I love going to farmer’s markets, and San Diego is definitely not short on any. I usually hit the Carlsbad one on Saturday afternoons since I can walk the dog there. It’s not a very big market, probably about 10-15 tents, but it has 3-4 organic farmers there and I get tomatoes, red peppers, avocados, lemons, limes, etc. There is usually a wonderful flower stand and I get cheap bouquets for $3-5 dollars. There is a fish tent as well, where they catch the fish in the morning, put it on ice, and get it to the farmers market. It is good stuff!
Today, I went with several friends to the Cedros Avenue Farmer’s Market in Solana Beach. We started with mimosas at one of the girl’s houses, and waited for the rain to stop misting. It was not a postcard perfect day near the coast! We made our way to Cedros Avenue, which is known as a “design district” with lots of home furnishings, interior decorators, photographers, hair salons, spas, boutiques, cafe’s, etc. along the street. It also has the famous Belly Up Tavern, which has played host to a variety of awesome musicians. The Farmer’s Market was at the opposite end of where we entered the “avenue,” but we didn’t mind doing some window-shopping along the way.
This farmer’s market was about twice the size of Carlsbad! It had so many wonderful fruit and veggie stands, bread tents, food tents, cheese tents, jewelry, etc. I could have spent so much time there. They also had the flower stands, which I thought was more expensive than Carlsbad! I also found some of the food stands to be a bit more expensive, but everything is local, so I wasn’t going to complain about having to spend 50 cents or a dollar more. So here’s what I discovered at the Cedros Avenue Farmer’s Market…
gorgeous Gerber daisies
ornamental pepper plant
mini pumpkins on a stick (i have no idea what the real name is for these but they are so cool)
grapes
pluots (my new favorite fruit!)
lots of potatoes
the basil smelled wonderful
squash
lots of heirloom tomatoes!
heirloom tomatoes
bread, check out those cinnamon rolls
to die for toll house chocolate chip cookies
bread & cie had a stand with wondrous breads
variety of pesto
While I wanted to come home with EVERYTHING…I really wasn’t in need of much, so I picked up only these…
my heirloom tomatoes, can't wait to eat them!
While these were pricey ($5/lb, yikes!), they are so worth it. They are a special treat, and I can’t wait to eat them with some fresh mozzarella and balsamic and basil.
After today, I’m thinking that I might have to check out some of the other markets around San Diego. I hear La Jolla has a great one. The main thing about farmers’ markets is to go with a list and budget, or you may buy everything in sight!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you get out and enjoy Farmers’ Markets in your city!
emelle's adventures 