There are few things that New York City lacks, but one of them is a comprehensive Farmer’s Market. Don’t get me wrong- the market in Union Square is awesome. It’s just that there are so many varieties of vegetables and even fruits that you never see there. I guess that’s why the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market seemed so much more exciting. Vibrant hues of orange, red, and a spectrum of green made it irresistible not to purchase anything.
(There’s always a guy handing out samples of Lemon Pistachios, which are quite interesting.)
The market starts at 8:30am every Wednesday and Saturday and ends around 1:30pm. It extends several streets, from 1st to around 4th St. on Arizona Avenue. Most of the produce is organic certified, but those that aren’t generally aren’t sprayed with pesticides anyway.
Don’t let the prices get to you. You have to walk through the whole market before you start buying anything. Here are some general tips for the frugal:
- Apples- You can get organic apples for $1/lb if you’re willing to eat them ugly. Walk around and find the box that says “Defaced apples.”
- Peaches: The organic peaches are usually around $3. If you’re wiling to go non-organic certified and trust your local trusty farmer’s word that his peached are not sprayed with pesticides, you can get them for $2. Go to the Mayfair Farms stand where everything- from nectarines to peaches, are only $2/lb.
- Oranges: Many are sold by the bag and most of these are not organic. You can get organic ones, but they’re generally sold single. A 3lb bag of blood oranges (non-organic) runs for $3 at most stands! That’s definitely one thing I’m going to miss when I go back to Union Square
- Strawberries: I found that on Wednesday, strawberries tend to be cheaper. That’s another thing- on Wednesday, the market has more stands and if berry lovers definitely benefit on Wednesday. You can get a decent sized punt for $5 if you dig around
(The bread/pastry stand on Saturday’s)
- Pastries, bread, muffins, etc…: On Saturday, the stand is by 4th St. Get there early and grab yourself a Pecan Alligator. I’ve been there at 9:30am and they’ve run out… If you don’t have that much of a sweet tooth, the Sesame Alligator is good too. Best of all, it’s only $2.50!
- On Wednesday, the stand by 4th St. does sell strudels, turnovers, and such, but I’d recommend going to 2nd St, in the direction of Santa Monica where there is a stand at the end. They sell a sick lemon pound cake. Everything is $3+
