Take in an afternoon or morning down at one of your local farmers’ markets. Summer’s here and so is the fantastic fruit of the season!
Long Beach definitely offers its citizens a variety of ways to support “green” living. Whether it’s that our local Port has made huge strides with their Green Port initiatives or the fact that the city has passed a local ordinance against those amoeba-like plastic bags, this town is anything but brown. And more proof of all things green – or red, orange, yellow, blue, and, yes, even purple – becomes more evident with a visit to one of several neighborhood farmers’ markets.
This is how my breakfast has looked for a few weeks now that we’ve become regulars down at our neighborhood farmers’ markets!
Berries, melons, and peaches, oh my! You know exactly what I’m talking about if you’ve been down to your local farmers’ markets this summer. And if you haven’t, well then, what are you waiting for?!
Peaches and nectarines at a stall at the Wednesday Local Harvest Farmers’ Market at Marine Stadium, one of our favorite markets locally.
Strawberries are still living large and super sweet down at our local farmers’ markets!
I can’t remember peaches being this ready this early in the summer, and we’ve been taking advantage of this season’s harvest for a few weeks now. Strawberries are also still in full-swing, which seems kind of late, but again, we’ll take it!
T gets ready to bag up the goods at the Marine Stadium Farmers’ Market in Long Beach (CA).
T and other kids playing tag around a tree near the Marine Stadium Farmers’ Market on a bright and sunny summer Wednesday afternoon.
T and some other kids play a “game” of soccer at the park space near the Marine Stadium Farmers’ Market.
Get a hot pizza from Olive Wood Pizza and Catering, along with other freshly prepared hot and cold foods from a variety of vendors, one Wednesday evening this summer down at the Marine Stadium Farmers’ Market. Instant picnic food!
Folks have no problem waiting a few minutes for fantastic fare at the Marine Stadium Farmers’ Market. There are a variety of places nearby to picnic and enjoy the summer evening or some even order up and take it home for a quick weeknight meal. Whatever you choose, it’s delicious!
Lee Ostendorf of Certified Farmers’ Markets, Los Angeles and Orange Counties, heads up two of our favorite local markets, Marine Stadium on Wednesday afternoons and Peter’s Landing Marina on Saturday mornings. T and I love dropping in at the Wednesday market in particular because of its lovely location right on the water and all of the open green space for the kids to run and play and for everyone to sit and picnic when in need of a snack (from where else, the market right on-site!). There’s really no better way to kill a summer afternoon by getting some errands done with some grocery shopping and then rewarding yourselves with a freshly cooked dinner al fresco… and that’s just where you can find us later today with our play group!
T pets some rabbits and guinea pigs at the Peter’s Landing Marina Farmers’ Market in Sunset Beach, CA.
Pigs are ready for petting (and feeding) down at the Saturday morning farmers’ market at Peter’s Landing Marina in Sunset Beach, CA.
The stalls and vendors at the Peter’s Landing Marina Farmers’ Market in Sunset Beach, CA.
T “ponies up” at the Peter’s Landing Marina Farmers’ Market in Sunset Beach, CA.
The Saturday market at Peter’s Landing shopping plaza in Sunset Beach (an unincorporated town located between Huntington Beach and Seal Beach) is something more of a local family festival, complete with a petting zoo, pony rides, and a full-blown craft market along with the usual farmers’ market offerings.
Don’t forget about the music! A variety of musicians perform at Lee Ostendorf’s Local Harvest Farmers’ Markets, which are scattered across Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Check their website for more details.
Some of Ostendorf’s other farmers’ market locations and days include Bixby Park on Tuesdays (an afternoon-evening market) and Historic Downtown San Pedro on Friday mornings; a full list of Ostendorf’s Local Harvest Farmers Markets can be found here.
A sample of the stalls and vendors at the Marine Stadium Farmers’ Market in Long Beach (CA).
For more information on selling at one of the Long Beach, Huntington Beach, or other surrounding area farmers’ markets, please contact Lee Ostendorf at leeostendorf@charter.net or 562 449 9299. I’ve heard waiting lists can run up to a year-long for this group of markets, so call today to find out more about getting your business started sooner than later!
The carrot that draws T down to the Marine Stadium Farmers’ Market is, well, an actual carrot! T looks forward to this one lady who now always seems to give him a free carrot, which is just one of several free fruit, vegetable, sweet, and savory samples we look forward to during our visits.
Buy and sell locally – and sustainably – RMT’ers!
Real Mom Time (RMT) 