Finds at the Farmers Market: Pick your produce and eat lunch, too

Ventura Downtown CFM
Saturdays 8:30 a.m.-noon
East Santa Clara
at South Palm streets

Ojai CFM
Sundays 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
300 E. Matilija St.


Kettle corn and Easter lilies scented the air. Banjos and African drums made rhythmic notes that bonnet-bedecked children couldn’t help but wiggle to. But the real showcases at any farmers market are the local fruits and vegetables abundantly arranged in colorful arrays that Cézanne himself would envy.

This season, markets are bursting with strawberries, tiny tender spears of asparagus, fuzzy pods of fava beans and jewel-toned bouquets of ranunculus.

But what if you want to grab a bite while thumping the melons? What immediately consumable foods are available at the market besides the produce that draws us there?

First, there is a world of samples being offered freely. For those of you who frequent certain food stores solely for the samples (you know who you are), this is for you. Let us playfully term this the Farmers Market amuse-bouche.

At the Ventura market there were handfuls of kettle corn — lightly sweet, salty, crunchy kernels of bliss. Tiny spoon-sized bites of Marcy’s cherry and apple pie were doled out, as well as tastes of Mom’s hummus and guacamole.  

In Ojai, there were endless nibbles of raw chocolate, freshly cracked macadamia nuts, tapenades, cheeses, dangerously wicked caramelized walnuts, cactus and tomatillo salsa, and even a small cup of walnut oil to sip.  

How about beverages? The Ventura market Latte 101 served a mean breve mocha for $3.50. A morning shot of wheatgrass costs $1.50, and a pint of Apple Cherry Pomegranate juice is $3. Ojai offered unique beverages like blood orange juice and pine needle juice ($3) that one of the vendors said is “like drinking lemonade while walking through a pine forest.”  Indeed, it had a sludgy, lightly lemony, astringent flavor that tasted just like a pine forest smells.

Both the Ventura and Ojai markets sell savory and sweet Me Gusta Gourmet Tamales ($3 each), beef, chicken, pork, chili, pineapple or veggie. Between the soft sweet corn wrapping and the plentiful ingredients inside, a person can easily make a meal of one.

For snacking in Ventura, Lemon Zing flavored pistachios ($5 per bag) from the Santa Barbara Pistachio Company hit the spot. They were like the healthier equivalent to vinegar and salt potato chips, and each bite got a little sourer and a touch saltier.  Mom’s Products offered a white bean salad or guacamole for $4 and six-packs of various flatbread pizzas, $5.

In Ojai, we shared a baguette ($1.50) slathered with Mt. Olive Mixed Herb and Tomato Organic Olive Tapenade ($8.50 a jar) and smoked salmon from What a Deal Seafood ($5.12 for one-third of a pound). The tapenade was piquant and rich and the salmon had a lightly smoked, sweet flavor like someone had just smoked it on a cedar plank and glazed it with maple syrup.

We also indulged in fresh curds of cheese ($5 for half a pound) from Ojai’s cheese guru — you’ll recognize him by the triangle of cheese on his head and the shirt that reads “What a friend we have in Cheeses.”  We dipped the chewy delicious curds in some Mt. Olive Organic Pear Butter ($5 per jar) for an out-of-this-world taste explosion. The pear butter had the light grit of pear and the cinnamon and spice combination of unfiltered apple juice — divine!

For Ventura’s dessert, we tried a miniature pineapple upside-down cake from Yankee Doodle Bakery ($2.50). It was a light, fluffy angel food delicacy with a ring of pineapple and a cherry.  

In Ojai, we bought a box of lemon and chocolate cupcakes from Knead Bakery ($12 for four) and some spelt shortbread covered with passion fruit jam and powdered sugar from the Farmer & Cook ($4 for four).  

The cupcakes were dangerous. The lemon had as zesty, lightly tart sour cream icing, and the chocolate was a one-bite-per-day affair — so rich and fudgy and indulgent that I am still recovering!  

The shortbread had the most intriguing texture from the spelt.  It was chewy and its sticky toppings had us licking our fingers like Winnie the Pooh after a dip into the honey pot.

Both markets are a delight to shop at, and Ventura’s is steadily growing. I will say, though, that nothing tops the number of offerings at the Ojai Farmers Market — it’s truly a magical experience! Next time while squeezing the tomatoes, why not take the challenge of creatively combining ingredients on the spot and eating your lunch simultaneously?        

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