eggs

Find natural, local, pastured chickens and eggs at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market. Descanso Valley Ranch is home to birds that meet the prestigious French label rouge standards for quality - you’ll definitely notice the deeper, richer flavor of the meat. Roast it simply with salt, pepper, and fresh savory herbs from JR Organics, or make a big batch of chicken soup - you don’t have to wait ‘til you catch a cold to enjoy it!

The hens at Paradise Valley Ranch roam the avocado orchards by day and enjoy a diet of grass, bugs, and the occasional fallen fruit while they simultaneously provide natural fertilizer to the trees. Their eggs have sunny golden yolks and an incomparable taste. Combine them with persimmons from Smit Orchards or Gilbert Quintos Farm and a country French loaf from Belen Bakery in this amazing persimmon bread pudding.

Happy hens lay great eggs!

Late summer brings Reed avocados to the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market in addition to the year-round Hass avocados. What’s the difference? Reeds are the largest commercially grown variety, have a round shape, and their skin remains bright green when ripe, while Hass avocados are smaller, pear shaped, and typically turn dark, almost black, when ripe.

Reeds aren’t often seen in grocery stores because they are thin skinned and difficult to transport, but many avocado lovers find their rich, buttery flavor to be well worth the extra effort to seek them out at the farmers’ market; visit Paradise Valley Ranch, John Gilruth, Gilbert Quintos and R&L Farms to find avocados this Tuesday.

How do you eat your avocados? We chop 'em and toss 'em on scrambled Descanso Valley Ranch eggs and blend them in our morning smoothie with Pacific Beach Peanut Butter, spinach from J.R. Organics and strawberries from Rodney Kawano Farm (believe us, it's good!). Find more fun ideas for the abundance of avocados at the market here. 

We avo everything you Reed!

LIFE’S A  PEACH
The season’s first white and yellow peaches from Smit Orchards and Lone Oak Ranch sweeten up the Pacific Beach Farmers’ Market this Tuesday. Fresh, juicy peaches are perfect on their own, or sliced and tossed with strawberries from Kawano Farms, blueberries from Smit Orchards and tangelos from John Gilruth.

Peaches are a grill’s best friend; if you’re firing up the barbecue tonight, start your dinner with this grilled peach and avocado salad with hass avocados from Mexico Lindo. We couldn't believe what grilling adds to peaches and avocados. Grab some early season tomatoes from JR Organics, thyme from Suzie’s, fresh goat cheese from Nicolau Farms and citrus balsamic vinaigrette from Bistro Blends for this peach and heirloom tomato salad.  For a unique and refreshing summer sipper, pick up lavander from Gilbert Quintos and honey from Mikolich for peach-lavander agua frescas.  

Have a little more experience in the kitchen? Finish dinner with a flourish by bringing home pastured eggs from Paradise Valley for this sabayon with balsamic peaches.  We’ll see you at the Pacific Peach Tuesday Farmers’ Market!

Visit Gilbert Quintos farm at the North Park Farmers’ Market for fresh nopales, the tender, edible shoots of the nopal cactus that are also known as prickly pear.  Look for flat green pads about the size of your hand, and be careful; the sharp spines may still be attached!  If they are, use a vegetable peeler to remove them. Then brush them with a little olive oil and throw them on the  grill, about five minutes on each side; enjoy them in a taco with grilled green onions from Kawano Farm, or serve them with a grass fed strip steak from DaLe Ranch.  

To enjoy nopales in a salad or scrambled into farm fresh eggs form Paradise Valley Ranch, first cut them into strips, cook them in simmering water for about twenty minutes and allow them to cool. They have a little of the slimy quality of okra, so you may want to rinse and add fresh salted water halfway through. Then toss them with any of your favorite vegetables like radishes and tomatoes, from JR Organics or Valdivia Farms, and top with a sliced avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime. Pick up sweet potatoes from Proios Farm and try this lovely salad. Say yes to nopales this Thursday!

CORN AGAIN!

Farmer Rodney Kawano is bringing the season’s first fresh, sweet summer corn from the Imperial Valley to the Pacific Beach Farmers’ Market this Tuesday.  Toss a few ears on the grill and slather them with butter from Springhill Cheese Company for a hot summer snack.  Slice off the kernels, blend them with a little soup stock and serve chilled for a cool corn soup; garnish with sprigs of fresh basil from Suzie’s Farm.  Sautee sweet corn in Hot Bistro Oil from Bistro Blends and add a handful of chopped epazote from Gilbert Quintos for a sizzling side dish.  Mix corn with cilantro, green onion and Anaheim chiles from JR Organics for a sweet and spicy salsa.  Pick up pastured eggs from Paradise Valley and organic cheddar cheese from Springhill for this fantastic corn pudding, or grab avocados from John Gilruth and tomatoes from JR for this avocado and grilled corn salad.  Let us know what you like to do with fresh California grown corn, we’d love to hear your suggestions - in fact, we’re all ears!

FILL YOUR EASTER BASKET
You’ll find everything you need for a magnificent Easter brunch or dinner at the Little Italy Mercato this Saturday. Begin with an appetizer of grilled asparagus from Suncoast Farms topped with a perfectly poached quail egg from Spur Valley Ranch, and a salad of Sage Mountain Farm’s organic greens, just picked strawberries from Kawano Farms and Nicolau Farm’s fresh chevre. Fill the bread basket with fresh-baked hot cross buns from Bread and Cie or Belen Bakery, brioche from Patisserie Soleil and croissants from Loic Patisserie.

