Finley Farms is overflowing with organic produce right now, but their beautiful shallots especially caught my eye. Shallots, members of the allium family, are thought to have originated in Central or Southwest Asia and grow in tight clusters like garlic. These small, nutrient-dense relatives of onions offer impressive health benefits. One helpful trick for both […]

Chuy Berry Farms has the most delectable raspberries at the farmers market right now. A member of the rose family, raspberries come in red, black, yellow, and purple varieties and are easily recognized by their vibrant color and hollow center. Sweet, tart, and full of flavor, these berries are nutritional powerhouses packed with fiber, vitamin […]

Burkdoll Farm has an abundance of stone fruit right now, and the plums are divine. As much as I try not to favor one season, summer has always held a special place in my heart. Memories of Alabama summers – juicy stone fruit, fireflies, sprinkler runs, and slow childhood days – come rushing back with […]

Purple always makes me marvel at nature. In purple potatoes, that vibrant color comes from anthocyanins – the same antioxidants found in blueberries. Roots Organic Farm has some beautiful potatoes right now, and the purple varieties contain significantly more antioxidants than regular potatoes. Anthocyanins help neutralize free radicals, reduce oxidative stress, improve artery flexibility, and […]

Stone fruit season is here and the white nectarine, my absolute favorite, is featured this week at Burkdoll Farms. Originally from China, the fuzzless skin of this peach varietal is caused by a recessive gene, not a cross between a peach and plum as some believe. These little nutrition powerhouses are packed with fiber, vitamin […]

Dried dates are always available at our farmers market, but lately I have been adding them to almost everything from a sweet potato topper with olives and herbs, to a salad addition, to a perfect and healthy vehicle for a dessert, so I thought they deserved an article of their own. Flying Disc Farms has […]

I have written about cabbage before, but I honestly believe 2026 in food is the year of the cabbage, so let’s highlight some of the colorful organic cabbages at Roots Organic Farm. The cone cabbage, savoy cabbage, and treviso are all in season and they are sweet, humble, crunchy, and wildly underrated when at their […]

I love winter greens and escarole is looking incredible at The Garden Of. This pleasantly bitter green is often found in Italian cuisine, yet originates in the East Indies and is a member of the chicory family. Its botanical relatives are the curly endive, radicchio, and frisee. This high fiber green contains copper, folate, vitamin […]

Chayote Squash, also known as mirliton, choko, christophine, and guisquil, is a member of the Cucurbitaceae gourd family. Daniel Moua Farm has some fine-looking ones right now and these beauties are smooth, light green, and mild in flavor. Most people don’t know what to do with these gourds. They can be eaten raw in salads, […]

My daughter waits all year for sugar snap pea season, the perfect sweet and crunchy snack. The sugar snap pea is a hybrid of snow peas and garden peas, known for their plump, edible pods, low glycemic index value, and nutritional benefits. Sugar snap peas are a great source of vitamin C, which is incredible […]

Chiles are known for their heat, but do you know how nutritiously beneficial they are? Thai chiles are looking beautiful at Fred Ormand’s Farm. The chile is a part of the nightshade family, related to bell peppers and tomatoes. All chiles contain capsaicin, the compound responsible for their heat, and this compound is also what’s […]

Is there a fruit as aesthetically pleasing as the dragon fruit? Rancho Santa Cecilia has some of this gorgeous fruit right now. The dragon fruit, also known as pitaya, is a tropical fruit from the cactus plant. With a vibrant pink or yellow skin and white or purple speckled flesh, its flavor is a lot […]

The resemblance between a walnut and the human brain is uncanny – the wrinkled surface, the two hemispheres – and it so happens that walnuts are super beneficial for our brain health. Walnuts from Rancho la Vina Farm are a farmers market staple and for good reason; these local walnuts are delicious. The omega 3 […]

Gai lan or Chinese broccoli belongs to the same family as broccoli and kale – the Brassica family. Gai lan originates in China, and is in season right now in all its gorgeousness at Chavez Family Farms. In traditional Chinese medicine, gai lan is thought to be a detoxification vegetable, aiding and supporting the fire […]

Summer in Santa Barbara – a little overcast, a lot sunny, and, in my opinion, the best produce. Her Produce has some crispy, juicy, refreshing watermelon right now and this hydrating, water-heavy fruit is full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Watermelon is botanically categorized as a berry, and appears in oval, round, baby, large, seedless, […]

Call me crazy, but I just had my first mulberry this past week and wow! How have I never had one of these delectable berries before now? The market is bursting with them at the moment; get them now at Earth Trine Farm while they are in season. Mulberries come in red, black, and white […]

It’s the beginning of stone fruit season and Burkdoll Farm has some of the very first peaches! Plump, juicy, ranging in color from white to deep golden, the peach is one of those quintessential summer treats. The peach originated in China over 8,000 years ago and is packed with nutritional value. A peach is chock […]

The Jerusalem artichoke – also known as the sunroot, sunchoke, wild sunflower, or earth apple – is the root of a wild sunflower native to central North America, and Mt. Olive Organic Farm has some for a short time. This knobby tuber looks vaguely like ginger root and is crisp and crunchy when eaten raw, […]

Her Produce has my favorite tuber in-house, and that is the purple sweet potato –also known as the Okinawan or Stokes Purple. These potatoes originated in South America, but have made a home in Okinawa, Japan. The rich color of the purple sweet potato makes it rich in antioxidants; anthocyanins to be exact. Anthocyanins have […]

Walking through the farmers market this past week, the baby bok choy at Mt. Olive Organic Farm caught my eye. This crisp, super tender vegetable is so delicious steamed, added to a stir-fry, or even eaten raw. This cruciferous vegetable, which is native to China, has been eaten for more than 1,500 years and has […]

Broccoli sprouts are something that I spot year-round at the farmers market, and the sprouts at Ojai Microgreens are so vibrant and spicy! These small sprouts pack a nutrition powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Sulforaphane is one of the main components of broccoli sprouts and is a potent antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation and […]

Citrus season in California is always a time I look forward to, and the Cara Cara orange is hitting the farmers market right now at Somers Ranch. This tangy and oh so sweet citrus is a vibrant red orange color, has a berry/citrus like flavor, and boasts so many incredible health benefits. Most of us […]

The Garden Of is one of my favorite vendors at the farmers market and right now they have some lovely turnips. The turnip is a root vegetable in the cruciferous family, just like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. They come in different colors such as purple, red, and green. The bulb as well as the […]

Rainbow Swiss chard is so beautiful, with its gem-like colored stems and its rich nutrient density, and it’s available freshly picked from Roots Organic Farm right now. A part of the beet and spinach family, Swiss chard comes in white and rainbow varietals. High in magnesium, iron, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K, this […]

Have you tried the fruit from Penryn Orchards Specialties? Wow! The Bosc pears they have in right now are absolutely delicious! There are so many varietals of pears ranging from Bartlett to Comice to Concorde to Durondeau to Anjou – and these come in reds, greens, and browns. A pear contains folate, Vitamin A, and […]

Another new one for me this week, the white sapote – or custard apple – just came into the market, and Rancho Santa Cecilia has some gorgeous ones. This fruit originally from central Mexico is a distant relative of citrus. The smooth textured pulp tastes like a mix between a banana and a peach, mixed […]

Napa cabbage is in season and – as cabbage goes – is one of the most flavorful, nutrient-dense varieties out there. Something Good Organics has the first available, and I grabbed some for myself and my clients. This cabbage, also called Chinese cabbage, is traditionally used in kimchi, but is also an incredible vehicle for […]

I love discovering new finds at the farmers market and the Guatemalan blue squash is a new varietal for me. Roots Organic Farm has some of the first seasonal squashes and I am so excited to take this one back to the kitchen and create a recipe for you. This rare heirloom variety of winter […]

The first time I had a persimmon was seven years ago upon moving to Santa Barbara. There are two main types found here, the Fuyu and the Hachiyas. Avila and Sons Farms has some of the first Fuyus in the Farmers Market. The Fuyu is considered a non-astringent persimmon, one that can be eaten hard […]

Her Produce has some green and red okra at the farmers market right now and let me tell you, if you haven’t tried okra before go and grab some of this delicious fruit. That’s right – it’s technically a fruit as it is a flowering plant with edible seed pods. Grown mainly in warm climates, […]

Chuy Berry Farms has some delectable blackberries right now, and the superfood is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. We talk a lot about Vitamin C, so you know the importance of it in our diets, and blackberries are exceptionally high in it. Just 1 cup of raw blackberries has half the recommended daily […]

I have been on a spicy kick lately and when I saw these vibrant jalapeños at Tutti Frutti Farms, I knew I had to have them. The jalapeño and all of its varietals have been adding flavor and heat to cuisine for some 6,000 years. There is a compound in jalapeños called capsaicin. This compound […]

I feel like I say this about a lot of fruits and vegetables, but I seriously wait all year for that perfect summer tomato! Growing up in Alabama with an incredible farm in my backyard, tended by my dad, the summer tomato holds great nostalgia for me. Walking into my backyard, salt shaker in hand, […]

What is more quintessential than the California avocado? Creamy, decadent, savory, sweet – the avocado is so versatile and nutritious! My favorite avocado farmer is Vista Del Mundo and wow does he have an incredible harvest right now. There is some confusion as to whether the avocado is a fruit or a vegetable, but it’s […]

The sun has been playing hide and seek with us lately. Even with the little we have had, however, the Farmers’ Market shows all the signs of Summer! Moua Family Farm has one of my daughters and my favorite snacks, the Kirby cucumber. This little crunchy fruit, yep not a vegetable, is full of beneficial […]

The sweet onion, part of the allium family and related to the leek, garlic, and shallots, is a nutritious and versatile vegetable that boasts an array of vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds. Something Good Organics has some lovely ones right now that look as if they were just pulled from the rich soil. The onion […]

I remember when I first moved to Santa Barbara and I saw the exquisite flower of the passion fruit vine, I was mesmerized. This tropical vine that thrives in our Central Coast climate can be found on a leisurely walk through your neighborhood, and at the delightful Frecker Farms stand in the farmers market. The thick-skinned, […]

Nasturtium, the beautiful red, yellow, and orange flower that we get to witness bloom wild every April and May here on the Central Coast, is an herbaceous plant that has been used in traditional medicinal practices since the early 1500s. Ojai Microgreens has some featured at the farmers market right now and they make a […]

Fava beans are one of my favorite things to find in the farmers market and Ebby’s Organics has some absolutely gorgeous ones right now! They are a little time consuming but are truly worth the effort. Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are a legume. They are a rich source of plant protein, folate, […]

Turmeric root has a short season and Her Produce has some beautiful turmeric showcased at the farmers market right now! Run don’t walk to get some of the most effective nutritional supplement in existence. The main component or active ingredient in turmeric that has medicinal benefits is curcumin, and it has had its time in […]