Central Avenue Farmers' Market

My first market day...it's almost like the first day of school except that I was in charge. Funny how things work. The organization that I work for, Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (or "SEE-LA"), operates seven farmers' markets in Los Angeles, including the popular Sunday Hollywood Farmers' Market (HFM) at Selma & Ivar Avenues--oh, and on August 31 (the Sunday of Labor Day weekend), HFM will be hosting its Annual Peak of the Summer Tomato Fest. Stop by between 9am and noon that day to sample over 30 delicious varieties (mostly, if not all of them heirloom) of tomatoes at the market--and its FREE!

So back to my first (and so far only) market day by myself...Central Avenue Farmers' Market is located just outside of Washington Carver Middle School, in its parking lot at Vernon Ave and McKinley St. Basically it's in South Central Los Angeles. This community is devastatingly low-income and has few outlets for purchasing fresh produce. Mostly families shop here, many of them redeeming their WIC FMNP (Farmers Market Nutrition Program) or EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer fka food stamps) coupons for produce.

The day went pretty smoothly and was a little too quiet for the vendors. Apparently overcast weather may mean rain so people stay in...I can't figure out any other reason. At around noon (market hours: Sat. 8am - 1pm), it started picking up...coincidentally the sun was coming out. The "Ask the Dietician" (they're dieticians or in training to be, and talk about nutrition and prepare a healthy dish) surprised me by arriving a week later than scheduled, wondering where they could set up and whether I had all the items for their demonstration. Hmmm.

That was about as much action as this "sub market manager" got that day--with 7 producers, 3 food vendors, the "Ask the Dietician" program, and a table of WIC representives chatting people up. The community and the patrons were mostly Spanish-speaking and I don't speak it. It was really nice to see some of my former Good Cooking (the cooking and nutrition classes I teach) students still bringing their families to the farmers market. 

Farmers markets are a great thing. The items are so fresh. The farmers, food vendors and artisans work so hard. I hope you all support your local food system by buying at farmers' markets. It's all local to your area and mostly pesticide-free, if not certified organic.