oranges

Fresh California oranges from Smit Orchard, R&L Farms and Paradise Valley Ranch at the North Park Thursday Farmers’ Market are sure to brighten your day.

Pair them with pomegranates and fresh mint from Suzie’s Farm in this holiday punch or visit the Spice Lady and make a festive orange pomander. Roasted beets from Proios Farm co-star with the citrus in this winter salad (we couldn’t resist topping it with chevre from The San Diego Cheese Store), and wild Alaskan filets from the Salmon Slinger get a burst of brightness in this orange-fennel-salmon.

Try a new twist on broccoli from Kawano Farms with this recipe for roasted florets or just simply peel and eat your favorite orange on the go! Orange you glad you get year round citrus?

Cool off the summer nights by squeezing fresh citrus from the North Park Farmers’ Market.  Bearss limes (also known as Tahiti Limes) from Paradise Valley Ranch, have a slightly spicy, fragrant aroma that makes a delicious limeade, especially with few crushed mint leaves from Suzie’s Farm. They'd also be great for these Indian Lime Pickles. In fact, if you get these into production, please take our Vendor 101 class and let us help you establish a creative pickle booth at local farmers' markets. But we digress. We were talking about citrus.

Oro blancos from Gilbert Quintos are a hybrid of grapefruits and pomelos that are sweeter, lower in acidity and lack the characteristic bitterness of other grapefruits.  Juice a couple for breakfast. If R&L Farms gives you Eureka lemons, make lemonade!  Sweeten it with orange blossom honey from Meljess Bees for a great flavor; add pureed strawberries from JR Organics or blackberries and blueberries from Smit for a splash of color.  Take it squeezy!

Rev up the romance at the Little Italy Mercato Farmers’ Market with everything you need to start your Valentines’ Day celebration this weekend! Treat your love to a delicious Sunday brunch, and don't forget to stash some goodies for Tuesday.

Get in the mood on Sunday morning with gorgeous berries from J.R.Organics, Kawano Farms or Pudwill Farms. Scramble farm-fresh eggs from Schaner Farms or Paradise Valley Ranch, and warm croissants from Belen Bakery or Bread & Cie. Squeeze the dozen plump oranges you grabbed from Lone Oak Ranch or Polito Farms and brew your favorite coffee beans from Café Virtuoso. (If it was us, we’d grab a bottle of Prosecco from Filippis and use some juice and raspberries to make pretty mimosas.) Put out the gorgeous Coeur Fleuri you got from Taste Cheese. Finish your beautiful brunch setting with an orchid in your sweetheart’s favorite color from Encinitas Orchids or Orchidanica, and you’ll be well on your way to creating a romantic Valentines’ Day this year. Stained glass heart cookies from Patisserie Soleil and gooey gluten-free bars from Olive Oil Café for dessert will melt your darling's heart.

Post-brunch or saved for Tuesday, jewelry is always a welcome gift! Select a hammered heart pendant from Lizzy B’s Vintage Jewelry or copper heart earrings from Angel Me. Choose a handmade paper card from Irrobat, and a carved ceramic heart from Fair Trade Décor at the top of the market to build just the right gift for your beloved.We have a great gallery of other ideas here.

Of course you can’t have Valentines’ Day without savoring something sweet!  While you’re at the Mercato don’t resist picking up Caxao Chocolate’s new ‘French Kisses’… dark chocolate liquid caramel mixed with chili and covered with a layer of rich dark chocolate. You know the way to your partner’s heart is gift boxes from Sea Salt Candy Company or Eclipse Chocolat. To satisfy your gluten free honey’s sweet tooth pick up a bag of gluten free Red Velvet cake mix from Sustainable Pantry, bake, decorate and serve before dinner.

Don’t forget a bouquet of fresh cut local flowers from Hidalgo Flowers, Maldonado Growers or Dramm and Echter, and firewood from Gilbert Quintos to set the mood. When it comes to romance, the Little Italy Mercato offers one-stop shopping!

