Civita in Mission Valley Opens Farmers Market

San Diegans, if you've been waiting for the return of a farmers market in Mission Valley, your wait is over. On Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m. you'll find the Mission Valley Farmers Market at Civita Park, just off Mission Center Road, north of Friars Road. The market is being operated by the San Diego Farm Bureau and just opened Oct. 5.

(And, for transparency's sake, you'll notice that they are also now advertisers on San Diego Foodstuff for the next couple of months.)

The market is on a long, easy-to-navigate stretch of pavement in the park. Parking is easy, there are tables if you want to nosh on any of the variety of global dishes sold by vendors. And, when I was there, a clown was ready to face paint and Bruce Gemmell, co-founder and research director of the Art Science Complex held court at a table filled with paper and writing/coloring tools to work with kids and adults on art projects.

But, of course, you want to know about the vendors. According to market managers Tasha Ardalan and Brandon Janiss, there are about three dozen of them--mostly people they work with at the other markets they manage around San Diego County. So, many will be familiar to regular market shoppers, including Da-Le Ranch, Majestic Garlic, Pacifica Culinaria, and Kawano Farms.

I bought some beautiful young broccoli from IRC grower Felicia Venegas. I bought persimmons from Valley Center Growers, which also had some magnificent oranges (and they give huge orange samples, by the way). I had plenty of honey at home, but am eager to return to buy more from Bee Safe Honey, which also does safe and humane bee removal (it's how they get the honey). Need cheese? You'll find it at Thyme of Essence. You can start a succulent garden, or replenish your current one, with beautiful plants from Farmers Nerceri.

Hungry or thirsty from shopping? You can travel the globe along this stretch of market. There's Full Belly Barbecue, SoCal Lemonade, House of Bao, Chilanga with Mexico City street food, Bam! Bun! with Filipino dishes--both traditional, like citrus-infused Chicken Adobo, and vegan, Barbecue Pulled Jack Fruit--and Little Someone Hong Kong Cuisine. Owner Syrus Kwan will make you a Hong Kong-style milk tea made with strong black tea and condensed milk. At Yipao Coffee, you can get free-trade Colombian coffee roasted in San Diego. Aya Cafe makes and sells banana brittle, kale chips, and walnut butter.

Finally, for dessert, stop by Flora Bake Shop with the kids for gorgeously decorated vegan cupcakes baked by owner Camille Dumbrique. Or Donut, Hello's PB&J or S'mores mini donuts.

According to Ardalan, the market is expected to grow as more vendors join the line up. She also noted that if you don't have enough cash to pay vendors, you can stop by the market manager's booth and use your credit or debit card to get market tokens. There is a dollar surcharge.

The official farmers market address is 7964 Civita Blvd.

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Artichokes with Summer Garlic and Tarragon Dipping Sauce

Those who know me know I'm in weight shedding mode. More on that some other time, but it's been, well, an adventure for someone who adores good food, is around it all the time, and writes about it.

And I mean that in a good way for the most part. There's so much delicious food out there--not all made up of lots of carbs and fat--that it's not terribly difficult to find combinations that are both a treat to eat and even, dare I say it, healthy.

It gets even easier as we head into the warm weather months, when gorgeous produce is plentiful. I'm not a vegetarian, but on a sultry evening I appreciate a light, meat-free meal that doesn't require much or any laboring over a stove. And steaming an artichoke only requires work from the stove, not me, so that's just fine. The challenge has been what to dip the leaves in. Melted butter with garlic salt--what I grew up on--is out. Plain yogurt doesn't do it for me. Ah, but yogurt mixed with other flavorful ingredients can be transformed into a rich, velvety dip that doesn't feel at all virtuous.

I've been playing with different ingredients--and different yogurts--and came up with something I keep returning to that has the texture I crave with a garlicky anise-like flavor that feels decadent: Fage 2% Greek Yogurt (very light and almost fluffy; you can go with the nonfat version but for one serving the difference in fat isn't great and the difference in texture and flavor is), light mayonnaise, Majestic Garlic (a local company's paste of organic garlic, safflower oil, organic flax seed oil, omega 3, lemon juice, and sea salt), Meyer lemon juice, chopped tarragon, and a little salt and pepper. If you can't find Majestic Garlic, raw minced garlic and a little olive oil will do fine.

