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Pomegranates

Many scholars believe that the forbidden fruit that Eve could not resist was a pomegranate, not an apple. The name comes from Middle French, pomme garnete, which means ‘seeded apple.’ Whether you enjoy snacking on the tangy, juicy arils (seeds) or sipping a glass of juice, pomegranates are one of the healthiest foods you can eat!

Ruby Jewels of Autumn

Winter Squash

The Fall farmers market is full of colorful displays of many varieties of winter squash in all shapes and sizes — from familiar pumpkins and butternut squash to more exotic items like turban and kabocha squash. Our market chef, Andrew Cohen, shares his tips for selecting the best winter squash.

Fall Harkens Arrival of Winter Squash

Mushrooms

What were once exotic are now commonplace — shiitakes, oysters, cremini, chanterelles, and Portobellos. The Monterey Bay area produces over 200 million pounds of mushrooms per year and is the second largest producer of mushrooms in the US and third in the world. Pennsylvania, where mushroom farming was pioneered, ranks first in the US for mushroom production.

Spore-Powered Superfood

Homemade Apple Pie

The Pajaro Valley, once known as the apple capital of the US, still produces a huge variety of flavorful, heirloom apples. One “secret” our best pie bakers shared is to use a couple of varieties in a pie, such as a combination of Jonagold and Mutsu apples. If you’re looking for a great pie recipe or need a fool-proof pie crust, here’s our best apple pie recipe collection!

Nothing Says “Home” Like Apple Pie

FIGS

California Mission figs are a unique and highly prized variety of figs that are renowned for their rich flavor and succulent texture. They can be enjoyed fresh, straight off the tree, or used in a variety of both sweet and savory dishes. The history of California Mission figs can be traced back to the late 18th century when Franciscan missionaries brought fig cuttings to California as part of their mission to establish agricultural settlements.

AN ANCIENT FRUIT WITH MODERN APPEAL

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!

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Cooking with Fresh Herbs

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...

The Girls are Busy!

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...

Asparagus — Harbinger of Spring

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...

Flavorful Stock — The Base of All Great Soups

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,...

10 Tips for Making Perfect Pie Crust

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...

Cornbread – Made in the USA

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,...

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Meet our newest vendors, Seth and Jack, with Fiji Wild Coffee! The beans are wild sourced and hand-picked in Fiji. Stop by to welcome them to our market and try their coffee.

The Aptos Farmers Market is open today until noon. Hope to see you soon!

#fijiwild #fijiwildcoffee #aptosfarmersmarket

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Meet our newest vendors, Seth and Jack, with Fiji Wild Coffee! The beans are wild sourced and hand-picked in Fiji. Stop by to welcome them to our market and try their coffee.

The Aptos Farmers Market is open today until noon. Hope to see you soon!

#fijiwild #fijiwildcoffee #aptosfarmersmarket

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Good morning from the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College! Something new from Lavender Creek Company—soothing oil based roll-ons! Be sure to stop by the booth to see all of their lavender scented products.

#lavender #lavendercreekcompany #aptosfarmersmarket

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Good morning from the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College! Something new from Lavender Creek Company—soothing oil based roll-ons! Be sure to stop by the booth to see all of their lavender scented products.

#lavender #lavendercreekcompany #aptosfarmersmarket

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Stop by Companion Bakeshop’s booth at the Del Monte Shopping Center and pick up a delightful sweet treat for dessert tonight!

The Monterey Farmers Market is open today until noon. Tomorrow, the Aptos Farmers market at Cabrillo College is open 8 until noon, rain or shine!

#companionbakeshop #montereyfarmersmarket #bakedgoods

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Stop by Companion Bakeshop’s booth at the Del Monte Shopping Center and pick up a delightful sweet treat for dessert tonight!

The Monterey Farmers Market is open today until noon. Tomorrow, the Aptos Farmers market at Cabrillo College is open 8 until noon, rain or shine!

#companionbakeshop #montereyfarmersmarket #bakedgoods

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Whatever you do—don’t miss these beautifully packaged, exquisite chocolates at Qouign’s booth today! Handmade with love and absolutely divine, they make the perfect gift for a special friend… or a well-deserved treat for yourself.

Swing by the Monterey Farmers Market at Del Monte Shopping Center and pick up a box before they’re gone!

💕 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

#ValentinesDay #qouignpastries #chocolate #farmersmarketfinds #montereyfarmetsmarket

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Whatever you do—don’t miss these beautifully packaged, exquisite chocolates at Qouign’s booth today! Handmade with love and absolutely divine, they make the perfect gift for a special friend… or a well-deserved treat for yourself.

Swing by the Monterey Farmers Market at Del Monte Shopping Center and pick up a box before they’re gone!

