What's At Your Local Farmers Market? A Look At Fresh Veggies, Fruits, Meats, Nuts and More [Thoughts + Pics]

Nice @attran99!

Yeah, I know I’m missing out on some things by sticking to the smaller markets, but I can’t stomach those lines and having to be there at the crack of dawn to get the good stuff. Ugh.

That’s a really good strategy letting the guys pick their favorites at Arnett. I get overwhelmed with choices there and haven’t had as much success as other peeps have - tasteless, chewy, dried figs, really juicy but flavorless peaches. I once filled a whole shot glass with juice from one peach, but it didn’t have a lot of flavor. Hmmm. I’m going with your strategy next time.

Tip on Tenerelli - Farmer Tenerelli said the Red Flame Nectarines are his favorites. I tried them. :revolving_hearts: Delicious!

Happy Summer Fruit Season!

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Hi @attran99,

Yah it was definitely the busiest it’s been in a long time. We got there a bit before 11 a.m. and also had the long line. Usually we’ve found good luck with right before opening time, or a bit after (8:30 - 9:30) window.

Love the Weiser Farms Sugar Queen as well! :slight_smile: And Tenerelli Orchards’ White Peaches continue to shine. Incredible!

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Not the farmers market per say but Frog Hollow pluots and peaches at Tokyo Central in Yorba Linda. $4.99 for 4 smallish of each. Will see how they taste in a few days.

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Has anyone run across Kennebec potatoes at a market? They don’t have them in Studio City.

Love frog hollow. They usually aren’t cheap but worth it for a splurge every once in a while

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We are definitely in one of the best seasons of the year for enjoying California’s produce! I sometimes find myself taking it for granted, how fantastic our farm-grown Fruit and Vegetables are, especially during Summer! :slight_smile:

Hollywood Farmers Market

Latest finds from the Hollywood Farmers Market this past weekend. Since some folks were asking, there was almost no line to enter by the time we left, around 10:00 a.m.

Thao Family Farms


A massive variety of Tomatoes the past two weekends!

Lots of Asian variety of Melons and Squashes, including 3 types of Bitter Melon:

We picked up more of the Green Bitter Melon (they were excellent with some Garlic and Black Bean Sauce), we might try cooking some Silk Squash (Luffa) next weekend. :slight_smile:

Okra:

Okra season is upon us! :blush: These turned out delicious for last night’s meal.

Green Long Beans and Purple Long Beans:

Has anyone tried the Purple Long Beans? They look stunning, but we’re curious how they taste compared to the classic Green Long Beans.

Thao Family Farms
(@ Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday)) (North of the Arclight Cinemas)
1600 Ivar Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Day: Sunday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

Arnett Farms


It is still very much Stone Fruit season right now!

Checking with the Arnett farm hands, we picked more…

Black Diamond Pluots:

They continue to be some of the best Plum / Pluot varietals of the season. Incredible depth of flavor, extremely sweet with the Apricot Plum Pomegranate combination. :blush:

Cotton Candy Pluots:

The Cotton Candy Pluots were a touch tart and mainly sweet. It did have a “Cotton Candy”-esque sweetness and it was rather straightforward. Good, but the Black Diamonds were just that much better. :slight_smile:

Italian Figs:

They were sold out of their Black Mission Figs (which are incredible every year!), but the farm hands recommended their Italian Figs as well. These were sweet and lighter, less earthy than Black Mission Figs. They were a fantastic accompaniment to our Garden Of… Salad we made (more on that later). Worth checking out, but don’t miss out on their Black Mission Figs if you see them next weekend! :heart: (@TheCookie @attran99 @Dommy and others.)

Arnett Farms
(@ Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday)) (North of the Arclight Cinemas)
1600 Ivar Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Day: Sunday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

The Garden Of


The Garden Of… Organic Farms is back! :slight_smile: They were off for 2 weeks in a row because of crop rotation and just giving their veggies more time to grow. We seriously had a Salad Withdrawal for the past 2 weeks.

Organic Heirloom Lettuces:

As visually gorgeous and fresh as they are, they taste even better! :heart: Quality restaurants around L.A. like Republique use The Garden Of’s Organic Heirloom Lettuces for a reason. They turned out fantastic this week for some Homemade Salads we prepared. :slight_smile:

And they are still a bargain at 3 heads of Organic Heirloom Lettuces for $5.

The Garden Of… (Organic Farm)
(@ Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday)) (North of the Arclight Cinemas)
1600 Ivar Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Day: Sunday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

(Also @ Santa Monica Farmers Market (Wednesday))
155 Arizona Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Day: Wednesday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

Autonomy Farms

After having tried all of the meat purveyors at the Hollywood Farmers Market, we find ourselves continuing to return to Autonomy Farms which offers a nice selection of Beef, Pork, Chicken, Lamb (and some excellent Turkeys for Thanksgiving). Their animals are Humanely Raised, Organic, No Hormones, No Antibiotics, and you can taste a real difference especially in the Pork.

Pork Bone-In Loin Chops:

These turned out excellent, a nice porcine flavor coming through.

Autonomy Farms
(@ Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday)) (North of the Arclight Cinemas)
1600 Ivar Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Day: Sunday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

Tenerelli Orchards

And the next round Tenerelli Orchards’ incredible White Peaches have arrived:

Sugar Giant White Peaches:

Per the name, these are indeed giant in size! They are the largest White Peaches of the season, and even for the first batch they were incredibly sweet and juicy (after letting them ripen for a couple of days). They have a fragrant Peach aroma, and then just juicy, luscious sweetness. They are so good! :heart:

If you need the Peaches to be ready within a certain amount of time (ready for tomorrow, in 2 days, etc.), ask the farm hands to help you pick.