Pick up potted basil, mint and parsley from Rivera’s Treasure Garden to make a super fresh salsa verde to spoon over grass fed lamb chops from Son Rise Ranch. Bring home honey from Mikolich to thicken a Lone Oak Ranch pomegranate juice glaze for a locally raised ham from DaLe Ranch. Polito Farms has tiny potatoes to roast alongside.

Paradise Valley Ranch has beautiful hand woven Easter baskets and they've already hard-boiled your eggs; the various breeds of hens there and at Schaner Farms means pretty colored eggs so there's no need for dye!  Or pick up a Wheat Grass basket from Suzie's Farm.

Buy a box of Caxao Chocolates' exquisite truffles, and add treasures like lavender sachets from Keys Creek or colorful toys from Casa Artelexia to make baskets for all ages.  Don’t forget flowers to give your table a special touch - JR Organics and Maldonado Growers have beautiful Calla Lilies and Hidalgo Flowers and Dram and Echter have gorgeous  bouquets ready to grab. Hoppy Easter to all!

LIGHTEN UP!
We all know that Thanksgiving is about taking time to acknowledge gratitude for family and friends, the relative comfort and safety we live in, and our many other blessings. Just looking around the Little Italy Mercato makes us thankful for harvest abundance.

So why does the holiday so often seem tied to gluttony? If you've overeaten this week, you're not alone. But it's simple to tip the scales back by lightening up for the next few days. Visiting relatives are probably tired of hanging around your house by now, not that that's bothering you. So a trip to the farmers' market on Saturday will be a great way to get some fresh air, enjoy the live music and the charms of Little Italy, and shop for the ingredients to get your eating back on track.

Pick up a jug of Green Fix and sip a fresh green smoothie for breakfast. Use those turkey leftovers to make a Cobb Salad for lunch, with hard-boiled farm fresh eggs and avocado from Paradise Valley Ranch on a bed of leafy greens and tomatoes from JR Organics and a light and creamy dressing made with Springhill farms quark. Grill a piece of Poppa's Fresh Fish for dinner, with some steamed baby potatoes from Sage Mountain Farm and new cauliflower from Suzie's Farm or broccoli from Suncoast Farms. See? All back in balance.

PACK IN THE PROTEIN

Ever wonder if the food you eat gives you enough of that prized possession, protein? You've got options folks! The Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market has all of them stacked and ready to go so you can pack your meals with a protein punch.

If you're feeling carnivorous, try out a delicious rainbow sushi roll or pick up a filet of just caught fish from Miss Sushi. Maybe meat isn't in your diet? Make a fresh summer salad with lima beans and corn and cilantro, topped with shaved broccoli stems from Maciel and Family. How about snacking on a handful of raw almonds from Hopkins AG to carry you through your day, or try adding fresh walnuts from Nicolau Farm to a pile of Suzie's fresh arugula and roasted beets. There's always your traditional on-the-go meal by smearing some cinnamon infused peanut butter from PB Peanut Butter all over a toasted slice of sunflower flaxseed multigrain baked by Belen Bread. Give your breakfast a boost and smother a good helping of Bitchin' Sauce's pesto over poached eggs and avocado slices from Paradise Valley Ranch or dip fresh carrots and cucumbers from Suzie's Farm in Majestic Garlic's rich, vegan curry hummus. However you do it, you're sure to feel good eating straight from the market! 

LUNCH IS IN THE BAG

This year when you send your kids back to school why not think outside the lunch box!  The North Park Farmers market has tons of stuff to replace the usual lunchables.  Make lunch better with fruit kabobs, made with Smit Orchards grapes & apples with chunks of Springhill white cheddar.  Pack up some JR Organics carrots, cucumbers, celery with some hummus from Majestic Garlic and your kids won't be trading their sack.  A  vegetable frittata made from Paradise Valley eggs, even when cold, never gets old.  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which includes Pacific Beach Peanut Butter and Belen bread, will definitely fill the lunch niche!   Replace the peanut butter with a spreadable Nicolau Farms chevre and you'll have a sandwich like no other.   No kid will ever tire of a pasta salad, made from Lisko's fresh pasta, their favorite steamed veggies, and tossed with olive oil by Thyme of Essence.  Get adventuresome and pack some almonds from Hopkins Ag or Suzie's steamed beets instead of other treats. Safari Crunch Granola and raisins from R&L  will add some punch to any yogurt lunch.   Now you got the hang of it, ready, set, go to the North Park Farmers market and make a healthy lunch!

There’s a movement going on, getting people to give up meat one day a week and it’s called Meatless Mondays. The overall goal is to reduce meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of the planet by decreasing some health risks and reducing your carbon footprint. And now that the biggest grilling holiday is over it’s the perfect time to embrace the change and do your body and Earth good.

Luckily shopping at the North Park Farmers' Market hardly limits you and may even inspire new menu ideas. How about fresh corn chowder using corn from Kawano Farms, first of the season Stupice tomatoes from Suzie’s Farm and spring onions from JR Organics? Stir-fry is always a solid way to bring a ton of vegetables into a meal, and our farmers hasve so many gorgeous  vegetables right now it’s hard to choose just which ones to use. Or build your own frittata starting with eggs from Paradise Valley Ranch.

It’s only one day a week – heck it doesn’t have to be Monday, Monday just has a nice ring to it – but oh what a difference it can make!