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!
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.
Okra:
Okra season is upon us! 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.
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.
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! (@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! 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! 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.
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!
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! 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.
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(!). 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.
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.