The Tustin Certified Farmers Market

Wednesday might just be my favorite weekday. Old Town Tustin has its weekly certified farmers market which is located on El Camino and 3^rd street. The market opens at 9:00am and goes until around 1:00pm. Since having a baby, I’ve made the switch to organic vs. conventional food for good. I’ve been interested in buying locally for a while now, but have really gotten into eating locally a couple years ago after reading Barbara Kingsolver’s ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle’. Living in Orange County, there isn’t much we can’t grow here. We’re blessed with great soil and even better weather for which to grow things! I’m a Tustin local, so I usually strap my baby into his stroller and walk to the farmer’s market, reusable bags in tow.

The Tustin Certified Farmers Market sells both organic and conventional goods. Some of the organic veggies are grown as close as Irvine. The majority of produce comes from the Inland Empire and some of the more specialized goods (such as mushrooms and eggs) come from farther up the coast. Lilly’s Eggs come from Santa Barbara and Mycality Mushrooms come all the way from Humboldt. If you’re like me, and you would like to try to grow some of your own local organic veggies, you’re in luck because you can buy some seedlings and mature plants there! You can even purchase fresh cut flowers if you haven’t quite got a green thumb.

If walking around smelling and sampling all this food works up an appetite, or you’re trying to mark that errand off your list on your lunch break, you can always grab a meal while you’re at it. There are food trucks parked in the parking lot on 3^rd street if you want to try something new. Some of the trucks I’ve spied the past few weeks include Viking (sausages), The Flip Truck (sliders), Bacon Mania (need I elaborate?) and Mun-Chee (grilled cheese, etc.). If you’re in the mood for something a little less greasy, you can get some kettle corn, fresh baked bread, or steamed tamales from the booths in the market area. The whole party is spiced up with some live music by way (usually) of a dude and his guitar.

If you’ve never checked out the farmers market, you may think that all of these awesome organic fresh picked items are costly, but I find the prices comparable if not cheaper than the supermarket. This week, I brought $20.00 with me and got a pound of Brussels sprouts, a bunch of carrots, a bunch of ruby red chard, four Japanese yams, a pound of snap peas, half a pound of shitake mushrooms and seven pink lady apples. I had a lovely walk in warm weather and all of my items purchased were certified organic and picked ripe! I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Wednesday morning.

You can find a farmers market close to you, or on a day you’re available by looking at this guide.

Resources:

www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/

www.orangecounty.net/html/shop-produce.html

www.localharvest.org/tustin-certified-farmers-market-M32296