ORANGE YOU GLAD?

Though they grow pretty much year round in San Diego, oranges light up the night at farm stalls at the North Park Farmers' Market during the winter months. Versatile, sweet, and terribly healthy, organic oranges should be at the top of your shopping (and cooking) list this season.

Paradise Valley Ranch, John Gilruth's Rainbow Ranchito and R&L Farms sell their locally grown Navel and Valencia oranges, as well as juicy, easy- to-peel tangerines, and tart and sweet limes and lemons.

Orange wedges with shaved fennel and boiled or grilled chunks of Chiogga beets from Suzie's Farm make a delightfully refreshing salad. Chill the beets, and toss with tender winter lettuce or vibrant leafy greens from Maciel Family Farms and an easy vinaigrette made with orange juice and California Olive oil and vinegar.

Saute onions, garlic and ginger together and then deglaze the pan with just-pressed orange juice from Paradise Valley Ranch. Reduce the liquid to glaze pork chops and roasts from Da Le Ranch, or start with the same combo and add crushed chilis from Valdivia Farms and stir fry a batch of Kawano Farm green beans with a taste of Thailand.

Cooking with oranges makes everyone feel like a fuzzy navel, doesn't it?

Though they grow pretty much year round in San Diego, oranges light up the stalls at the Little Italy Mercato during the winter months. Versatile, sweet, and terribly healthy, organic oranges should be at the top of your shopping (and cooking) list this season.

Lone Oak Ranch sells juicy, easy to peel Satsumas and Mandarines while Polito Farms carry Navel and Valencia as well as other citrus fruit. Saute onions and ginger together and then deglaze the pan with pressed orange juice from Paradise Valley Ranch. Use the liquid as a sauce for grilling salmon or tuna from Poppa's Fresh Fish.

Orange wedges, shaved fennel from Vang Farms and boiled Chiogga beets from Suzie's Farm make a delightfully refreshing salad. Mix with your tender winter lettuce or vibrant leafy greens from Maciel Family Farms.

Gently simmer sweet potatoes, and winter squash from Sage Mountain Farm in orange juice. Before serving, sprinkle with walnuts and perhaps a dash of balsamic vinegar from Gianni's Fine Foods. Cooking with oranges makes everyone feel like a fuzzy navel, doesn't it?

Tropical Holi-glaze

Strolling the stalls of the Little Italy Mercato each week and seeing the ebb and flow of certain fruits and vegetables makes you truly appreciate San Diego's seasons, though subtle they are. We've turned a golden leaf and entered into Winter with new products rolling around all our vendors tables.

Visit Paradise Valley Ranch or Smit Orchards for a taste of bright, sweet Navel oranges- perfect for making fresh juice, reducing an herbed citrus glaze for meats or fish. Try shopping at Poppa's Fresh Fish for delicious filets of fish, fresh clams and oysters.

Since the days are still warm and sunny- try giving your next dinner or treat a tropical twist. Guavas from Polito Farms or Rancho Mexico Lindo are ripe and fragrant right now! Try making a most delicious guava sauce with fresh lime from Schaner's Farm and spreading it over sauteed pasture fed chicken from Spur Valley Ranch and caramelized onions. Or add a little heat to the glaze by sautéing a habanero pepper from Suzies' Farm with garlic and onions from Vang Farms and orange juice with fresh guavas. 

And for dessert (or breakfast) you could indulge in the Mexican dish "Dulce de Calabasa". It's made by boiling down pumpkin, guava, lime, and raw sugar to make a mouthwatering sweet treat.

Just in case you're still planning a huge Thanksgiving gathering and haven't got your table settings in order, there are plenty of resources for decorations and festive accessories at the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market. 

