Triple Crown Berries are at the Whole Foods/Fountains market this morning.” If you follow the Foothill Farmers Market on Twitter, you can be first in line to buy those sweet, purple berries.

When I returned from the conference, reality hit me. We are opening eight seasonal markets in the next month. I also have a daughter, Amelia, who is graduating from Placer High School on June 6. We love you Amelia! Market openings and graduation are both very happy events but there is a bit of chaos at our house. OK, a bit of chaos is an understatement. I am really, really busy. When things get chaotic, I tend to return to recipes that I am very familiar with, are tasty, and very easy to prepare. The quiche recipe I am sharing today is especially good because you can make quiche out of just about anything. This time I used mushrooms, onions, and provolone cheese, and of course some of those great fresh local eggs. If you are in a hurry, buy a pie crust. If you have time, the crust recipe I am sharing is one of the best I have found.

Reach Carol Arnold at foothillfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

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Mushroom and Onion Quiche

For the Crust:

1 3/4 cups flour

8 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

4 to 6 tablespoons iced water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Sift flour and salt together into a large bowl. Cut butter into the flour using two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add four tablespoons of the iced water. Mix just until the liquid is absorbed into the dough. Do not over handle. If the dough will not hold together add up to 2 more tablespoons of water. Form the dough quickly into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour. Roll the dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness and place in a nine-inch pie plate. Trim the edges and prick the surface of the pastry. Line the pie shell with foil and cover the bottom with dried beans. This prevents the crust from puffing. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden, about ten or 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Set oven at 350 degrees.

For the filling:

1 pound cultivated mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup provolone cheese, shredded

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups light cream

Melt butter in a saute pan. Add onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Saute until all of the liquid from the mushrooms has been absorbed. Add the thyme leaves. Cook the mixture for two minutes. Adjust seasoning. Set aside to cool slightly. After it has cooled, place the mushroom mixture in the bottom of the pastry shell. Sprinkle with the provolone cheese. Beat the eggs and cream together. Pour mixture over the mushrooms.

Bake quiche until a knife inserted in the middle of the filling comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting. Serve hot or cold.