December. 75 degrees and sunny. This is why I moved here.
Pasadena has two regular certified farmers' markets: Saturdays 8:30-12:30 at Victory Park, and Tuesdays 8:30-12:30 at Villa Parke Center. There's a third market in the Playhouse District in summer. This doesn't include nearby farmers' markets like Sierra Madre on Wednesday afternoons, Thursday mornings in Glendale or evenings in South Pasadena, Friday evenings in Eagle Rock, and Montrose on Sunday mornings. Not to mention the unique farmers' market in Altadena on Wednesday afternoons. We have every day covered, and then some.
Each of these has its own...is it okay for me to say "vibe"? Each has its own vibe. And I'm pretty sure you can get carrots at all of them, year 'round. Maybe not Altadena. I did say that one's unique.
Check out FarmerNet for an amazing list. Living in the city is no excuse to eat canned vegetables.
Nothing quite like fresh carrots, yummy. Though I do like them as carrot cake too!
ReplyDeleteI love the outdoor markets.. You are right each has its own personalities... Santa Monica is a fave because its so huge! my local one is neat as well tho a couple of weeks ago, the inventory was down with some vendors...
ReplyDeleteI'll swap with you, Petrea. I just got back from my local organic farmers' cooperative and it's minus 3 here.
ReplyDeleteI think you wrote this yesterday. We're socked in with dense fog this morning, are you? If it clears before noon, I'll treat myself to some fresh halva and cheese from the Victory Park Farmer's Market, and some fresh carrots for the dog and rabbit. (The cat spits them out).
ReplyDeleteNow that's a bumper crop.
ReplyDeleteI like my carrots in soup, Paul. Fresh, too, of course. And Boz likes them fresh.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to the Santa Monica market in years, KBF. I'm glad to know it's still going strong.
Minus 3, Dive? I hope you're talking Celsius. That's cold enough.
I wrote it last night, Bellis (I post at midnight). But I also get up later than you do. It's been sunny and bright at my house all morning. If you still have fog, we'll blame it on micro-micro-climates.
Good one, J!
i miss the variety of fresh markets socal has to offer! next time, i'm out there! ;~) xoxoxox
ReplyDeleteIt's a great picture, all the more so with John's "bumper crop" caption.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great selection you have! We only have farmers' markets with decent produce during the summer and early fall. It's in the 30s here today and there's new snow in the foothills.
ReplyDeleteSavannah, I'm sure no matter when you're here there will be a market for us to visit.
ReplyDeleteDina, I am always entertained! It's a good thing.
Ms. M, not everything can or should be farmed year 'round, even here. But we have the weather for a lot of it.
Odd that FarmerNet missed out on the La Canada Flintridge farmers market, which is excellent. It's Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm, Foothill Blvd across the street from Memorial Park. They've got a knife sharpener every other weekend, a plant nursery vendor, three bread makers, a specialty mushroom place, fresh flowers, a Frenchman selling amazing cheeses and charcuterie - well, it's got it all!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there's some sort of membership, Diana. Or, more likely, the website hasn't been updated in a while. The LCF market sounds special. I definitely want to see the knife sharpener.
ReplyDeleteOur farmer's market barely qualifies as a market!!! We have one or two farmers who bring fruits and veggies to the parking lot by the outlets...and one or two crafty types of vendors...and that's it...
ReplyDeleteBut let me tell you, the farmer who comes up from the Bishop area....wow!!! What delicious stuff he brings!!! I had the best white peach I've had since I was a little girl from him last year...no white peaches this year though...
I can always go a carrot. Now, if I can just get my boys to eat them in something besides carrot cake...
ReplyDeleteChieftess, I know what you mean about the best peach you had since you were a little girl. Produce used to be so much better before we got so efficient at growing it.
ReplyDeleteHello, Kris! If your boys are like I was, all it takes is time.
I think produce has suffered because of genetic engineering designed to toughen the produce for transport... wish 37 had passed...
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to the Altadena farmers' market yet. Thanks for the Facebook link. Maybe now that I know Bulgarini's is there, I'll be more motivated to check it out. Don't get me wrong: I love carrots and greens, but the best gelato in town is definitely a stronger lure.
ReplyDeleteChieftess, I wish prop 37 had passed too.
Here's the link to the knife-sharpeners who rotate around to various farmers markets, Petrea: http://www.sharper-edge.net/#!farmers-markets
ReplyDeleteThanks for that link, Diana. I will definitely follow up. We have a few knives that are basically decoration these days.
ReplyDeleteI wish Prop 37 had passed, too. Big money buys ads and confuses people. But we'll get it done, in some other form. Look at the popularity of farmers markets. Obviously people want fresh, unadulterated produce.
Our farmers' market finally kicked the (outdoor) bucket and moved indoors for the season - I'm hoping we still get carrots as beautiful as these! (Seeing this, I also wonder why I moved from the West coast to chilly Northeast climes, brr.)
ReplyDeleteI imagine you had your reasons. Weather is never the only thing, is it?
ReplyDeleteI love farmers markets. Fortunately, there are couple of them in my neighborhood too. I bought the absolutely best apricots there this summer.
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