Doll up your dining experience using fall produce as natural decoration. You can find miniature pumpkins from Maciel & Family or Suzie's Farm to perch upon your hearth. Or gather brightly hued satsuma oranges and pomegranates from Lone Oak Ranch and display them in prettty dishes across your table. JR Organics will still have a supply of gorgeous, handmade wreaths made from ornamental peppers and flowers, and John Gilruth's booth is full of blooming succulents to give your dinner an earthy, cozy feel. You can also create your own colorful array of blossoms from the many fall flower varieties from Maldonado Flower growers..  

Greeting family and friends with gifts is always a welcome and wonderful surprise. Mikolich Honey has adorable holiday gift packs with cute little beeswax candles and honey samplers. Or stop by and pick out hand lotion, body scrub, or even edible lavender caramel from Keys Creek Lavender Farm. 

Enjoy the Holiday- Many blessings from the SD Weekly Market Team!

You know those greens you find in certain salads with really assertive flavors, like peppery arugula or bitter endive and dandelion? When paired with sweet citrus fruits like oranges, ripe pears or crunchy apples, and figs, you change the flavor experience of your daily dinner salad from great to sensational. Roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans) bring out the even more sweetness in the greens. There are endless possible variations on this theme, especially if you account for dressings and oils or other heavier decorations. If you're hankering for something fresh, tasty, and not overly saturating, try combinging fresh arugula from Suzie's Farm with Valencia oranges from Paradise Valley Ranch, and roasted almonds from Hopkins AG. Or, for an easy lunch salad, combine frisee (that curly, fancy looking lettuce at Suzie's), with quartered ripe apples, toasted pumpkin seeds from the gorgeous varieties available at Maciel & Family, then top it with thin sheets of tender slices of beef that you can pick up from Son Rise Ranch and cook until they're perfectly roasted and juicy. 

Too much summer sun can sizzle beets in the ground, keeping us from enjoying their sweet nourishment all year long. But lately there's been a beautiful resurgence of colorful pink, orange, and deep red shades of beets on our farmers' tables. It's definitely appropriate weather for soups, so why not make the best with the best and try out this delicious Orange Scented Beet Soup.

PIck up a bundle of bright red or golden beets from Maciel Family Farms, choose the most crip and shiny Pink Lady apple from Smit Orchards, and take home a couple of shallots from the Produce Stand. Roast and slice the beets, and blend them all together in a food processor. Add a bit of fresh squeezed orange juice from Paradise Valley Ranch, a dash of lemon juice, salt, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar from Bari Olive Oil . Serve warm, with small dollops of Nicolau Farms goat cheese and sprinkle with a few fresh chives from Suzie's. 

If you simply want to create a gorgeous addition to another dish you have planned, roast the beets in a bit of foil until the skin is easily penetrable with a fork. Remove, let cool, and season to taste with sea salt and fresh black pepper. Serve with a dash of chopped parsley or freshly plucked mint. it's perfect!

SANGUINE SANGRIA

Doesn't the saying go, "when the universe gives you lemons (and limes, oranges, apples and grapes too), make sangria"? FInd all the best ingredients at the Little Italy Mercato to blend together a personalized, refreshing wine punch. Sangria (from the word sanguine, meaning blood), is a light, sweet drink native to South America and enjoyed worldwide. By using dry, inexpensive wine and fresh slices of citrus flavored fruits, you can set the mood for your next picnic or party or lazy summer afternoon with any variation of this recipe.

Go ahead and buy a few pounds of juicy oranges, grapefruit, and limes from Polito Farms. Pick up a few tart gravenstein apples from Smit Orchards, a box of tender, just plucked raspberries from Pudwill Farms, and two or three extra ripe nectarines from Lone Oak Ranch. Slice all the fruit thinly and mix with one or two bottles of red or white wine, nothing too sweet or too expensive. Head on over to Mona Lisa after the market to find a good selection. Allow the fruit to soak in the wine for at least a few hours, or overnight if possible. This allows the fruit to infuse the wine with all its sweet, complex flavors, creating the most sumptuous sangria. Add ice and seltzer if you prefer when ready to serve, and enjoy in the company of close friends and even better sunsets.