October 22, 2023

Sunday mornings are always a highlight of my week. I love waking up, grabbing my tote bag and walking to the farmers’ market with my sister. Not only are farmers’ markets so cute and colorful, with rows of beautiful flowers and produce, but they have a powerful and positive effect on our communities. 

One of the reasons that I absolutely adore L.A. farmers’ markets is because their food is grown locally from small California farms within a 200-mile radius. By supporting these nearby farms rather than buying your produce from grocery stores, you are reducing your carbon footprint because the fruits and veggies have a shorter commute. There is less food waste because most of the food didn’t have the chance to rot during transportation. Your food is also a lot fresher, seasonal and usually organically grown, meaning that it is free from pesticides that hurt your health and the environment. Farmers’ markets, with their many locations, increase the accessibility of this unprocessed, natural produce to all communities, including those with limited availability to healthy food options.

Another reason to buy from farmers’ markets is because you have the opportunity to support the talented farm workers who grow your food. As large corporations have monopolized the agricultural sector, small farmers have been struggling to keep afloat. You can economically support these farmers at farmers’ markets because they get a higher percentage of the profits there. It is important to support your community and appreciate the people that grow your food.

One of my favorite farms located just north of Los Angeles is Apricot Lane Farms. They sell at the Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks, Mar Vista and Ventura farmers markets. What is amazing about this farm in particular is that they rely solely on biodiversity and a balance of organisms to control their farm instead of chemicals. Rather than using pesticides to get rid of, for example, the snails that were eating their lemon trees, they had the ducks eat the snails. The duck manure also fertilized the soil so the trees can grow stronger. It’s sustainable and results in crops and products filled with nutrition. In my opinion, they have the largest, sweetest berries that are unmatched by others.

Another Los Angeles family farm that I want to highlight is Fungi Valley. Their growing facility is in downtown LA, and they specialize in unique types of mushrooms. Three of their mushrooms that I love are the pink oyster mushroom, the king trumpet mushroom and the lion’s mane mushroom. These mushrooms can perfectly replace meat in vegetarian meals with their chewy, tender textures. The pink oyster has a pork or umami-like flavor, the king trumpet is buttery and can taste like scallops and the lion’s mane has a crab-like taste. Many of their mushrooms also have health benefits like improving brain function and immunity.

The last family farm that I would like to discuss is Arnett Farms. This farm is located in Fresno and grows everything sustainably. They use dry farming in the winter and canal water in the summer to reduce their water footprint. They also use seaweed fertilizer and compost their leftover crops to fertilize their crops instead of using chemicals. They are known for their juicy and fresh stone fruit such as their nectarines, plums, persimmons and cherriums (cherry and plum mix), but they also have amazing apples, oranges, nut butters and jams. 

You should definitely check out the three farms above as I love their special products and practices. I also recommend looking online for your local farmers’ market’s location and time. I hope that my favorite Sunday activity soon becomes yours too.