It’s easy to see why. The ocean and the pier make a great backdrop for tables of tempting foods and hand made arts and crafts. Spend the afternoon shopping and then finish with a sunset on the pier.

Sponsored by the Orange County Farm Bureau, shoppers will find certified farm fresh, California grown produce, with a nice selection of fruits, breads, nuts, vegetables and specialty foods. I found myself lingering over fat cheese and jalapeno loaves of bread and then moving on to the gorgeous flats of strawberries, peppers, eggplant and green onions.

You’ll also find apples, oranges, lettuce, nuts, beef jerky, grapefruit, pastries, seasonal fruits, fresh cut flowers, flowers potted in dirt, and much more.

The Art-A-faire, with 50 some vendors, combines a nice mix of gifts, jewelry, clothing, rugs, artwork, plaques, and home decor to browse and choose from. If you’re a sports or college fan look for the quilt/blankets made for all colleges and sports teams. The same supplier makes memory quilts and T shirt quilts.

Also, there’s a nice selection of photography, paintings, surfboards, art, shell items, real shark planters. unique ceramic vases, crocheted and knit gifts, fleece blankets, embroidered ‘paintings, and turquoise jewelry.

Weekend Dates: Art-A-Faire will also be on the Pier

• September 4^th-6^th
• October 9^th-10^th
• November 26^th-28^th
• December 11^th-12^th and 18^th-19^th.

Farmers Market and Art A-faire are open from noon until dusk. Admission is free.

Parking: Located on the ocean side of Pacific Coast Highway near the base of the North side of the pier at the intersection of Main Street, the closest parking is at the Pier Plaza outdoor parking lot. There is also metered street and beachside parking.

If the ocean water is warm enough, you might even be able to take a dip in the water. How cool is that!
]]> http://www.travelinlocal.com/weekend-starter-on-fridays-the-huntington-beach-pier-has-a-farmers-market-and-art-a-faire/feed/ 0 http://www.travelinlocal.com/travelin-locals-map-of-los-angeles-farmers-markets/ http://www.travelinlocal.com/travelin-locals-map-of-los-angeles-farmers-markets/#comments Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:33:22 +0000 Lisa Newton http://www.travelinlocal.com/?p=18011 Although, I’m not the first person to do map Los Angeles’ Farmers’ Markets; the LATimes also has a map, but I don’t really like theirs. Even though it was done on Google, it’s not embeddable, so the only way anybody can share it is via a link. How yesterday!

So now, with the map below, if you want to share it with a family member, friend, or on your website, all you have to do is to grab the embeddable code and share it with the world.

Starting in the north at Santa Clarita, west to Claremont, east to Agoura Hills, and south to San Pedro, Los Angeles County has a total of 116 Farmers’ Markets. That’s a whole lot of food!

Every day of the week at least one local farmers’ market is open; selling any number of fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade bread, maybe some jams and jellies, plus food and offering for a good time, music. It’s a weekly neighborhood event and many would say ritual, that brings out hundreds, if not thousands of people.

To make it a little easier to find your local market, I tried to insert as many as I could find on this map:

View Los Angeles County Farmers’ Markets in a larger map

Because farmers’ markets are often held on closed streets, parking lots, or even empty lots, the addresses given on the map might not be dead on target, but they’re as close as I could get them. If you know about an individual market not listed here, please let me know. I’ll be more than happy to update it.

Back to Travelin’ Local’s map, in order to find the exact address, telephone number, website, and hours of operation, just click the little green icon. If the information is available, you can easily find it there. Now, I’m sure you already know the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, so I don’t need to go into that.

Plus, the rewards from buying local are also well known, so I don’t need to go into that, either. But, the combination of increased health and bettering the local economy is unbeatable.

So, the next time you want to add a salad with your dinner, think about heading to the local farmers’ market. Your family will thank you, the farmer will thank you, and your local economy will thank you.

I’d like to give a special thanks to Vegetarians in Paradise, who provided most of the information used to create this map.

Hello Travelin’ Local embeddable Farmers Markets; goodbye LATime yesteryear’s attempt at mapping technology.
]]> http://www.travelinlocal.com/travelin-locals-map-of-los-angeles-farmers-markets/feed/ 0 http://www.travelinlocal.com/the-original-farmers-market-celebrates-75-years/ http://www.travelinlocal.com/the-original-farmers-market-celebrates-75-years/#comments Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:16:57 +0000 Lisa Newton http://www.travelinlocal.com/?p=2910 Farmers Market early beginnings were humble to say the least. It originally opened 75 years ago with only 18 farmers, who paid $.50 each to rent space for them to sell their colorful harvests. Farmers Market has currently grown to 85 shops, and employs over 700 people.

It’s not hard to believe—the world famous Farmers Market, is a non-stop hum of activity.

With an average of 3 million visitors each year, Farmers Market is an industrious, busy, and a hopping place to be. Here are some salient and interesting facts:

1. On an average day, Farmers Market visitors purchase more than 1,000 gallons of coffee.

2. Employees in the various Farmers Market shops and restaurants speak over 20 languages for and as they serve their customers and clientele who hail from all parts of the globe.

3. Tusquellas Fish & Oyster Bar sells about 3,000 shrimps every day. Source: Farmers Market History

Farmers Market Celebrates its 75^th Anniversary

Next week, Farmers Market is celebrating its 75 Anniversary and has many festivities planned. Be sure to mark it on your calendar and to-do list! Here are but a few of the activities being planned:

July 14^th – Taste of Farmers

Will be featuring live music from the 30s and 40s, merchandise and food specials, and special ticket prices. Visitors are welcome to stroll the Market as well. The evening starts at 5pm and lasts until 9pm. For more information, visit farmersmarketla.com

July 16^th- 75^th Anniversary Birthday Party

Join marching bands, celebrities, and local dignitaries at the Clock Tower at Farmers Market. It’s commemorating its 75 years at Third & Fairfax. The Opening Ceremonies commence at 8am, and the entertainment and special events start at noon.

