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!
Cornbread is an all-American bread, tracing its humble roots back to the days of the early settlers. When the first colonists arrived in North America, wheat flour was unavailable and they had to turn to local resources to make their bread. Corn was one of the first crops to be grown by the Native Americans,...{ Continue Reading }
The Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College has launched a new Cookbook Exchange program. While the “leave-a-book, take-a-book” concept is nothing new (in fact, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie is credited with the concept of a book exchange movement at the turn of the last century), we hope that our Cookbook Exchange will serve as a place...{ Continue Reading }
I was a latecomer to the galette. Not quite a pie, and not quite a tart, this open-face pastry consists of a pie crust pastry, a layer of fruit, with the edges of the crust folded roughly around the filling. As a classically trained pastry chef, it didn’t appeal to my sensibilities. I’m convinced most...{ Continue Reading }
Crabapples remind me of the “Lemon Tree” folk song by Peter, Paul, and Mary. For those too young to remember, the lyrics went — “Lemon tree, very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.” The same can be said for crabapples. Sometimes called...{ Continue Reading }
Fresh jujubes (pronounced joo-joob) are stone fruits about the size of small dates with a spongy texture and mild apple flavor. The taste ranges from mildly sweet-tart to sweet. Under-ripe fruit can taste chalky or floury, but jujubes gradually become sweeter as they mature. Despite their thick skin, the skin is edible, albeit a bit...{ Continue Reading }
Gazpacho immediately comes to mind when the late summer harvests of ripe dry-farmed tomatoes, colorful peppers, and herbs are available in an abundance farmers’ markets. Originally a popular soup from the Andalusia region of Spain, ‘gazpacho’ has become a generic term for any cold soup served cold that has a vegetable or fruit base. My...{ Continue Reading }
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!
The Aptos Farmers Market Cookbook Exchange returns! Need to downsize your cookbook collection? Bring your extra cookbooks to the farmers market information booth. If you see another book that you like, help yourself!
The Aptos Farmers Market Cookbook Exchange returns! Need to downsize your cookbook collection? Bring your extra cookbooks to the farmers market information booth. If you see another book that you like, help yourself!
Have you tried the lemon infused olive oil from Belle Farms? We can’t think of a better drizzle for broiling fresh fish, roasting asparagus or broccoli, or using in a dressing for a spring salad! Did you know that olive oil is also great for baking cakes?
Be sure to check out Belle Farms award-winning extra virgin olive oil too. We’ve lost count of how many years in a row they have come home with a gold medal from the prestigious New York competition for the best olive oils in the world!
Have you tried the lemon infused olive oil from Belle Farms? We can’t think of a better drizzle for broiling fresh fish, roasting asparagus or broccoli, or using in a dressing for a spring salad! Did you know that olive oil is also great for baking cakes?
Be sure to check out Belle Farms award-winning extra virgin olive oil too. We’ve lost count of how many years in a row they have come home with a gold medal from the prestigious New York competition for the best olive oils in the world!
Who can resist these incredible periwinkle blue hydrangeas at McCahon Floral? Arrange the pots in a basket to enjoy indoors for a few days, then plant outdoors in your garden. Hydrangeas are easy to grow and do well in our marine climate.
The Monterey Farmers Market is open till noon at the Del Monte Shopping Center.
Who can resist these incredible periwinkle blue hydrangeas at McCahon Floral? Arrange the pots in a basket to enjoy indoors for a few days, then plant outdoors in your garden. Hydrangeas are easy to grow and do well in our marine climate.
The Monterey Farmers Market is open till noon at the Del Monte Shopping Center.
Look who is back…Blue Heron Farms! Spring is extra special to us. We love when our farmers return to the markets and we have ‘the family’ together again! It might be a slower start this year due to the extra rainfall (which is both a good thing and a disruptive thing for some) but we are grateful for the water.
The farmers market will be open until noon today. Come by and stock up for the wet weekend. Don’t forget—the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College is open tomorrow from 8 am until noon, rain or shine.
Look who is back…Blue Heron Farms! Spring is extra special to us. We love when our farmers return to the markets and we have ‘the family’ together again! It might be a slower start this year due to the extra rainfall (which is both a good thing and a disruptive thing for some) but we are grateful for the water.
The farmers market will be open until noon today. Come by and stock up for the wet weekend. Don’t forget—the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College is open tomorrow from 8 am until noon, rain or shine.
Good morning from the Monterey Farmers Market at the Del Monte Shopping Center! We love the charming displays by Donna Dirt Farm—this week she is featuring fresh culinary herbs, perfect for adding to salads, salad dressings, or soup. Yep…it’s still soup weather! Mother Nature tried to fool us a little with a few sunny days this past week 😵💫. But this rainy weekend will be perfect for a hearty pot of soup — and using fresh spring herbs will make it all the better.
Need a new soup recipe? Visit our companion website at www.edibleparadise.com for delicious recipes. (See clickable link in bio.)
Good morning from the Monterey Farmers Market at the Del Monte Shopping Center! We love the charming displays by Donna Dirt Farm—this week she is featuring fresh culinary herbs, perfect for adding to salads, salad dressings, or soup. Yep…it’s still soup weather! Mother Nature tried to fool us a little with a few sunny days this past week 😵💫. But this rainy weekend will be perfect for a hearty pot of soup — and using fresh spring herbs will make it all the better.
Need a new soup recipe? Visit our companion website at www.edibleparadise.com for delicious recipes. (See clickable link in bio.)
New product spotted at Lavender Creek Company—Lavender Matcha Bath Salts Soak! If you haven’t discovered these folks yet, stop by and check out their line of self-care products made with locally grown lavender.
The Aptos Farmers Market is open until noon today—it’s sunny and beautiful!
New product spotted at Lavender Creek Company—Lavender Matcha Bath Salts Soak! If you haven’t discovered these folks yet, stop by and check out their line of self-care products made with locally grown lavender.
The Aptos Farmers Market is open until noon today—it’s sunny and beautiful!
Welcome back Sandra! Sacred Tree Nursery is back at the Aptos Farmers Markets with olive trees, just in time for spring planting. Feel free to ask questions about best place to plant in your garden, soil requirements, and fertilizing. Olive trees love our Mediterranean climate!
Welcome back Sandra! Sacred Tree Nursery is back at the Aptos Farmers Markets with olive trees, just in time for spring planting. Feel free to ask questions about best place to plant in your garden, soil requirements, and fertilizing. Olive trees love our Mediterranean climate!