Once upon a time here in Long Beach, we only had one Farmer’s Market a week: always on Fridays around noon. Fridays were a little late in the week for weekend catering needs, so back then, every Wednesday, I would head to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market at 7AM to get my seasonal produce with other Chefs: Susanne Goin, Mark Peel, Joe Miller, Josiah Citrin, Evan Funke, Ray Garcia, and Rich Mead. That was an 8-hour day, just devoted to driving, purchasing, and properly storing the local produce I needed for the week.
Fast forward to present day: I am happy to say there are 7 Farmer’s Markets here weekly. I personally do all the shopping for Primal Alchemy Catering from these local vendors to stay in touch with the growing seasons. It is a luxury to live in Southern California because we have these markets all year long. If I was living in the Northeast, we would have markets for only 7 months out of the year.
Sometimes I wonder if Southern California even gets a winter. In December of 2024, we still had a wide variety of Heirloom Tomatoes, from both Smith Farms in Orange County and from Tamai Family Farms in Ventura. Currently, we still have plenty of varieties of apples and pears from Ha’s Apple Farm in Tehachapi, and a huge variety of citrus is available from multiple farms. Cara Cara oranges, tangerines, Valencia oranges, Oro Blanco grapefruit, mandarins, and even kumquats may be featured in our seasonal cuisine in the coming months.
Smart Bites, Sharp Parties, Zero Guilt.
Shopping at Farmer’s Markets is especially fun for vegetarians and vegans. From winter to spring, there will be plenty of the Brassica family represented. You will see cheddar orange cauliflower, purple cauliflower, white cauliflower, green cauliflower, Romanesco, broccoli, broccolini, red cabbage, Napa cabbage, kohlrabi, collard greens, Swiss chard and mustards. All of these are great meal supporting characters or could be combined to be the lead in a super veggie plate. Springtime also brings plenty of smaller, faster growing onions. These are found at the market in bunches in either red or white. I love to BBQ them, braise them, put them in soups, or quick pickle them for salads.
One of my favorite items to see as the Spring market emerges is green garlic. It’s baby garlic, not quite formed into segments yet, and it has a delicious flavor that can enhance many dishes. Alternatively, when very plentiful, green garlic can be sliced thin, dried, and ground into a powder to season anything.
On Sundays we have a great local seafood vendor, Wild Local Seafood Co., bringing halibut, hook and line vermillion, ridgeback prawns, black cod, and spiny lobsters to the market. Varieties like these motivate me to cook new dishes that we can present to our clients at Primal Alchemy Catering. Last weekend, I was inspired to make a delightful, low-cost (pan seared) vermillion dish with a kumquat, shallot butter sauce, paired with black lentils & snap peas. What a scrumptious meal! I heard no complaints from my business partner/wife/taste tester, Dana Buchanan.
Kelli Johnson is the market manager for the Harbor Area Farmer’s Markets, and she is always a great resource for discovering who has what product any given week. If I need large quantities or am looking for a specific item, she is my expert.
Our specialty at Primal Alchemy is bringing Farm to Table to all of our events. Whether it be a wedding, a corporate event or other gathering, we can also customize your menu to include gluten free, vegan or other requests.
If you come to the Farmer’s Markets and you happen to see me, I would be happy to introduce you to some of my favorite farmers. Best chance to catch me is on Sunday at 10AM at the Marina Market at 2nd , near PCH. Cheers and good eats!
