[Photographs: Jennifer Maiser]

"There's not much fruit here," I heard one market shopper say to his girlfriend. "Only citrus." I laughed to myself and thought about how much I'd like to drop him into a farmers' market on the East Coast, or pretty much anywhere in the U.S. We have citrus galore and not much other fruit, but it's January and we have a full farmers' market with beautiful colors.

Here are three things I'm most excited about at the Ferry Plaza market in San Francisco this week:

1. Glashoff Farms Roasted Walnut Oil. For the second year in a row, Glashoff is selling their walnut oil at Bay Area markets. They take their walnuts, grown about 50 miles from San Francisco, and have it pressed into oil by the same company that produces the La Tourangelle oils. The result is a nutty, luscious oil that I use for salads, on vegetables and even on popcorn.

2. Tierra Vegetables Red Popcorn. I am a popcorn fanatic. I've been spending a couple years perfecting my recipe, and eat it a couple times a week. One of my absolute favorite popcorns is the Tierra red popcorn.

It pops small, and kind of sporadically but the unpopped pieces pop enough as to make them fun to snack on. It's extremely flavorful and always sold fresh. I usually combine half of the Tierra popcorn with half of a bigger, fluffier variety (like organic yellow popcorn from Whole Foods) to make a perfect bowl.

3. Pomelos of all shapes and sizes. Walk through our markets these days and you'll see this large citrus. Each one usually weighs in at around a pound. Pomelos are sweeter than grapefruit and seem fairly dry until you bite into them. They are great to chop up for salads, and many recipes you find will put them into Vietnamese or Thai-style dishes.

Last weekend, I cut up several for a salad and combined them with watercress, microgreens, fennel, raw turnip and a walnut vinaigrette for a party. If you see them, buy them. More inspiration here »

Seasonal Produce Guide

In Season Right this Minute

Gwen avocados
Fennel
Radishes
Pomelos and grapefruit
Greens of all sorts

Coming Soon

Green garlic
Pea sprouts
Tulips

It's Time To Put Up

Marmalades
Preserved citrus
Kimchi and fermented cabbages
Frozen greens

About the author: Jennifer Maiser writes about locally and sustainably grown food. She is the founder and editor of the Eat Local Challenge website and writes at Life Begins at 30, her personal weblog.