💕 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

#ValentinesDay #qouignpastries #chocolate #farmersmarketfinds #montereyfarmetsmarket

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Why not give living flowers to your special Valentine? Cavanaugh Color has a wonderful selection available today at the Monterey Farmers Market.

Thank you for supporting our local family farmers. We truly appreciate you! ❤️

#CavanaughColor #montereyfarmersmarket #farmersmarketfinds #plants #garden

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Why not give living flowers to your special Valentine? Cavanaugh Color has a wonderful selection available today at the Monterey Farmers Market.

Thank you for supporting our local family farmers. We truly appreciate you! ❤️

#CavanaughColor #montereyfarmersmarket #farmersmarketfinds #plants #garden

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Who can resist these cheerful early spring flowering plants at Pacific Rare Nursery? Such a nice reminder that spring is just around the corner.

The farmers market is open today, 8 until noon. Come by!

#PacificRareNursery #plants #flowers #montereyfarmersmarket

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Who can resist these cheerful early spring flowering plants at Pacific Rare Nursery? Such a nice reminder that spring is just around the corner.

The farmers market is open today, 8 until noon. Come by!

#PacificRareNursery #plants #flowers #montereyfarmersmarket

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Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️

It’s a beautiful morning at the Monterey Farmers Market at Del Monte Shopping Center, and love is in the air! The festive energy is contagious, especially at Sweet Elena’s Bakery, where these charming Valentine’s cookies are stealing the show. Whether you’re celebrating with a special someone or sharing the love with friends, a sweet treat is always a good idea. 💌

The market is open until 12 noon today!

#ValentinesDay #SweetElenasBakery #FarmersMarketFinds #SpreadTheLove

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Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️

It’s a beautiful morning at the Monterey Farmers Market at Del Monte Shopping Center, and love is in the air! The festive energy is contagious, especially at Sweet Elena’s Bakery, where these charming Valentine’s cookies are stealing the show. Whether you’re celebrating with a special someone or sharing the love with friends, a sweet treat is always a good idea. 💌

The market is open until 12 noon today!

#ValentinesDay #SweetElenasBakery #FarmersMarketFinds #SpreadTheLove

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Guess who is back at the farmers markets—Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery! And look at this impressive selection of artisan cheeses. Stop by their booth to learn more about them and try a sample.

The Monterey Farmers Market is open today until 12. Hope to see you soon!

#goatcheese #rockyoaksgoatcreamery #montereyfarmersmarket #delmonteshoppingcenter

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Guess who is back at the farmers markets—Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery! And look at this impressive selection of artisan cheeses. Stop by their booth to learn more about them and try a sample.

The Monterey Farmers Market is open today until 12. Hope to see you soon!

#goatcheese #rockyoaksgoatcreamery #montereyfarmersmarket #delmonteshoppingcenter

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Flavorful, ripe, hothouse-grown tomatoes are available at Borba Farms today. We are always in awe of what these farmers grow! Who knew we could enjoy locally grown tomatoes in February? 😎

Come by the Monterey Farmers Market at the Del Monte Shopping Center today. We are open until noon.

#borbafarms #organic #tomatoes #montereyfarmersmarket

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Flavorful, ripe, hothouse-grown tomatoes are available at Borba Farms today. We are always in awe of what these farmers grow! Who knew we could enjoy locally grown tomatoes in February? 😎

Come by the Monterey Farmers Market at the Del Monte Shopping Center today. We are open until noon.

#borbafarms #organic #tomatoes #montereyfarmersmarket

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Locally grown organic apples are still available at Prevedelli Farms. This cool, damp weather begs for an apple pie right out of the oven!

You’ll find them today at the Monterey Farmers Market and tomorrow at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College.

#prevedellifarms #apples #montereyfarmersmarket #aptosfarmersmarket

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Locally grown organic apples are still available at Prevedelli Farms. This cool, damp weather begs for an apple pie right out of the oven!

You’ll find them today at the Monterey Farmers Market and tomorrow at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College.

#prevedellifarms #apples #montereyfarmersmarket #aptosfarmersmarket

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Got eggs? Yep, we sure do! You’ll find them today at Spade & Plow Organics at the Monterey Farmers Market.

The farmers market is open until noon today. Come out and get some fresh air!

#delmonteshoppingcenter #spadeandploworganics #montereyfarmersmarket #eggs

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Meet Chef Jonny Black, the talented chef-owner of Chez Noir in Carmel and a dedicated supporter and weekly shopper at our Monterey Farmers Market. We’re thrilled to share that he has been named a semi-finalist for Best Chef: California 2025 by the James Beard Awards! A huge congratulations to Chef Black—this recognition is well deserved, and we couldn’t be more proud!

#cheznoir #chefjonnyblack #jamesbeardawards2025 #montereyfarmersmarket #wherechefsshop #Carmel

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