To prepare the artichoke, just slice off the first half inch or so of the top and trim both the tips of the leaves and the stem (be sure to peel and cook the stem; it's as tender and sweet as the heart). Place the artichoke in a large pot and fill with cold water to cover. Cover and bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke. It's fully cooked when you can easily slide a fork into the bottom of the choke. Drain and serve with the dip and some crusty sourdough bread.

Summer Garlic and Tarragon Dipping Sauce
2 servings (if you're generous)

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/3 cup low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon Majestic Garlic (found at San Diego farmers markets)
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together ingredients and chill for an hour before serving.

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Isn't it Grand: The Escondido Farmers Market

I admit it. I just don't go up to North County all that often, or at least as often as I should. But I've reconnected with a cousin who lives in Escondido and she finally convinced me to come up on Cinco de Mayo to go with her and her husband to their farmers market.

Of course, I couldn't refuse. And, as it turned out, a friend of mine was there as well.

The market is held year-round on Tuesday afternoons in downtown Escondido on Grand Ave. on the block between Kalmia and Juniper. Here I found a lot of familiar folks -- Majestic Garlic, George Petrou, J. R. Organics and Smit Orchards. But, there were some stand-out folks I hadn't met and items that were either irresistibly gorgeous or that I hadn't seen before. So, I'll share:

In the irresistibly gorgeous category was the produce of The Morning Star Ranch from Valley Center. I don't think I've ever seen Swiss chard or carrots or lettuce quite so stunning. "We grow with love," said the gentleman in the booth. And, they welcome visitors to the ranch.


Now, if you can't make it up to Escondido, no worries. They also have a stand at the Ocean Beach farmers market on Wednesday afternoons.

Also in the gorgeous produce category were the offering of J. R. Organics. I've seen them at the La Jolla farmers market and love their radishes and carrots. They had plenty of them available at the Escondido market.


But, I also found some lovely spring onions and also bought a big red head of butter lettuce.


Now, we tend to gravitate to the beautiful and produce is no exception. But sometimes it should be. The best apples tend to be the homely ones and sometimes you have to be a little forgiving aesthetically with other produce. I found these small -- not really baby -- purple artichokes and bought half a dozen. They weren't the prettiest around but they were delicious.


I basically just trimmed them, cut them in quarters and put them in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Then I drained them, tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees. While they were cooking I put several ounces of rotini pasta in the artichoke water and made a little dressing with olive oil, minced green garlic, lemon juice and minced anchovies. I toasted some pine nuts, shaved some Parmigiano Reggiano and when everything was cooked, put it all together for a lovely dinner -- actually, it ended up being enough for dinner and lunch a day later. Not bad for two bucks.


On the south side of the market, look for Valley Center's Behneman Family Farms' citrus and avocados. I bought several avocados for a ridiculous price. And, not just Hass avocados but a variety called Zutano, which are the first of the season. They have a bigger seed than Hass with a shiny yellow-green skin. They're very buttery and tasty. Because of the thin skin, they don't travel well, so if you want to try something a little different, you'll have to seek these out at the farmers market.

I also bought a bag of delicious tangelos from them, which I turned into Mother's Day marmalade gifts (thank you Ina Garten for writing completely reliable, delicious recipes. This was from her Barefoot Contessa at Home book).




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Food and Respecting the Body

I'm sure I'm not the only one who keeps getting questioned about New Year's resolutions. I hate them, to be honest, so I like the response Will Shortz gave Liane Hanson this morning on NPR's Morning Edition Sunday. He doesn't do them because he can improve himself year round.

But, of course, after weeks of indulging over the holidays it's time to recalibrate the eating impulses, get back to exercising and create a little more balance between the two. As a friend of mine said to me at lunch last week, she's not interested in dieting but in respecting her body. I love that approach. And, actually, throughout these weeks I tried to create some healthful meals to keep me from going completely over the edge and I also sought some ways to insert some extra nutrients into dishes I already enjoy.

