Bushels of grapes

Sunday October 13, 2013

I love to visiting local farmers markets. A Sunday visit would be a great way to start our vacation week. I find each one very interesting especially exploring the local produce and fruits. I was excited to see what fruits would be available. We had researched before leaving and found the Hillcrest Farmers Market was on Sunday. It was one of the best in the region. Margorie also gave it a recommendation.

We had heard that it might be hard to park. From their website, there is a local trolley that stops at the farmers market which expands the parking to the parking at the local school. It was just a short wait for the trolley. There was parking in the DMV lot next to the market but the trolley was fun and short ride.

The Market was split over two blocks. One block consisted of food vendors. I was almost sorry we had eaten breakfast after the wonderful smells. They were selling everything from African Food to vegan tamales. We did notice an emphasis on vegan and healthy juices which were probably a reflection of the Hillcrest, North Park and Normal Heights local neighborhoods.

The other block were the produce and other food vendors. The tables were filled with tomatoes, salad fixing, squashes and fruit. There were a couple of vendors selling a bit more tropical fruit such as guavas, figs, grapes and mangoes. We picked up some homemade ravioli from Close to Home Pasta , a loaf of bread from Bread & Cie bakery and a mango. The mango was from Mexico and it was outstanding. I asked the vendor to pick out one and we had it for breakfast the next day. Perfect.

We caught the trolley back to the parking lot. The route took us through the Hillcrest business district which I wish we had a chance to explore. Back at the rental, we dropped off our purchases and headed for Sunday in the park.

Beautiful sunny Sunday in San Diego at the Hillcrest Farmers Market

There were lots of fixings for salsa

Guavas and Figs – the scent of the guavas reminded us of Hawaii

Table filled with heirloom tomatoes and squash blossoms.

This vendor was very interesting. She was selling dried aromatic plants that she had collected from her property. They were the scents of the chaparral. The wild aroma of white sage, toyon berries, lichens, manzanita. The sage in particular brought back strong memories of growing up in California.