Farmer’s Market Faves

Recently I took a Saturday morning off (no training, slept in late) and met my friend Jaimie in downtown SD for the Little Itay Farmer’s Market (Mercato). It’s great to see so many farmer’s markets (FM) popping up around the county. We’ve had Hillcrest, OB, etc for what seems like a while, but now I’ve noticed them in some more out-of-the-way locations (okay, I will not rant about how unhealthy 95% of the offerings are at the closest FM to me).

There was lots to feast my eyes on–and some stuff I’d never buy–but I came away with some great finds anyway, knowing my Suzie’s Farm CSA box was on its way in a couple days. These are a few of my favorite things (a la Julie Andrews):

Happy Pantry is a SD company specializing in pickled and fermented products. They had a huge selection on hand, and I was most excited about their sauerkraut and kimchi!

I’d been super interested in fresh sauerkraut since reading the Balanced Bites article on the topic: sold! I picked up a jar of their juniper berry/caraway seed sauerkraut and the spicy Korean-style kimchi. Both were phenomenal! Bonus: Mark, the owner, will give you $1 off your next purchase if you return the canning jar 🙂

Next, I hit up the Salt Farm, drawn over to their booth by their spread of beautiful finishing salt blends. So many flavors caught my eye (natural, infused, blended or smoked). They offer containers of a couple different sizes and combinations. I opted for the 3-pack of small vials and chose Smoke Paprika, Chipotle and Bonfire-7 wood smoked. So far, they’ve been a delicious addition to meats, eggs and vegetables.

Get out and hit up your local FM…go for in-season produce, fresh eggs, and quality sources of protein if you’re lucky enough to have any participating meat CSAs. Try something new. Explore. Life’s too short to only eat bananas and apples!