One of the easiest ways to do this in cold weather is through soups. The tendency, of course, is to go for hearty, heavy, meaty soups, but one of my favorites, along with roasted squash soup, is red pepper soup. The recipe is something I rediscovered in a book I've had for about 25 years, "Martha Stewart's Quick Cook." The book dates back to before Martha Stewart was an empire and household name. But, it holds up and the soup is one I used to make with friends I cooked with in L.A. It's creamy but there's no cream involved; in fact, this is a very healthy soup but packed with flavor. And very easy to make. It actually was the perfect solution for me to make use of the half dozen gorgeous red, orange and yellow peppers my mom gave me after a trip to Costco.


The recipe calls for butter but you can easily skip that and just add more olive oil. I, of course, also add several more cloves of garlic. I also skipped step 4 and simply used a jar of roasted red peppers I had bought at Trader Joe's.

Red Pepper Soup
from Martha Stewart's Quick Cook

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
8 red peppers
3 carrots, peeled
3 shallots, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 pear, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 quart chicken stock
1 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Sprigs of fresh tarragon to taste

1. Slice thinly 6 of the peppers, the carrots, shallots, garlic, and pear.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet and saute the sliced vegetables and pear over medium-low heat until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.



3. Add the stock, dried red pepper, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes.


4. While the soup is cooking, roast the remaining red peppers directly on the gas flame (or under a hot broiler), rotating them with tongs until completely charred. Put them in a paper bag for 5 minutes to sweat. Wash off the blackened skin under cold running water and remove seeds. Drain on paper towels.
5. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender, adding one of the roasted red peppers. Pour the pureed soup back into the pan and reheat over low flame. (Note, I used my KitchenAid immersion blender instead, directly in the pot of soup. No muss; no fuss.)
6. Julienne the remaining red pepper into fine strips and add them to the soup. Garnish with tarragon and serve with French bread. (Note: As you can see, I left out the tarragon, opting instead for a dollop of low-fat soup cream.)


I'm also incorporating some interesting products into my dishes that give an extra punch of nutrition.

Bob's Red Mill has several interesting products. For awhile now I've been adding their flaxseed to cereal, soups, stews, salads and bread. They're a great source of protein, fiber and minerals like magnesium and copper. They have a new product, hulled hemp seed, which looks similar to sesame seeds, has no discernable flavor and yet apparently contains all 20 known amino acids, is high in protein and contains Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids.


I've been adding it to oatmeal, yogurt and tossing it on salads. Bob's Red Mill also introduced a hemp protein powder, but I haven't tried that yet since it's been too chilly for me to enjoy smoothies or shakes.

To add flavor to dishes without much fat, I've long been enjoying Majestic Garlic's line of spreads. I've written about them before, but it's a favorite of mine that you can find at various local farmers markets.


It's great in baked potatoes, with a vegetable saute, tossed with pasta, spread on toasted bread (and eaten with the red pepper soup above), even incorporated with scrambled eggs. In short, it's very versatile and delicious.

As I think about it, I'll add more suggestions, including interesting things I find at the markets that you might not have considered. The idea, of course, is not to diet but to enjoy really good food that's also good for you.

Happy New Year!

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Big Momma Market: The Hillcrest Farmers Market

Last week, KPBS radio's These Days had a discussion about buying local food and people were calling in, usually prefacing their remarks with "I go every Sunday morning to the Hillcrest farmers market." Even a woman from Scripps Ranch, which has its own Saturday market... Go figure. But the Hillcrest farmers market is a special place. I used to go almost every Sunday myself when I lived in Hillcrest, but since I'm in Tierrasanta now I tend to go there on Thursday afternoons. So, it had been awhile since I'd been by and thought it would be fun to see what's new.

I'd forgotten just how huge it is. Like the La Jolla and Ocean Beach markets, it's packed with all sorts of vendors and feels like a big festival. Many of the folks I'm used to seeing around town are there--among them, Baba Foods, Majestic Garlic, Smit Orchards, Gourmet European Pastries and Lisko Imports, Jackie's Jams and Creekside Tropicals.

Because of that, I'm not going to go through everything I saw. Stone fruit are front and center still this week, as are tomatoes, squash and avocadoes. What I will do is show you some things that caught my eye.

