Atallah's Madison Growers P.O. Box 58 Madison, CA 95653 Telephone: (530) 758-8886

Specializing in Pre-Seasonals
Most of the produce you'll find at Atallah's stand at San Francisco's Saturday morning Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market comes from one of their huge hothouses located in Madison, due west of Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley.

Because their produce is grown in hothouses, the Atallahs can bring sweet peppers and tomatoes to the Market as early as April, at least two months before the field-grown versions are ripe. The Atallahs have made pre-season sweet peppers and tomatoes their specialty.

From the Middle East to Madison, CA
Nick and Jane Atallah began their hothouse farming business after Nick left his life-long career as a professor of water engineering. He had taught at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon until the war in 1975 forced them to relocate to Saudi Arabia. The Atallahs stayed there for the next 9 years while Nick served as a water engineer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1984, the Atallahs moved back to the USA and, not ready to retire, Nick decided to apply his water engineering and agriculture background to his own farming business. By 1989, he was in full swing with 10 plastic hothouses, each 30' x 180', and a few acres of open land.

In addition to the Ferry Plaza Market on Saturdays, Jane now covers 6 other markets in Marin, Davis and Sacramento selling their hothouse specialties.

Things You Won't Find Elsewhere at the Market
In addition to early sweet peppers and tomatoes, you'll find 2 specialties at the Atallah's stand that are not available from other growers at the Ferry Plaza Market -- specialty cukes and endive:

• Mediterranean cukes and Japanese cukes thrive in the hothouses in 8 ft. tall trellised vines. "Every insect loves these cukes and typically there is only 1 good one for every 3 produced when they're field grown. But grown in hothouses, we get nearly 100% usable yield", Jane explained. Both varieties are available from April - October at $2.00/lb. They are seedless, burpless and have a thin, sweet skin so there's no need to peel.

Mediterranean Approx. 5" long and 1" diameter; tastes like an English cucumber

Japanese Approx. 8" long and 1/2" diameter; very crisp

• Endive is sold in packages at an unbelievable price of 10 heads for $3.00. These are grown by their neighbor, CVS, Inc. An informative brochure from the grower explains that endive, as a relative of chicory, is somewhat bitter and can be used as a coffee substitute when the roots are ground and roasted and that it's grown in complete darkness, which accounts for its creamy pale color. Until a few years ago, endive was only available as an expensive import from Belgium, which had a corner on the world market. But recently, USA producers started getting into the business and growers such as CVS have been successful in developing local varieties, selling at killer prices. CVS grows a creamy light green variety called the "California Pearl" and has also developed the "Belle Rouge", a cross between the standard white endive and Treviso (a red Italian chicory).

Endive is surprisingly versatile -- it can be used raw as a lettuce in salads or cooked as a vegetable. CVS brochure offers 3 good recipes.

• Other specialties: In the spring, Atallah also sells living basil plants and starting in July they'll have musk and Charentais melons. During the 1996 season, only one other grower (Warm Springs Ranch) was offering this unique French melon at the Ferry Plaza Market.

June 1997; updated September 2000.

To contact the vendor, please use information at the top of this page.

Having Fun with Endive