Market Scene: Mar Vista Farmers' Market, Los Angeles
Moving is a pain. I should know, I've done it some 26 times. Between clawing your way from beneath a tower of Pisa constructed out of different-sized boxes at your old home, eating fast but cheap food because you can't find your silverware and stubbing your toes on the rubble of boxes at your new place while wandering around aimlessly in the night looking for a light switch that isn't there, you can get a bit surly.
A rainbow of sweet peppers
When my fiancée and I decamped our beloved Fairfax apartment for the West Side a couple of weeks ago, I lamented being eight miles and a 25-minute drive farther from the Hollywood Farmers' Market—the site of my Sunday ritual of sniffing and prodding the week's fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, there are some upsides to moving, and discovering new restaurants and farmers' markets is top of the list.
The West Side of Los Angeles has a slew of farmers' markets, the most famous of which is the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers' Market, where you can spot as many area chefs as heirloom tomato varieties. But there are a number of smaller markets that dot the rest of this side of the city throughout the week.
The two-block long Mar Vista Farmers' Market, located on Grand View at Venice Boulevard (map), is open on Sundays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Unlike the Hollywood Farmers' Market, which can be quite sceney, this little market has a warm, neighborhood feel, a wide variety of produce vendors and delicious prepared foods from Culver City's Café Laurent and fresh breads from Les Délices Du Four. And it was packed with gorgeous summer produce, peaches, plums and pluots galore. There were delicate-skinned red zebra and jubilee tomatoes from Yang's, crisp, lemon cucumbers and a rainbow of bell peppers at J.R. Organics from Escondido and ears upon ears of sweet corn for your barbecue, puddings, and salads.
Pinkeye Purple Hull beans
But the most exciting discoveries today were Pinkeye Purple Hull shelling beans, similar to black-eyed peas, which are delicious cooked with pancetta and sage and served warm or tossed with arugula and tomatoes for a fresh salad.
Amaranth Greens
Another summer surprise were amaranth greens. These mild and earthy greens are also sometimes referred to as Chinese spinach and are fantastic sautéed with sesame oil, garlic and soy.
In Season
Corn
Tomatoes
Peppers
Amaranth Greens
Pinkeye Purple Hull Peas
Pluots
Peaches
Nectarines
Eggplant
Coming Soon
Grapes
Okra
Persimmons
Chiles
About the author: Leah Greenstein is a Los Angeles-based food and wine writer. Her favorite bumper sticker says: Talk Nerdy to Me. She also pens the blog SpicySaltySweet.com.
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5 Comments:
welcome to the west side! i've been shopping at the mar vista farmers market for years now, and it keeps getting better and better.
lauralop at 4:37PM on 08/10/09
I listen to the "Market Report" for the Santa Monica Farmers Market each week on KCRW's Good Food and turn a bit pea green with envy.
We do have wonderful farmers and great markets here in the East, but hearing about the products you have in the LA markets does make us wish we could stop by about once a month.
Best wishes for happiness in your new place and have fun getting to know your new farmers.
BostonZest at 6:11PM on 08/10/09
Thanks for the good wishes and welcomes! Stay tuned for more from the West Side!
Leah Greenstein at 8:16PM on 08/10/09
The near peppers in the picture look like Mariachis, a mildly hot (and variably hot) fruity pepper that I've really come to love. Seed avail from Burpee and Park Seeds. They're perfect for pizzas, and for adding just a little heat to just about anything. Freeze perfectly, and then I just take them out and cut off as many rings as I want, stick the rest of the pepper back in the freezer.
lemonfair at 7:37AM on 08/11/09
I love the Mar Vista Farmers' Market. It has everything I need and a great little organic section. Rancho Padre Organic Fruit has the best nectarines EVER and Gloria's corn. They recently added a whole vegan section which is AWESOME -- with Oaxacan Raw and another guy with to-die-for eggplant parmigiana and another with great soups and salads. Plenty of places to sit and a booth to park your dog! Easy parking and a cool neighborhood vibe. I try not to miss a Sunday.
ladedalady at 2:42AM on 08/12/09