Like the produce at Valdivia Farms. I love their tomatoes, particularly their heirloom tomatoes. Today, they were overflowing.



But, they also had a box of sweet little baby corn.



I bought half a dozen and then spent awhile back at home trying to decide what to do with them. Regardless of how large the packaging is -- and some of these, as you can see, were seven or eight inches with lots of silk -- once you peel away the husk and silk, it still is a petite three inches or so.



Do I stir fry them with other veggies? Marinate them in herbed garlic oil and then grill them to serve as appetizers? Chop them and add to pasta? Eat them raw, dipped in chili sauce?

Raw won for one of them. This is not the same baby corn you get in the can. Straight from the husk, it was sweet and just a little crispy. The chili garlic sauce was a nice complement. As for the other five, I'm going to add them to pasta with the chopped heirloom tomatoes I bought from Valdivia, sweet basil and lemon thyme from my garden, a teaspoon of Majestic Garlic spread, olive oil and thin slices of Parmigiano Reggiano. Perfect for a sultry Sunday night meal.

The tomatoes. Aren't they amazing? Some of the heirloom tomatoes were so dark, they looked like fat purple plums. But they weren't the only ones to catch my eye. There were hefty globes in red, green and yellow. The green are perfect, of course, for frying. The yellow ones are fun to incorporate in a salad or sliced to make a sandwich with mozzarella, basil leaves and a homemade vinaigrette. They're sweet, juicy, meaty (yes, I ate one this afternoon with just a little bit of sea salt sprinkled on it). It is high season for these magnificent fruits. Buy them and enjoy them while they're looking so good.


Mountain Meadow Mushrooms of Escondido had a booth offering a smorgasbord of fungi. There were hamburger patty-size Portabellos and dark shitakes, big stemmed trumpets and little wild Maritakes, criminis and your basic white mushroom. I liked the baskets that offered a variety.


I walked past stalls filled with fresh herbs, including one that had such a beautiful display that one customer was creating a bouquet. I would have bought some myself, except that I grow them at home.


I was astounded, though, by the large display of one of my very favorite fruits, passion fruit, which I discovered on a trip to Australia years and years ago. These egg-shaped fruits are the ugliest little things when fully ripe, but what's inside is a bright yellow-orange magical liqueur that is sweet and tart. I am happiest simply scooping up the liquid in a spoon and eating it, but drizzle it over French vanilla ice cream, add to a smoothie or incorporate it into a sauce.


Unfortunately, I couldn't buy any because I had run out of cash. And, here's my suggestion to the managers of any of these markets--invest in an EBT machine so people can use a debit card to get cash or tokens that vendors can cash in at the end of the market. As a customer, I find it's just too hard to anticipate how much I'll want to buy or what it'll cost. And, it may encourage customers like me to buy more.

The Hillcrest farmers market is held every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 3960 Normal Street at Lincoln, adjacent to the DMV.

Have some thoughts about the Hillcrest farmers market or other markets in San Diego? Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:



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Out of the Water and Enjoying the Breeze: The Delights of the Air-Chilled Chicken

Americans love their chicken. According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, in 2006, the average person consumed 88.2 pounds of chicken. To keep our appetites sated, there are some 200 chicken processing plants in the U.S. slaughtering and prepping chicken for consumption.

But, are we enjoying it? There’s a reason why so often you hear a comparison between the flavor of most every out-of-the-ordinary animal and chicken. Rattlesnake? Tastes like chicken. Rabbit? Tastes like chicken. Frog legs? The same. How can that be? Well, unfortunately, most mass-produced chicken has no flavor. It’s often just a bland delivery vehicle for the gorgeous, rich marinade or the barbecue sauce it carries. When something tastes like nothing, it apparently tastes like everything.

I’ve been trying to remedy that in my own household by buying organic chicken. Trying because I still haven’t felt the love. I’ll do a simple roasted chicken with salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and… nothing. It tastes fine, but it’s nothing special. However, on Monday afternoon I was on my way back to my parents’ house with my mom and niece and my mom wanted us to make a quick stop at Bristol Farms to pick up some lemon sorbet. I decided as long as I was there to buy chicken for myself for dinner and got a couple of air-chilled whole legs.

