I'm in Los Angeles for almost three weeks and kicked it off yesterday with a visit to the venerable Hollywood Farmers' Market.
Amid chilly rain (I came here to get away from the cold) and drama (a cross-dressed man drove a car into the market crowd, luckily there were no major injuries) I walked the four long arms of the market and had my usual "why don't I live here?" moments. Despite my fifth-generation native Southern Californian status, I still romp the market with the curiosity and enthusiasm of a first-time tourist, chatting up the farmers and filling up my basket.
And to think of the state of the markets back in New York...
Our beloved Union Square Greenmarket is sparse this time of year, selling mostly cellared root vegetables, apples and pears way past their peak, some pretzels, a few skeins of expensive lamb's wool and some nice dairy and meat products, but the Hollywood Farmers' Market was bursting with mid-winter life:
Baby purple, green and Napa cabbages, baseball-size eggplant, proud pencil-thin asparagus, vibrant birds of paradise, Nopal cactus, baby tri-color potatoes spilled out like jewels on the table, incredible strawberries, countless varieties of citrus, $1 almost-ripe avocados, $2 oysters shucked on the spot for breakfast or to take home, and even a balloon man.
Local avocados and oysters slurped down for breakfast are enough to make me consider a move west.
While sunshine in the middle of winter is nice, we need the rain pretty darned bad. On a different note, I'm definitely cooking cabbage for dinner tonight. Stir fried until it's nice and soft with an egg and hoisan and served over rice. Yum!
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
ooooh! the oyster vendor is my fav @ the hollywood farmers' market!!
view sophisticatedsoul's profile
These photos make me miss southern california. I live in Oklahoma and getting good produce it still tough. I miss buying good nopales.
view Benny's Dad's profile
HFM is my church.
view EasilyAmused's profile
Welcome to LA. I go to the Hollywood Farmers Market every week and blog some little something I picked up there. My blog is http://www.SippitySup.com. I was there on the chilly Sunday you desribed. You should of said hi!
I got caught in the rain, that was a bummer. But I came home with some nice Maui onions. If you go this Sunday, look for me. I am the bleary eyed guy with a bagful of fresh veggies perpetually in line at the pupusa stand! GREG
view SippitySup's profile
Beautiful photos! I love farmers markets away from home too. I recommend the Missoula, Montana market.
But don't knock the Green Market in Union Square, at least it's open year round. Here in the Boston area we have no such luck with our farmers' markets.
view Charlotte's profile