The rain has stopped and spring appears to be in the house, lending more appeal to the prospect of making weekly trips to the farmers market. Sure, sorting through root crops and salad greens while wearing mittens can be satisfying, but the real delight happens while bagging baby squash and juicy tomatoes in the comfort of shorts and flipflops.
Currently, farmers market shoppers find a tremendous variety of goodies ripe and ready for purchase. Artichokes and cole crops are in full swell, as are arugula, spinach, and avocados. It may be too soon for watermelon, but there are plenty of berries and early apricots to tame a sweet tooth.
To honor Cinco de Mayo and help locals get a jump on the fresh produce habit, Gainey Vineyard will stage its own farmers market, complete with wine tasting! Slated for May 5, the event brings together some of the best and freshest edibles in Santa Barbara County.
Visitors will find everything from organic chocolates to hand-painted gourds. They can also select from tempting displays of cut flowers, gourmet cheeses, local honey, and freshly baked pies.
Ranch of the Oaks, a 20-acre fiber animal farm in Lompoc, will display silky products crafted from alpaca wool, while Jiminez Farms offers fresh lamb and goat meat, and Rancho San Julian sells sustainably raised beef.
The folks behind Santa Ynez Valley Youth Recreation will sell tacos and tri-tip sandwiches, with profits going to support the Santa Ynez candidate for rodeo queen. And for those with a sense of adventure, Solvang Trolley provides lively hayrides through the vineyard.
For produce lovers who’d like to grow their own, Yes Yes Nursery will have a supply of certified organic plant starts, including herbs and vegetables. To give the proceedings a festive touch, Luna Gitana—voted best band in Santa Barbara County five years running—will fill the air with its potent blend of smooth Latin jazz, rock, pop, and dance tunes.
“It’s a fun event!” Diane Connors, special event manager at Gainey Vineyard wrote in an e-mail. “Finley Family Farms lease property right here on the Gainey Ranch for their organic farming operation, and they will be providing the produce. Olive oils and vinegar will be from Olive Hill Farms in Santa Ynez.
“We also have Enjoy Cupcakes coming to offer their wine cupcakes,” she continued, “and Decadence Fine Foods will bring fresh baked breads and rolls.”
The Gainey Vineyard farmers market is open to all, and there’s no charge to attend. There will be wine sampling, as well as wine by the glass, a wonderful way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and the arrival of spring.
For shoppers who can’t always get a local farmers market, the growers at Santa Maria-based Babé Farms offer Farmer’s Garden, a program that brings the market right to their door. Every week, workers fill harvest boxes with just-picked items destined for delivery to local subscribers who agree to buy a portion of their produce each growing season.
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Farmer’s Garden is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that puts fresh picked produce on the table with a minimum of fuss. Subscribers may opt to receive boxes weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly, either by picking them up at one of the convenient drop-off sites, or, for a small fee, having them delivered.
Boasting “Only tomorrow’s harvest is fresher,” the Lundberg family of Babé Farms has been growing specialty vegetables and lettuces since 1986. Today, third-generation farmer Judy Lundberg-Wafer helms the company with such skill that last year she was named Santa Barbara County Farmer of the Year.
Babé Farms, located on 200 acres in the Santa Maria Valley, grows more than 80 different kinds of greenery and loads each harvest box with eight to 10 items.
“We have a wider variety of specialty items that we are able to supply,” Judy Lundberg said, “so the program is no longer seasonal, it runs year round!
“We have around 120 employees,” she continued, “and many of them have worked for Babé Farms since the beginning of the company 25 years ago. All are full-time employees, not seasonal workers.”
Nutritious and tasty treats may include bok choy, crisp lettuce, colorful baby carrots, and baby cauliflower in delicate shades of yellow, green, and purple.
In season, look for artichokes, beets, cabbage, snow peas, all kinds of squash, and a rainbow of radishes, among other things. More exotic offerings include, kohlrabi, parsley root, fennel, and celery root, all locally grown.
The Farmer’s Garden harvest share boxes come stuffed with seasonal fruit, too, including blueberries, apples, raspberries, and strawberries. The quality, variety, and freshness can’t be beat, and the price represents a substantial savings over store-bought equivalents, when and if they can be found.
Despite the non-flipflops weather, workers have been tending their fields and reaping a bounty of goodies. Support local agriculture and eat well in the bargain by heading out to a frmer’s market or signing up for a regular harvest share, courtesy of Santa Barbara County’s hardworking growers.
K. Reka Badger’s likes her veggies with flipflops. E-mail her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in May 5-12, 2011.