Strawberries
Strawberries are the harbinger of spring — they usually the first fruit to ripen in spring. Strawberries are grown in every state in the U.S., but California grows over 75% of the commercial strawberries in the U.S. Strawberries are packed with nutrients and make a healthy snack, a delightful addition to salads, or healthy desserts.
First Fruit of Spring
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Cabbage
While cabbage is available year round in our area, it’s especially appreciated in early spring for making homemade sauerkraut! It’s a great beginner’s project. Rich in probiotics, sauerkraut promotes gut health by introducing beneficial bacteria to the digestive system, aiding in digestion and enhancing nutrient absorption.
TIME TO MAKE SAUERKRAUT
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Beets
Both red and gold beets are abundant in essential nutrients that offer a myriad of health benefits. They are delicious roasted, steamed, or raw. Beets can be used in savory or sweet dishes lending their rich, earthy flavor to salads, soups, pickles, and vegetable medleys. Click on the link below for our favorite recipes!
A VERSATILE VEGGIE PACKED WITH ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
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Asparagus
Without a doubt, asparagus is one of the harbingers of spring at the farmers’ markets. And these nutritious spears can be cooked in numerous ways — grilled, roasted, steamed, or sauteed. Add them to quiches, pasta or salads, or enjoy them as an appetizer. Harbinger of Spring
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Rhubarb
What is it about rhubarb — it seems people either love it or hate it! Although technically a vegetable, most use rhubarb like a fruit in pies, cakes, sauces, relishes, and jams. Since rhubarb arrives about the same time as strawberries in spring, it's often paired with strawberries in desserts.
Love it or hate it?
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Edible Paradise :: Seasonal Cooking
Edible Paradise celebrates the year-round abundance of the highest quality, freshest food grown on the Central Coast by our family farmers at the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets. If you enjoy preparing and eating locally grown food, this blog is for you!
To learn how to use and combine the flavors of herbs, you must become familiar with them. And the best way to do this? Use your nose. Smell them individually and in combination. Take a pinch of one and smell it. Then add a pinch of another and smell it. Add something else and smell...{ Continue Reading }
Spring with its longer days and more daylight mean that hens are beginning their egg production cycle. Full egg production, generally an egg per day for each chicken, is in summer. Mother Nature has been rough on California this year with colder and wetter weather, so it’s been a slow start for ‘the girls.’ The...{ Continue Reading }
Without a doubt, asparagus is one of the harbingers of spring at the farmers’ markets. And these nutritious spears can be cooked in numerous ways — grilled, roasted, steamed, or sauteed. Add them to pasta or salads, or enjoy them as an appetizer. When selecting asparagus, check the bottom of the bunch to see that...{ Continue Reading }
Whether you call it ‘stock’ or the trendier term ‘bone broth’ — healthy and flavorful soups start with a nutrient and mineral-rich base of good stock. Bone-based stocks provide calcium, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, phosphorous, and other trace minerals. Stock can be made with leftover bones from dinners or you can purchase bony parts of chicken,...{ Continue Reading }
The Meyer lemon owes its presence in the U.S. to a USDA agricultural explorer named Frank Meyer, who discovered it in 1908 during one of his expeditions to Asia to collect new plant species. Among the 2,500 plants he introduced to the U.S. was the unusual thin-skinned, lemon-mandarin orange cross, which became the Meyer lemon,...{ Continue Reading }
Everyone enjoys a great piece of pie, especially at Thanksgiving, and it is easily one of America’s favorite desserts. However, the bane of most cooks is making the pie crust! While it’s easy and convenient to turn to store-bought, pre-rolled pie crust, nothing comes close to a homemade, buttery, flaky pie crust. If you’re a...{ Continue Reading }
It’s officially spring and time for refreshing your garden beds. Stop by Pacific Rare Plant Nursery to see the colorful assortment of potted plants ready-to-go for planting. Alejandro is happy to provide tips if you need help!
It’s officially spring and time for refreshing your garden beds. Stop by Pacific Rare Plant Nursery to see the colorful assortment of potted plants ready-to-go for planting. Alejandro is happy to provide tips if you need help!
Spade & Plow Organics have huge artichokes this week! We have lots of recipes on our companion website for preparing them, if you need some new ideas for this California specialty. Visit www.edibleparadise.com and do a quick search for ‘artichokes’ — you’ll find a tutorial as well as numerous recipes. (Clickable link in bio.)
Spade & Plow Organics have huge artichokes this week! We have lots of recipes on our companion website for preparing them, if you need some new ideas for this California specialty. Visit www.edibleparadise.com and do a quick search for ‘artichokes’ — you’ll find a tutorial as well as numerous recipes. (Clickable link in bio.)
Have you discovered the new products at Schoch Dairy? Known for its raw milk and yogurts, their products have expanded to cheeses (including a phenomenal blue cheese!) and a new cultured raw butter. You’ll immediately notice a richer flavor to this locally made butter compared to ‘grocery store’ butter.