I finally felt the love. All I did was thin a couple of tablespoons of Majestic Garlic’s sun-dried tomato/jalapeño blend with a little olive oil and spread it over the legs and thighs. Then I roasted them at 375 degrees for about an hour. What came out of the oven was a gorgeous red-toned chicken with crispy skin and tender, juicy, FLAVORFUL meat. It tasted like something. It tasted like chicken.

So, I thought I’d find out a little more about air-chilled processing compared to conventional processing.

Since the mid-1990’s after some major E.coli and salmonella scares, the USDA required that the carcass temperature of chickens be lowered within four hours after slaughtering to at least 40 degrees to retard bacteria growth. Processors have preferred to do this through immersion chilling, soaking the chickens en masse in a communal vat of chlorinated ice water for about an hour.

Now, the problem with this is that, depending on which study you read, the chickens may absorb anywhere from two to 12 percent of their body weight in added water which weeps out of the meat. That’s the liquid you find in fresh chicken packaging at the grocery store. And, you’re paying for that extra weight.

Air-chilling is done by only a handful of plants in the U.S., although it’s a technique that’s been around for about 20 years in Europe. Air chilling involves spraying the chickens inside and out after slaughtering with chlorinated water, and then moving them one by one along a track through chambers where they’re misted with cold air. It takes about two-and-a-half to three hours before they’re fully chilled.

MBA Smart Chicken of Nebraska was the first in the U.S. to air chill chickens, and that was 10 years ago. Two years ago, Pitman Farms of Fresno became the first on the West Coast. Another processor, Bell & Evans, claims it has an air chill system with a single chilling line that prevents cross contamination from birds on higher racks dripping on those underneath.

So, what are the benefits to air chilling chickens? Supporters claim that the slow chill process, which gets their birds to under 35 degrees, tenderizes the meat and that the chickens’ natural juices are not diluted in or replaced by the water in a conventional water chiller.

Food scientist Harold McGee has said that it makes the chicken taste more “chickeny” because the bird absorbs less liquid, leaving the real flavor of the chicken undiluted. Based on my Monday night experience, I agree.

It also produces a higher cooked-meat yield than immersed chickens because the immersed meat absorbs more water, which then cooks out. And, air chilling contributes to crispier cooked skin.

Air chilling also saves tens of thousands of gallons of water a day. USDA researchers say it takes an average of seven gallons of water to process a chicken through immersion processing and estimate that air chilling would save a minimum of half a gallon of water for each bird processed—not bad in drought areas. They estimate that processors could save about 4.5 billion gallons of water a year if all nine million birds processed annually in the U.S. were air chilled. (However, air chilling takes longer than immersion chilling so more energy is expended on air chilling.) Another sustainable benefit is being promoted by Bell & Evans. They says that since chickens aren’t weeping liquid, the company can use recyclable and reusable shipping containers.

As for the chlorine, the fact of the matter is that chemical disinfectants are have long been popular way to disinfect food products, and chlorine is used about 80 percent of the time. But the amount is limited to 50 ounces per 7,800 gallons of water. So, it shouldn’t be detectable to consumers, particularly after cooking. Chlorine is also used in treatment of other food products like seafood and produce.

Locally, air-chilled chickens are sold at Jonathans, Harvest Ranch, Whole Foods and Bristol Farms. Chickens sold by the latter are also anti-biotic and hormone free and free-ranging. Robert Whitley tells me he buys air-chilled chickens at Costco.

And, a note to Lou, The Gourmet Club’s wonderful engineer and rabid foodie, who asked me about Blue Foot chickens. Lou, these are an American variety of the French chicken breed, Poulet de Bresse, which is the only chicken to receive its own AOC, or Appellation d’origine contrôlée, which translates as “controlled term of origin.” It’s the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications (GI) for wines, cheeses, butters and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government's Institut National des Appellations d'Origine.

This is an elite chicken, selling at about 10 times the usual price of most other chicken. And it’s almost always sold—and served—with the head and feet still attached. That’s because it has a gorgeous red comb and white feathers, and it has unique steel-blue feet. It’s slaughtered later than usual chicken and it, too, is air-chilled, both of which apparently give it a stronger flavor and texture.

