Pacific Beach Farmers' Market Blog

Spring brings bunches of herbs including mint, basil, parsley, lemongrass and more to the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market. Suzie’s Farm strawberries and fresh basil meet Nicolau Goat Farm’s fresh chevre and whole wheat levain from Belen Bakery in this tasty panini, and spring mint freshens up Maciel Farm’s English peas.

Go to Gilbert Quintos Farm to make lavender lemonade sweetened with Mikolich Honey, or combine J.R. Organics’ cilantro and radishes with avocado and lime from Paradise Valley Ranch in this crunchy salad that’s great on its own or topped with a grilled grouper filet from the Salmon Slinger.

Dill adds fresh flavor to this zucchini soup that’s garnished with Ancient Secrets’ yogurt and pistachios from Hopkins AG. Take home spring herbs this Tuesday!

Find crunchy carrots at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market from Maciel Farm, Kawano Farms, Suzie's Farm and J.R. Organics. Follow French fashion by tossing grated carrots with a little fresh flat leaf parsley and a squeeze of Meyer lemon from Gilbert Quintos Farm in salade de carrotes rapees, or do something decadent and dunk chunks of carrot in goat cheese fondue featuring fresh rosemary and Nicolau Farm’s chevre.

Aged vinegar from Bistro Blends adds tang to balsamic glazed grilled carrots and a trip to Suzie's Farm for fresh herbs livens up these roasted carrots. Toss carrots in the oven with beets, parsnips and turnips from your favorite farmers or make a hearty bowl of carrot-fennel soup.

Grab a bundle of carrots to make farm-fresh carrot cake bites for dessert. What’s your favorite way to eat carrots?
 

Look for leafy green Swiss chard at Maciel Farm, JR Organics and Suzie’ s Farm at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market. Sautee it simply with a little extra virgin oil from The California Olive, with sliced spring onion or crimini mushrooms from Kawano Farms.

Make a chard pesto with pistachios from Hopkins AG, spread it over crostini from Belen Bakery and top them with Nicolau Goat Farm’s fresh chevre. Cook chard with raisins from Smit Orchards and rosemary in this recipe, or wrap chard leaves around an Alaskan filet from Salmon Slinger for lemon-thyme halibut - see Gilbert Quintos Farm for the citrus and herbs and Springhill Cheese Company for butter.

Besides being delicious, chard is super low in calories and loaded with vitamins K and A, calcium, potassium and other important nutrients, so make a healthy, tasty dinner tonight - it’s easy with chard!

The Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers’ Market is full of Hass, Fuerte, Zutano and Bacon avocados from Paradise Valley Ranch, R&L Farms and Gilbert Quintos Farm, and they’re good for more than just guacamole!

Try this beautiful avocado salad with blood oranges, beets from Maciel Farm, radishes from JR Organics and pistachios from Hopkins AG, or create your own avocado recipe - we love combing avocado with fennel from Suzie’s Farm and a little citrus balsamic from Bistro Blends, adding it to a sandwich of toasted organic cheddar from Springhill Cheese Company, and mixing diced avocado into tabouleh from Baba Foods for a California-Mediterranean treat.

Making a fresh salad with all your market goodies? Whip up a tasty dressing using avocados and orange juice like this one. What’s your favorite way to eat San Diego County avocados?