Farmers' Market Report: Spring in Silver Lake
Los Angeles

Though the skies have been rather cloudy in LA these past couple of days, the scene at the Silver Lake farmers' market was bright and lively. There's still quite a bit of citrus, but between the crates of grapefruits and tangerines, other shapes and colors have emerged: slender green spears of asparagus, bunches upon bunches of yellow-flowered Chinese broccoli, and delicate pea tendrils...

These late winter/early spring vegetables have infused us with new culinary enthusiasm. We're looking forward to dishes like asparagus tarts, artichokes with lemon, and gently sautéed leafy greens. Nothing too complicated, just fresh, green flavors.

• For more information on the Silver Lake farmers' market and other Los Angeles area markets, visit Farmernet.com

(Images: Emily Ho)

Categories: Supplies, Farmers' Market Report, Healthy Living, Los Angeles, Vegetables

Posted by Emily Ho

Emily Ho is a writer and recipe developer. She lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches classes on food preservation, wild food, and herbalism. She is a Master Food Preserver and founder of LA Food Swap and Food Swap Network.
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Comments (7)

I always thought that once broccoli flowered, it was just too bitter to consume? Can anyone out there educate me?

Maybe it depends on the region, i.e. how cold it is? The flowering broccoli we get in Los Angeles' Farmers Markets isn't bitter.

I wish the Asparagus was that cheap in Puerto Rico. I would eat it everyday.

This is Chinese broccoli, or kai lan. The flowers are edible and the flavor can range from slightly bitter to sweet. I'll be posting a recipe on Friday!

i missed the hollywood market on sunday. going to highland park's today!

The Atwater Village farmer's market is really good too!! You can visit the South Central Farmer's Cooperative booth for more info about their CSA. I got a GIANT box of seasonal veggies for $15 bucks!

Hi, these are yo choy rather than Chinese broccoli or Kai lan (Chinese broccoli in Cantonese). Yo choy is part of the Brassicaceae family. Yo choy is very tender and tasty. It doesn't grow bitter even when it is flowered.

While the Europeans cultivate sugar beets on fallow land, in some Asian region, people cultivate yo choy on fallow land. Please follow the link to see a filed of yo choy blossom, http://images.google.com.hk/images?hl=zh-TW&q=%E6%B2%B9%E8%8F%9C%E8%8A%B1%E7%94%B0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi