Experience the vibrancy of Santa Monica’s farmers’ markets

The choicest of produce lie amidst the colourful aisles at the Farmers’ Markets in Santa Monica, and local chefs love to choose from their favourite produce in season to create culinary innovations. The brilliantly-coloured assortment of vegetables, baskets of freshly cut flowers, live music, breads, cheeses, and delicious food samplings create a sort of festival. Rain or shine, the markets are open.

Downtown Market
Wednesdays: 8.30am – 1.30pm
Saturdays: 8.30am – 1pm
This market is a great combination stop for people going on to lunch or shop on Third Street Promenade. The Wednesday market is the biggest (with more than 75 separate vendors) and the one most often frequented by local star chefs. Local restaurants make weekly appearances in a food tent on Arizona Avenue.

Pico Market
Saturday: 8am – 1pm
Located in Virginia Park at Pico and Cloverfield, this is a fairly serious and businesslike market – and the produce is superb.

Main Street Market
Saturday: 9.30am – 1pm
Located on Main Street at Ocean Park Boulevard, this market feels more like a street fair, and includes live music, pony rides, face painting and chefs serving breakfast, lunch and snacks. This is the only farmers’ market in Santa Monica to contain a large non-agricultural section.

The new buzz work on the eco-culinary scene in Santa Monica is ‘locavore’, which refers to the people who are now choosing to eat locally grown and harvested food. It is possible to be a locavore when travelling too, by seeking out restaurants whose chefs shop at local farmers markets and producers.

The casually elegant and stylish Wilshire Restaurant offers a widely varied menu, which changes daily and emphasises the freshest available seasonal organic fare, from farmers’ market greens and tasting of three caviars to an organic pork chop and a Summerfield Farms lamb rack. Wilshire Executive Chef Andrew Kirschner and Sommelier Matt Straus are planning a farmers market and California wine extravaganza, inviting local and California purveyors and farmers as well as winemakers. It is slated as a one-time event to be held on 20th August 2008. Participating special guest purveyors and farms confirmed to date will include Alex Weiser of Weiser Family Farms, Maryann Carpenter of Coastal Organics, and Phil and Joanne McGrath from McGrath Family Farms. Sommelier Matt Straus will be featuring a dozen or so California wines that retail for under USD$30.

Whist at the Viceroy (1819 Ocean Avenue) is another local restaurant which takes advantage of local produce. Whist sources a yearly average of 65% of its produce from the farmers markets in Santa Monica. The menu changes and follows along the local growing season of local ranches which are all within a 300 mile radius of Santa Monica. During the height of various seasons the menu at times changes twice a week to reflect produce and fruit coming onto the market at its prime. During the winter, the changes are not as frequent.

For those gourmets wishing to employ their produce into immediate action, The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook is available.

For more information, log on to Smgov.net/farmers_market.