You can buy Blue Foot chicken through D’Artagnan.com and at Exotic Meats. And, yes, you’re right if you think you saw these chickens featured as the secret ingredient on Iron Chef America. There was a Battle Blue Foot Chicken on Iron Chef America in 2007 with Bobby Flay going against Jeffrey Ford.

And, here’s a link to a delicious sounding recipe at Food & Wine.com for Roasted Blue Foot Chickens with Glazed Parsnips and Carrots. And, if you are just mad about chickens, check out chickencrossing.org.

Have some thoughts about air-chilled chickens, Blue Foot chickens or markets in San Diego? Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:

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Scripps Ranch Farmers Market: The 'Burbs Go Organic

I give the market manager for Scripps Ranch Farmers Market credit. She often sends me interesting press releases detailing what's happening at their Saturday morning food fest. It's about 10 miles north of me but I hadn't been over there and was feeling guilty about it, so I met my friend Gayle there yesterday.

This is a locals market. Not that big. Not the swinging event that is OB, La Jolla or Hillcrest. It has a kids zone but there's not a ton of food or farmers. In short, it's kind of modest -- very much like my local Tierrasanta Farmers Market.

But, even with the heat and humidity, Gayle and I had a good time seeing what the vendors had, which included some wonderful jewelry and bags. I loved the produce--the sweet and juicy peaches, plums and nectarines, the creamy avocados and the pile of enormous heads of garlic. I picked up some beautiful green beans, tomatoes and fat Japanese eggplant. Gayle bought some flowers.


Baba Foods was there selling their tempting Middle Eastern products like flavored pita chips, hummus and baba ganoush. Belen Artisan Bakers of Escondido was there with breads and croissants. And, one of my favorite vendors, Majestic Garlic, was there. I've been enjoying their products for about a year. They make a vegan garlic paste in a variety of flavors and I've been working my way through them as I discover new ways to use it. This time, I replenished my "original" stock (just the garlic) and picked up the cayenne and the cumin. (In the past I've enjoyed the jalapeno and the sun-dried tomato/jalapeno.)


The original is obviously the most versatile and makes a tasty substitute for mayo on a sandwich and is great for layering flavors in a sauce for fish or chicken or even spread on a bagel. (I know, Nana, heresy!) The other flavors are equally wonderful for these but can also be used mixed in pasta, as a veggie dip or added to soup. In fact, the company's website has a host of ideas and some recipes.

Yesterday, Vinnie Abden--the owner--was encouraging me to melt a teaspoon or so of the cayenne flavor in a skillet (it does contain both flaxseed and canola oil) and then scramble eggs in it. That's what I did this morning with the addition of diced red onion that I sauteed in it first. The spread gave this lovely heat and garlic flavor but wasn't over the top. Vinnie also had me try the cumin, insisting that it tasted like hummus. I'd just had a sample of the cayenne and so I didn't get it, although Gayle did. But I took some home and sure enough, on a neutral palate, the cumin tastes remarkably like hummus. So, try it on pita or as a dip with raw veggies.

There was one very intriguing new vendor--at least, new to me. This is an outfit called Wildtree, which sells grapeseed oil and other related products like seasoning blends to be added to the oil, as well as natural soups and stew mixes, salsas, dressings, marinades and sauces, and bread, pancake and crepe mixes.


Their hook is that the founder--Leslie Montie--wanted to create nutritious, delicious, unprocessed food products because her kids had dietary restrictions. I tried the basil pesto blend, the garlic and herb blend and natural butter flavor grapeseed oil, as well as the Asian Ginger Plum dressing. And, yes, all were delicious, but I did find them very pricey.

While I wouldn't recommend the market as a real destination for people outside of the area since it still has some growing to do, it's a lovely place for folks in the neighborhood to bring the kids and the dogs and pick up some nice produce, flowers and other items, as well as fun crafts and jewelry. Indeed, the more people in the community support these markets, the larger and more diverse they'll grow as other vendors decide it's worth participating. So, Scripps Ranch and Poway residents, get on over there!

The Scripps Ranch Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at E.B. Scripps Elementary School on 10380 Spring Canyon Road at Scripps Poway Parkway.


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