Farmers’ Market in Springtime

We are so lucky to live here in Marin County where the Farmers’ Market is year round. It can look a bit sparse during the winter months, not all the vendors come year round, but there is always fresh greens of some kind.

Now, though, I’m seeing more variety. Here are some images from last week’s Market.

The picture above is the stall for Tomatero Organic Farm. They have one of the largest stalls and there is usually a long line of people checking out. They are known here for the different varieties of strawberries they sell. All are wonderfully juicy and tasty.

The other large vendor that always has a large and beautifully arranged booth is Capay Organic Farm.

Last week was the first time I saw cherries and blueberries. Yum

Still lots of other fruit available. Soon we’ll have stone fruits – peaches, plums, nectarines.

It’s planting season for tomatoes. Lots of starter plants available.

Finally, some beautiful flowering plants for sale.

This Farmers’ Market Space is Enchanting – and Functional

This new Market Hall in Rotterdam is a feast for the eyes.

It was built to provide a local, healthy food to the city’s center, but the architects did much more. They created this beautiful functional space for 100+ food vendors and surrounded it with apartments and other shops.

And look at that beautiful ceiling

This is the kind of smart design that makes cities flourish and grow.

This was too beautiful not to share. I’d love to see something like this in a city here in the US.

Images via MVRDV

Summer Splendor

What a wonderful time of year at the Farmers’ Market! I went this morning and took some pictures of the wonderful bounty to be had. I realized I didn’t get any photos of the peaches and other stone fruit, blueberries, broccoli and cauliflower. Maybe next week. Until then enjoy these views of the market.

Delicious sweet corn. We look forward to it every week. Note the CA grown kiwis in the background.

We love having all of these summer squashes to choose from.

The variety of sizes and shapes and colors of tomatoes is incredible.

I hope you have a Farmers’ Market near you. Visit it often and enjoy the Summer Splendor.

Springtime in NorCal

I wanted to share some photos from my visit to the Farmers Market and around San Rafael. The photo above is from the Capay Organic Farm booth at the market. Their presentation is so beautiful. The next picture is from their booth also.

The market is full again, now that Winter is over. Along with produce, there were also lots of vendors with bedding plants.

There is lots of beauty elsewhere. Here is a small yard full of azaleas that we see on our walk in our neighborhood.

There is a Community Center near us and in the back is this lovely area with arches full of wisteria.

We are loving our new home and the beauty we find here. I hope all of you have a wonderful Spring filled with flowers and fresh-grown food.

 

What’s In Season In Your Area? There’s a Map for That

I found this great resource – thanks to a tweet from @TopIngredients retweeted by @veggiebeet – on the Epicurious site. It shows what produce are at their peak in your state during the 12 months of the year – at least in those areas where there is a yearly growing season.

There are links from the list of what’s fresh to recipes, cooking tips and more.

What a great resource. Now that I’m living in California – where we have year-round farmers’ markets – I’m looking forward to fresh, local produce all year.