Have you discovered the new products at Schoch Dairy? Known for its raw milk and yogurts, their products have expanded to cheeses (including a phenomenal blue cheese!) and a new cultured raw butter. You’ll immediately notice a richer flavor to this locally made butter compared to ‘grocery store’ butter.
How’s your Mojo? We can think of one way to improve it!
Micro greens offer a concentrated dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Despite their tiny size, they are packed with flavor and contain nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta-carotene.
Rold Farms Mojo micro greens are great added to sandwiches, tacos, smoothies, or dressed for a light salad.
How’s your Mojo? We can think of one way to improve it!
Micro greens offer a concentrated dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Despite their tiny size, they are packed with flavor and contain nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta-carotene.
Rold Farms Mojo micro greens are great added to sandwiches, tacos, smoothies, or dressed for a light salad.
Murakami Farms kiwi should be part of a daily diet! Kiwi is a nutritional powerhouse packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, folate, and potassium, making it great for boosting immunity, supporting heart health, and aiding digestion. Its high antioxidant content helps combat oxidative stress, reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Additionally, the fiber in kiwi promotes gut health and regularity.
Did you know the skin is edible too? Add kiwi to salads or smoothies, or enjoy ‘as is’!
Murakami Farms kiwi should be part of a daily diet! Kiwi is a nutritional powerhouse packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, folate, and potassium, making it great for boosting immunity, supporting heart health, and aiding digestion. Its high antioxidant content helps combat oxidative stress, reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Additionally, the fiber in kiwi promotes gut health and regularity.
Did you know the skin is edible too? Add kiwi to salads or smoothies, or enjoy ‘as is’!
Good morning from the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College! First stop—Companion Bakeshop for breakfast pastries and bread! They offer an immensely popular, wide selection of hearty artisan bread. And don’t miss their galettes! 😋
The market is open until noon—hope to see you soon!
Good morning from the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College! First stop—Companion Bakeshop for breakfast pastries and bread! They offer an immensely popular, wide selection of hearty artisan bread. And don’t miss their galettes! 😋
The market is open until noon—hope to see you soon!
Mark your calendars! The seasonal Sunday farmers market at the Del Monte Shopping Center opens in a couple of weeks! We love this quiet morning market—it’s a perfect Sunday morning stroll.
The farmers market opens on Sunday, May 5, 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., and is located in the same area as our Friday market. For more information, please visit our website at www.montereybayfarmers.org for more details.
Mark your calendars! The seasonal Sunday farmers market at the Del Monte Shopping Center opens in a couple of weeks! We love this quiet morning market—it’s a perfect Sunday morning stroll.
The farmers market opens on Sunday, May 5, 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., and is located in the same area as our Friday market. For more information, please visit our website at www.montereybayfarmers.org for more details.
Ahmed from Zena Foods offers an awesome selection of spreads and condiments, perfect for weekend entertaining, appetizers, or simply to jazz up an ordinary meal. And don’t forget the pita bread—it’s soooooo good. Just heat briefly on a griddle or skillet, and brush with a little butter when serving.
If you miss him today, he’ll be at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College tomorrow.
Ahmed from Zena Foods offers an awesome selection of spreads and condiments, perfect for weekend entertaining, appetizers, or simply to jazz up an ordinary meal. And don’t forget the pita bread—it’s soooooo good. Just heat briefly on a griddle or skillet, and brush with a little butter when serving.
If you miss him today, he’ll be at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College tomorrow.
Meet Daniel with Santa Rosa Flowers! Fresh spring flowers await you today at the Monterey Farmers Market. There’s nothing quite like flowers to brighten up your decor.
Meet Daniel with Santa Rosa Flowers! Fresh spring flowers await you today at the Monterey Farmers Market. There’s nothing quite like flowers to brighten up your decor.
Who can resist this smile? Donna at Donna Dirt Farm offers an assortment of fresh culinary herbs, artichokes, and lemons—and beautiful displays! Today we spotted fresh lavender too—have you ever made lavender syrup? It’s delicious added to tea or cocktails!
Who can resist this smile? Donna at Donna Dirt Farm offers an assortment of fresh culinary herbs, artichokes, and lemons—and beautiful displays! Today we spotted fresh lavender too—have you ever made lavender syrup? It’s delicious added to tea or cocktails!
Have you tried the amazing goat cheese from Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery? You are in for a treat! Stop by and visit with Margi and she will explain the different cheeses. One of the nicest things about a farmers market is visiting with the makers!
Have you tried the amazing goat cheese from Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery? You are in for a treat! Stop by and visit with Margi and she will explain the different cheeses. One of the nicest things about a farmers market is visiting with the makers!
Good morning from the Monterey Farmers Market at the Del Monte Shopping Center! We are glad to welcome back Coastal View Farms with their organic asparagus.
The market is open until noon—lots of free parking and easy access!
Good morning from the Monterey Farmers Market at the Del Monte Shopping Center! We are glad to welcome back Coastal View Farms with their organic asparagus.
The market is open until noon—lots of free parking and easy access!