CARMEL BY THE SEA CERTIFIED FARMERS MARKET

I hear about a Farmer’s Market held on Thursdays. It is in the parking lot of The Sunset Theater and only 3 blocks from my house.

I grab my camera and get there as vendors are setting up.

My first stop is  Rodriguez Ranch – Home

What beautiful produce

Radishes

Broccoli

Berries

Cantaloupe

Squash

Peppers 

The smell of the peaches

is all it takes to send me back home for money and a shopping bag.

If I had known what was here, I would have brought 2 bags like this shopper,

or even a rolling tote. This woman knows her way around a farmer’s market.

Next up is  ApricotKing :: Dried California Blenheim Apricots, Organic Certified. The jam is fab.

One of the delightful things about this is chatting with the farmers. 

For instance, I learn that they have been in business since 1926.

Gary Gonzales does the farming, Patti, his wife, does the book work, Grandpa Frank does the never-out-of–retirement-Ramrodding, and the kids do the packaging and labeling.

One of my favorite stalls is  Phil Rhodes Family Farms – Real Time Farms  

Phil Rhodes Family Farms is in Visalia where they grow onions, five varieties of eggplants, and Hungarian sweet peppers. They also grow grapes, pluots, Asian pears,

nectarines,

plums, crimson grapes and brown turkey figs.

The signs are great. Such as the “WOW”tomatoes.

One woman is scooping up handfuls so I ask if they are WOW. She guarantees it and says she will eat them like candy all the way home. That does it , I try one. This is not false advertising. 

Serendipity Farms – Selling certified organic vegetables&flowers knows how to market for visual appeal. 

Baskets are overflowing with freshly harvested beans

New potatoes

Squash

And Avocados

 At J&J Ramos Farms 

I get cling peaches,

And tomatoes 

for BLT’s

They are suppliers of peaches for Del Monte. They have so many varieties of yellow and white peaches, yellow and white nectarines, apricots, plums, pluots, cherries, and, of course, strawberries.” there are also Fuji apples, navel oranges, mandarins, grapes, dried fruits as well as walnuts and almonds. J & J Ramos tomatoes are also very popular.

But the best thing about this stand is the the Ramos children. They are so helpful and sincere. A little guy about 12 persuades me to try the pluots- his favorite. Yum. Bowls of samples with tongs encourage tasting.

www.splashpad.org/ramos.html

At Ponce I select a beefsteak tomato. True to its name, it slices more like meat when I cut it later. 

 Cipponeri family Farms 

Has pink cauliflower. 

I have to try this. When I “google” this I find that Purple cauliflower’s color is caused by the presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanin, which can also be found in red cabbage and red wine. – SpecialtyProduce

There are tons of great recipes on the web for those of you who are “foodies”

Garden Variety Cheese 

is a small farmstead cheese business based out of Northern Monterey County on 40 acre Monkeyflower Ranch. Their sheep produce lovely, rich sweet milk that makes fabulous cheese. 

Each ewe is named after a garden flower

Hey Hey Gourmet started out in hi-tech, burned out their circuits, & decided to just have fun with creating tasty things to eat. They grow some of their herbs, create, blend and package the spices by hand.

I tasted “Livin on the Dill”. Delish

The Orchid truck was very popular.

Smile everyone!

I end on a happy note at Bonnie Hotz Pottery  Hotz Potz | Everyone’s Harvest

Bonnie started selling her pottery in Los Angeles in 1990. Her work has been carried in over 60 galleries throughout the nation including Craft Museum gift shops in New York City and San Francisco. Her pottery is collected worldwide. 

I love Bonnie. She is  one of the most positive people I have met. She loves her work and her family.

She lives on 2.25 acres in a lovely canyon with her husband Joe, identical twin daughters, Sierra and Maya, and pets Arlo, an Australian Shepherd and Faxy, a bearded dragon lizard. They are surrounded by rolling hills, beautiful oak trees and an abundance of wildlife and flowers. 

Bonnie , I did not get good photos of your pottery so I hope you don’t mind my borrowing from your website.

Many of you are inquiring about Bonnie’s Pottery. She sells on Etsy 

Pottery by Bonnie Hotz by PotterybyBonnieHotz on Etsy

and also at the Farmers Market at Pacific Grove on Mondays. This is another link to reach her http://www.hotzart.com/

My sack is weighing me down so I head home to show you some of my yummy produce.

Great food and great people. What a deal.