Mulberries:

While the first batch we got were very good, the 2nd week for Tenerelli’s Mulberries were flawless! 100% of the batch of Mulberries were pure sweetness, beautiful fragrance, like a deep exotic Grape-ish flavor, but distinct. Remember to ask for them, as they are not on display. (@PorkyBelly @TheCookie @attran99 and others.)

Tenerelli Orchards
(@ Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday)) (North of the Arclight Cinemas)
1600 Ivar Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Day: Sunday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

(Also @ Santa Monica Farmers Market (Wednesday & Saturday))
155 Arizona Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Day: Wednesday & Saturday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

Murray Family Farms (Organic)


Murray Family Farms offer standout Fruit throughout the year, but this is the height of the season they are most known for: Their incredible variety of rare Organic Grapes!

Candy Dream Organic Grapes:

The Candy Snaps (the first of the “Candy” series) was tasty, a touch of tart with the sweet, but the Candy Dream Grapes are where it’s at! :smile: They are sweet, but nuanced, a bit of a potent Concord Grape flavor, but then you get some fun, almost “Grape Soda” note (but obviously 100% natural). They are fantastic and worth trying if you never have. :heart:

Julip Organic Grapes:

These are some of the largest Organic Grapes that Murray Family Farms offers in season, they are huge with a big pop of delicious fruity Concord Grape flavor with a tiny twist at the end (I can’t quite put my finger on what the extra flavor is, but it is delicious).

IFG 34 Organic Grapes:

If you ever see IFG 34 Organic Grapes, get them. These are incredibly sweet, sweeter than Harry’s Berries’ Organic Gaviota Strawberries(!). :open_mouth: And Murray Farms says it is the sweetest Fruit they grow. For this batch, it was 100% sweet, and it is a cross breed of Concord and a European varietal, and the result is a stunning usual Grape flavor with an almost “Strawberry” finish? Lovely. :heart:

Murray Family Farms (Organic)
(@ Hollywood Farmers Market (Sunday)) (North of the Arclight Cinemas)
1600 Ivar Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Day: Sunday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

(Also @ Santa Monica Farmers Market (Wednesday & Saturday))
155 Arizona Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Day: Wednesday & Saturday
Hours: 8:00AM - 1:00PM

(They are at a bunch of So Cal Farmers Markets - See website for other locations):

With the incredible Summer Fruit we’re getting, they are seriously better than many Desserts you find at various places. The stunning taste of a perfectly ripe Tenerelli Orchards’ White Peach, or the insane Organic Candy Dream Grapes or IFG 34 Grapes, the Mulberries at Tenerelli and Weiser Farms and more. Worth seeking out. :slight_smile:

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Did you happen to see the Oyster Boys there?

Hi @JeetKuneBao,

Is that the oyster stand usually at the south end of the farmers market? (w/ all the oysters & shucking going on?) (I wasn’t sure if there were 2 oyster stands.)

If it’s that one, I remember seeing them a few weeks ago, but didn’t pay attention on this past weekend.

The Irvine FM is back to being a walking market. The only inconvenience is that every vendor has to pick and pack the produce or fruit. This is not the case at Hollywood but probably safer. This policy ends up creating very long lines at the more popular vendors.

I blame everybody on this thread for spending an unholy amount of money at Arnett farms today. The fruit was for 3 families but I wasn’t expecting to spend $82. I also got figs.

Irvine has an great selection of stands that focus on Asian veggies. A choy, u choy, long beans, many varieties of eggplant, wintermelon and many others.

Eggs at Le Banh are a must buy.

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Hi @js76wisco,

Thanks for the report!

Congrats on getting some Arnett Figs, they sell out fast. :slight_smile:

Did you get the Black Mission Figs, or Italian?

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@Chowseeker1999 the guys recommended the black mission figs which is my preference. I was going to get both types but had so much stuff already. I ate one as soon as I got home and they are lovely. Going to make salad with arugala from Scarborough Farms, figs, goat cheese and candied walnuts with balsamic dressing. I forget the brand of goat cheese but the one we get at Whole Foods is perfect for salads. Comes in a white cylindrical log. Mitica Cana de Caprica?

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The O’Henry peaches at Arnett Farms were delicious this weekend. They aren’t the super sugary sweet variety. They have a little tartness with a great pure peach flavor. A more well balanced type of stone fruit. I enjoy the sweet white nectarines and pluots too but it’s nice to have some variety.

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Thao Farms Thai chiles :fire::fire::fire: So fresh, so fuckin hot. Paying for it today. #WorthIt

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Those are perfect for some Krapow

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I have also read that Thai birds eye chilis are a good substitute for Okinawan chilis in the okinawan chili sauce (?), Koregusu.

Great for soup noodles, fried pork, rice porridge, eggs, etc.

30 or so birds eye chilis
300ml awamori if you can get it; substitute shochu if awamori is unavailable
15ml rice vinegar
combine in a small airtight jar and let sit for 1 month
(reference: コーレーグース もどきです/リフルシャッフル | SnapDish[スナップディッシュ] (ID:f4TmPa))

image

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Not FM but don’t miss the summer field tomatoes found at Armenian / Russian markets . Small shops/delis, not sure if supermarkets have them

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Arbat Grocery on Hollywood & Alexandria gets the best field tomatoes. Also really good green garbanzos and almonds occasionally.

There are 2 Arbat’s? Arbat on SM by Fairfax is my shop with good tomatoes. They all get the same stuff honestly. Wife got ones from Olive yesterday

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Must be? Although the signage is different. Use your Armenian powers and find out for us! And go check out Arbat Hollywood, really solid feta/olive/sujuk deli counter and Syrian/Turkish pistachios.

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I just go what’s closest but when in Hollywood it’s always Karabagh for me. I’d like to try though. Will investigate