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Even More San Diego Farmer's Markets |
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Check out a few more of San Diego's Farmer's markets
Coronado
Tuesday, 2:30-6 p.m. Coronado Ferry Landing (corner of First Street and B Avenue)
Other local farmers’ markets may be bigger—most are, in fact—but few offer a more alluring bayside setting in which to peruse fresh produce. The chatter of mingling shoppers is punctuated by the squawks of seagulls, and a salty breeze blows through nearly a dozen vendor tents. You almost forget you’re standing in the parking lot of Il Fornaio—until the aroma of gourmet pizza cooking in a wood-burning oven stirs the appetite. But it’s the smell of plump Carlsbad-grown strawberries that really attracts shoppers from 20 feet away. There’s a bounty of produce from local farms: Yasukochi Family Farms’ plum red tomatoes and massive cauliflower heads; tangy citrus from Polito Family Farms; and oversize turnips from Maciel Family Farms in Bonsall. Samples from Spring Hill Organic Cheese & Butter entice, as do choice cuts from Brawley-based Brandt Beef. Flower vendors carry everything from orchids to wildflowers.
Del Mar
Saturday, 1-4 p.m. City Hall parking lot (1050 Camino del Mar, between 10th and 11th streets)
Two blocks from the beach, this bustling market draws an upscale crowd of Starbucks-toting patrons and middle-age couples clad in workout clothes. A seafood vendor sells fresh mussels, scallops, Chilean sea bass and sushi-grade ahi, stored in large coolers. The scent of garlic from the neighboring tent announces the organic raw bulbs for sale by local grower Majestic Garlic. Buckets of flowers and hanging plants line the aisles, which showcase farm-fresh eggs and veggies picked just hours before. Farmers from Rancho Mexico Lindo sell avocados and citrus grown in Valley Center; artisan chocolatier and patisserie Guanni Chocolates offers boxes of handmade organic truffles. Don’t miss the gourmet tamale vendor, whose menu of 16 different tamales (take them home frozen or refrigerated) makes it difficult to pick just one kind. Try the sweet corn, poblano chile and cheese tamales, or the chicken in green chile sauce.
Encinitas
Saturday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Paul Ecke Central Elementary School (185 Union Street)
In the parking lot, you’re likely to spot at least one car with the popular KEEP LEUCADIA FUNKY bumper sticker. Residents of this north Encinitas burg take pride in its artistic and tight-knit nature. Indeed, there’s an inviting sense of community that makes this market distinctive. Patrons carrying Earth-friendly canvas bags stop to greet their neighbors; young families sit cross-legged on the grass to listen to the acoustic guitarist, a dead ringer for James Taylor. Organic is the standard when it comes to produce from Smit Orchards and from Lazy T Ranch, which also sells fresh-baked apple-cranberry pie. An importer of Italian groceries carries an array of hard-to-find pastas, oils and other goodies. Across the aisle, Lulu’s Mom serves up all-natural doggie biscuits. An exotic orchid grower has an impressive inventory, affordably priced at $15 apiece. The Lotion Lady makes her own soaps, lotions and creams and can custom-blend scent oils. Another unique draw: the seamstress who makes jackets and other clothing from vintage fabrics.
Otay Ranch
Tuesday, 4-7 p.m. 2015 Birch Road at Main Street, in Otay Ranch Town Center
Few regular farmers’ markets are held literally inside a mall, but with the center’s attractive, pedestrian-only Main Street, the market feels as if it’s taking place along a real thoroughfare. At how many other malls can you catch a movie as well as shop for iPods, clothes and just-picked produce? And treat the kids to a llama ride? You’ll also find fresh pastries, Mexican-style candy, Asian lumpia, carne asada, empanadas, seafood cocktails, olives and African barbecue. The pungent aroma of grilling meat fills the streets and the stores as well, taking people out of shopping mode and into eating mode. Beyond the pavilion, the other half of the market is strictly produce and flowers. Find amazing oranges, fresh strawberries and much more, along with a dizzying assortment of flowers and bouquets. The Otay Ranch farmers’ market is less than a year old, but as the shopping center and the neighborhood expand, look for this market to blossom nicely.
North Park
Thursday, 3 p.m.–sunset. CVS Pharmacy parking lot (University Avenue and 32nd Street)
Some of the more popular vendors from the county’s assortment of farmers’ markets take their produce and wares here each Thursday afternoon. Tasty Mediterranean sambusas, cuisine from Ghana and Egypt, popcorn, African barbecue and vegan food occupy the front row. Handmade pastries, a bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables, several flower vendors and the ubiquitous fruit of the sea from the World Famous Smoked Fish Company (whose headquarters are just across the street from the market) round out the pack. Set in the heart of North Park, this market offers bite-on-the-go convenience in a neighborhood that’s home to scores of new sit-down establishments. It also offers the freshest produce in an area largely devoid of supermarkets. Try Ghana’s take on plantains for a flavorful experience.
Pacific Beach
Saturday, 8 a.m.–noon. 4150 Mission Boulevard (between Pacific Beach Drive and Reed Avenue)
PB may have the ultimate no-frills farmers’ market. The organizer is an old-school advocate of promoting only “certified” produce. This is the basics: lots of fruit, vegetables, flowers, beach proximity and nothing else. It’s located in two parking lots in the plaza on Mission. Strawberries and the sweetest cherries abound, alongside large, healthy-looking vegetables. Flower sellers do brisk business in the beach-town setting. Seasoned farmers’ market shoppers may bemoan the paucity of prepared-food stands, but with the area’s sheer number of fast-food and casual eateries, it’s no great loss. Take a walk along the ocean after shopping—either north to Garnet Avenue and beyond, or south to Mission Beach. Parking isn’t easy, but area residents often use the oceanfront boardwalk as a locals-only expressway of sorts—on foot, bicycle or skateboard.
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Reader Comments:
WHAT ABOUT OCEAN BEACH?
I bought some green beans from the fruits and vegetable stand next to Trader Joe's in LaJolla a week ago. I had been using them for several days until I reached the one with a GREEN WORM on it. I was ill. How many worms did I eat? Did this worm crawl all over the rest of the green beans already consumed? I never find worms in the produce I purchase at Whole Foods, Henry's or all grocery stores in San Diego. I'll think twice about buying green beans from a stand outside a store again.
Anonymous,
It's here:
http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/media/San-Diego-Magazine/April-2009/To-Market-To-Market/
There is also a nice market on Sunday mornings on J Street downtown between 4th and 3rd. It is open from 9 AM until 1 PM
every Sunday.
Just north of Cost Plus
The oldest Farmer's Market in town is in Ocean Beach on Newport Ave.
It is open every Wednesday from 4 until 8 in the Summer and until 7 in the winter. It is big! Great organic produce, good food and then many, many booths with hand made items/ (arts & crafts)