Farmers Market Annual Events

In addition to these weeklong special events, Farmers Market is host to many other free year round events:

Free Summer Music Series, May 28 – Sept. 11, 2009

Free Summer Family Fun Series, June – August 2009

Fall Festival, October 16, 17 & 18, 2009

Holiday Festivities, December 2009

Mardi Gras, February 2010

Gilmore Heritage Auto Show , June 2010

How do you get to the Farmers Market via Metro?

You can use the 16/316, 217, or the 218, depending on your starting point.

So the next time you need something to do—and some delicious eats—head over to Farmers Market and enjoy yourself. You’ll then continue the long honored tradition of being a part of Los Angeles history.

As I wrote in yesterday’s blog entry, I’m a big fan of fresh fruits and veggies. Over the years, I tried to get my kids interested in eating them, too, and for the most part, I succeeded.

One way I was able to accomplish this feat was to take them to pick-your-own farms. Living on the East Coast, the season is a little limited, but we managed to find blueberries, apples, strawberries, cherries, and even a few raspberries.

Picking our own was cheaper, but more importantly, by the time we left the farms or orchards, the kids didn’t need any lunch because their stomachs were full of the food we were picking. We’d take our bounty home, and then we’d sometimes freeze it, make pies, or keep it in the basement for as long as possible before spoilage. Often times though, we gave much of it away so it wouldn’t go to waste.

There isn’t anything like the taste of freshly picked food. Even during winter time, we are fortunate here in Southern California, we can patronize the luscious, bountiful, and select harvest of often enough local produce and other foods.

The fresh taste of apples, which still have the leaves attached to the stem, evoke and stir memories of past ventures and wonderful other times I had at other Farmer’s Markets on the other side of the coast.

Here’s a close up view of some of the various food items that were available at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market:

If you enjoy sweet potatoes—especially if you know how to cook a sweet potato pie, there was a stunning display of vegetables for purchase. Sweet potatoes are a good source of Vitamin A, C, B6 and beta carotene.

This was the first time I had seen purple potatoes, so my need to conquer my curiosity was satiated—I went, I found, and I learned more about them.

Potatoes are a good source of complex carbohydrates, potassium, vitamin C, folic acid, and iron; however, colored varieties may contain additional antioxidants.

The oranges on top of the crates were to die for. They were fresh, sweet, and juicy. I bought a bag full and brought them home. I’ll definitely be returning for some more in a couple of weeks. Plus, who can beat the vitamin C in oranges, especially during the flu season?

As I’ll be starting my own herb garden soon this picture from the Farmer’s Market was prescient. There isn’t anything like the taste of fresh herbs added to a rice dish, chicken dish, soup, or pasta.

One more important tidbit about herbs is that they add flavor without adding any calories. So, if you’re interested in adding to the flavors of your next pasta or rice dish, try adding a few herbs instead of butter or oil. You’ll love the taste and your heart will thank you. Here are a few ideas for you to try: Herb & Spice Chart.

Having an indoor garden is possible all year round. If you need or want some help in growing one, this is a good resource to use: How to grow an indoor herb garden.

Its part science, part art, and all fun, when you’re Travelin’ Local to find those neighborhoods to augment and add to your culinary and food palate.

Today was one of those days. Until next time, Bon Appétit.

By closing two city blocks on Arizona between 2^nd and 4^th, vendors from all over Southern California are able to provide the best of their organic fruits and vegetables, range-free bison, fish, honey, fresh flowers, and so much more.

All of the Santa Monica Farmer’s Markets are Certified Farmer’s Markets (CFM), established in 1978, when then-governor Jerry Brown signed legislation known as the Direct Marketing Act, enabling California farmers to sell their own produce directly to consumers at locations designated by the Department of Agriculture.

Currently there are three criteria for CFM’s:

1. They must consist of farmers who possess a current Certified Producer’s Certificate issued to them by their county’s agricultural commissioner.

2. They must be non-profit entities, sponsored by the farmers themselves, a non-profit organization or a municipality

3. All produce and products sold at a California Farmer’s market must be grown or made in California.

These simple guidelines help to ensure that CFMs continue to exist for the benefit of the communities they serve.

Currently, there are over 300 Certified Farmer’s Markets in California.

Looking over the array of food available, I saw varieties of food I’d never seen from purple potatoes to free range eggs to the freshest tasting oranges I’ve eaten.

Today, I was one of the estimated 900,000 visitors the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market receives every year. One of the inherent benefits of living in Southern California is that produce is grown all year round.

The beauty of a farmer’s market is that the food is local, thereby keeping the money spent local, which also lessens its carbon footprint. Currently food travels an average of 1500 miles before it reaches your table. Try this carbon footprint calculator to see how much you and your family contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions. Mine is just average, but I do try to limit my driving, and I buy local whenever I can.

Because I’m going out of town in a few days, I didn’t purchase too much; just a few oranges, apples, and honey. I love fresh honey in my tea. Next time I go, I’ll have a total menu planned so I’ll then be able to share the recipes and dishes with you. I love cooking, especially veggies.

Speaking of veggies, I took some great pictures of the fruits and veggies at the market, but there are too many for this post, so tomorrow, I’ll put up more pictures from my Valentine’s Day at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, including the myriad of fresh fruits.

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day? With the many sights, sounds, and unique places to spend with your friends, family, and loved ones, it’s fun and easier on the wallet to find the hidden treasures in your hometown.