B Sweet Dessert Bar | Los Angeles
Let's play a game of "Where's Aimee?" Can you find me in this shot?
Local Spotlight - Poway Farmers Market | Poway, CA
Every Saturday, in the place known as "the city in the country", the streets open up to a world that was intended for a time unknown or forgotten to most; a place where neighbors actually talk without electronic devices, where bright eyed children board a train conducted by kind volunteers and where locals come for everything from decadent French pastries to vegetable smoothies and strawberry kambucha. The Poway Farmers Market has become the best community event of the area and for good reason; worthy of regulars who live close by (like me) or visitors from afar looking for a rare glimpse into a safe spot filled with family centered fun.
Open from 8am - 1pm every Saturday, rain or shine, there are 65 food and produce vendors offering a wide variety of options. My husband and I walk over practically every Saturday morning to get breakfast and fill up on produce and goods for the week. Here is a highlight of some of our favorites...
PRODUCE
Farmer Steve is a great guy who carries a variety of organic produce at very reasonable prices. He always has a story to tell or a word of advice, but most importantly is the only person in the area that sells passion fruit for way less than anyone else in town. I call him my dealer, since passion fruit has become my drug of choice to help satisfy my sweet tooth!
GOODS
The Loose Leaf carries a collection of teas that range from weight loss to energy enhancing based on all natural ingredients. Meghan, the sweet girl at the booth always has samples to try and provides a detailed breakdown of each tea so you make the best choice (my favorites are the Detox and Organic Cacao & Mint). There is also a booth that sells all natural, local honey; Asana Foods carries gluten free granola and chocolate; and Bernardo sells bunches of wild flowers so you can make your own bouquets - most 3 for $10.
YUMMY BITES
We love the food here and find any excuse to grab a bite to eat. Corbin's Q grills mouth watering bbq ribs and tri-tip right in front of you on their outdoor grill cart with their scrumptious homemade sauce, La Creperie crepes are juicy good - I like to get Porky's Favorite with an egg and Colin's go-to is the Mexican food booth with the shrimp ceviche and delicious fish burritos... you really can't go wrong with any of them! I also suggest washing it all down with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice or a bottle of strawberry kambucha!
The Midland Railroad
Finally, the crowning jewel is the Poway Midland Railroad, fully equipped with a small scale platform and ticket office, where for $.50, kids wave to onlookers as they ride around the park while the conductors and attendants run the show. Operating every Saturday from 10am - 3:45pm and Sunday from 11am - 1:45pm, you can ride one of the fully restored trains (steam locomotive, speeder or SF trolley) depending on the week. It's one of those rare occasions where you really feel like you've stepped back in time to a better, slower, safer place.
Hitting the Local Farmers Markets
ONE OF MY FAVORITE STOPS IN ANY CITY IS THE LOCAL FARMERS MARKET. THIS IS WHERE YOU TRULY GET A FEEL FOR THE LOCATION - BY SEEING THE PRODUCE GROWN IN THE REGION, THE TYPE OF FOOD THAT IS SERVED AND THE LOCALS WHO ATTEND. IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO PEOPLE WATCH WHILE EATING DELICIOUS FOOD - MY KIND OF AFTERNOON!
Markets are an easy, fun and cheap way to sightsee. It doesn't take much to make this part of your trip plans, but it does take some organization ahead of time. You can find when and where a local market will be just by doing a quick Google search. Here are some tips to get the best out of your market experience:
- Times and days usually vary, so I will often research all of the locations I want to go to and try to plan my trip around those days. For example, I know that the local farmers market in Jaco, Costa Rica (one of my faves!) is on Friday mornings so I always make sure to get in on Thursday so I don't miss it.
- Markets vary in what type of goods they provide - crafts, clothes, antiques, food, etc., so be sure you know what you're looking for so you don't end up finding a a bunch of old clocks when you really wanted an authentic Mexican taco (yes, we've made that mistake before).
- This is your best opportunity to mingle with locals so be sure to ask questions when you are talking to vendors and fellow shoppers. We usually get some of our best recommendations this way.
- Finally, don't limit your time to only outdoor markets. Grocery stores are amazing cultural experiences too and often have the best prices. You'll usually find the stores that real people go to outside of the touristy parts of town, but the extra trek will be worth it's weight in gold... literally. I never buy my olive oil or pasta in the fancy storefronts on the main drags in Italy, I go to their version of Walmart and stock up to send home in my extra large suitcase!