California’s Agricultural Wealth on Display in Its Farmers’ Markets
California is especially blessed with rich soil and that lovely Mediterranean climate with the near-perfect amount of heat and chilling that our agricultural products require.
You might not know that Northern California leads the nation in production of nearly three dozen different commodities, including artichokes, strawberries, peaches, and walnuts. Many products can be found at local farmers’ markets. See http://www.pcfma.com/
Our state offers more than 350 farmers’ markets and many are year-round. With growing interest in healthy eating as advocated by First Lady Michelle Obama, whose position about the importance of healthier food for kids and their families has been highly publicized, community participation in local farmers’ markets is growing.
Buy fresh and buy local. I love that adage because in practice your dollars spent at farmers’ markets or in direct purchases from farms preserves our farmlands, local growers, and small businesses selling locally grown fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts, and citrus.
The Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association has produced a comprehensive listing of agricultural products available in our area for each month of the year. I’ve recapped the list of vegetables here. The fruit and berries will be the subject of a future blog.
Asian Vegetables: January-December
Asparagus: March-June
Beans: January-December
Broccoli: January-December
Brussels sprouts: January-March; September-December
Carrots: January-December
Cauliflower: January-June; October-December
Celery: January-December
Corn: July-September
Cucumber: May-November
Eggplant: May-October
Garlic: January-December
Lettuce: January-December
Mushrooms: January-December
Onions: January-December
Parsnips: January-May; October-December
Peas: April-October
Peppers: May-November
Potatoes: January-December
Spinach: January-December
Squash (summer): May-September
Squash (winter): January-February; October-December
Sweet Potatoes: January; September-December
Tomatoes: May-October
Help preserve California’s rich heritage of plant diversity. Support your local farmers’ market by buying fresh, often just-picked vegetables and fruits, the result of our long growing season and rich soil. You’ll be supporting our state’s farmers and growers.