September 14, 2008, LAND PARK, SACRAMENTO . . . All I wanted to do was lie in bed and read the Sunday paper, but my husband had other ideas. Hey, it's not what you think. He wanted me to get up, get dressed and walk down to the Land Park Farmer's Market. "Think of all the fresh produce we can sample," he said. I didn't put down the paper. "Think of spending some quality time with your husband." Yawn. Stretch. Then he pulled out the the big guns: "Think about the blog you could write."
I was out of bed and dressed faster than you could say, "Are you bringing your camera?"
We walked up Muir Way, hung a left at Broadway and headed north down 8th Street to the tents, cars and people -- my goodness, there were a lot of people -- under what the helicopter guy on the radio used to call the "W / X Freeway," but today is known as Business 80.
Darting through the parked cars, we came upon a truck sporting two bumper stickers, side by side. They were both of the crossed-ribbon logo variety. One read: "Support Our Troops," and the other: "Support Lap Dances." I suppose there's a message there, but I don't know what it is.
We were on a hunt for the Watanabe Farms booth to buy heirloom and plum tomatoes. Watanabe Farms sells tomatoes to The Kitchen, Ella's and The Firehouse, among other notable Sacramento restaurants, and let me tell you, those tomatoes alone are worth the trip.
We met Ann (she's on the right) and several other Watanabes. When Ann delivers tomatoes to The Kitchen, she and her employees are always offered dinner. Ann's daughter-in-law said her friends can't understand why in the world anybody would turn down a free dinner at The Kitchen, but then, they aren't enjoying Ann's home-cooked meals.
What does she make? Poke. It's a dish with seaweed, sashimi tuna over sushi seasoned rice (made with vinegar). Mostly every night, the Watanabes enjoy a tomato dish. Here is one of Ann's recipes: slice bread, spread with garlic and butter, then toast in the oven. Top with tomatos, avocados, mayonnaise and sliced onion.
Next stop was the Spring Hill Cheese booth. Spring Hill is based in Petaluma, but the owners quickly grew tired of getting up at 4 AM and driving two hours to Sacramento, so they hired a sales team from Sacramento to help out. Laurelle Pankey (above) supplied us with generous taste portions of jack cheese, both in a very mild flavor and smoked.
I think smoked is good in small quantities, but the mild jack melted in my mouth. Smooth and creamy. Our cats would really love this cheese. Every morning, my husband makes toast, tops it with sliced cheese and melts the concoction for a few minutes in the microwave. The cats sit on the floor and scream for treats, which my husband obliges and encourages by dropping small bits of cheese on the floor. All except one turn up their noses at the smoked variety. Oh, well, more cheese for me.
You can buy almost anything organic and deliciously edible at the Farmer's Market. From fresh produce such as lettuce, eggplant, beansprouts, strawberries, corn, jalapenos, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, sage, cilantro (I love the scent of cilantro -- somebody should bottle that as a perfume), to peanuts, fish (wild, line-caught salmon), beef, honey and even plants and flowers.
Fresh oysters cost $110 for 100 large oysters or $9 per dozen; smaller oysters are much cheaper. If you visit toward the end of the day, you can get even better bargains. But be forewarned, some items sell out fast, so if you wait until 9:30, you might find that what you want is no longer available.
The Land Park Farmers Market (also known as Sacramento Central) is open every Sunday from 8:00 to noon.
Photos: Adam Weintraub
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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Elizabeth
Really; is there any cooler places on Earth than a farmers market and store.
Oh how I would warm up to those folks fast.
Sincerely
Tom BRaatz
Elizabeth - That sounds like a great place! I really like trying new things. Great photos! :)
Elizabeth, just so you know me, I LOVE Farmers Markets. And with you with your camera I am vicariously living greatly with your local one. What a treat. Wish I could reach in your photos and get some of those strawberries. A great post Elizabeth!!
Nice photos and I loved the first paragraph of the blog! It was a great lead-in.
Well, Tom, get your butt in gear and come on out here!
Hi Debi: It's huge, bigger than the Farmers Market in Minneapolis, which is also situated under a similar type of freeway situation.
Hi Gary: How did you know we had strawberries and vanilla ice cream for dessert last night?
HI Barbara: Little slice-of-life things are often called for in blogging, don't you think? Especially when they're funny. My husband makes me laugh all the time.
how fun - those strawberries look WONDERFUL
Elizabeth - You are absolutely right! Great minds do think alike. You and I both provided information on our blogs about the local Farmer's Markets in our town. I love your pictures. It appears the vendors that come to Sunrise Mall on Saturday, migrate to Land Park on Sunday. I recognize some of the faces.
haha... think of the blog you could write. Well, at least we know what really gets your attention on a lazy weekend morning. :) Your farmers market looks like a great place to wander around for a few hours. Those strawberries look deeelicious.
Hi Thesa: The strawberries were very sweet. I might have preferred them pureed into a daiquiri instead of over ice cream, though.
Hi Myrl: I haven't been to the Sunrise Farmers Market. You must get fresher produce then since you get it a day earlier. :)
Hi Jesse: Not much time for wandering around the market on Sundays because I generally do open houses in the afternoon. I actually had been hoping to get in an "after breakfast nap" last Sunday. No such luck. Naps are a luxury these days.
Elizabeth this is a great localism post. I think that we, as a group, are really doing a lot to promote our local areas. Great job.
Absolutely, Fred, I think everybody on Active Rain is doing a bang-up job for Localism.
What a cool place - I'm from Red Bluff and Redding (many years ago) so not far from you. Have you ever heard of the Pike Street Market in Seattle Washington? A fun place similar to yours. Great photos - rich in color!
I just did a post for a farm in my town, should I put (Localism Featured) at the end of my title?
Amber
Gorgeous pictures! Thanks for sharing ...
Elizabeth - what a great post! I felt like I was there with you checking out all the great produce and other fun items too. Thanks for sharing.
Elizabeth: what a good looking Farmer's Market. I don't know if we have them in Mesa....I'll have to check it out. Good way to spend some time with your husband - I like how he manipulated you with the blog idea. So true, isn't it? ;-) Congrats on the gold star.
Hi Jason: Yup, I've been to the Pike Place Market in Seattle and almost got hit in the head by a flying fish. I believe AR bestows the honor of localism featured, though; we can't do it ourselves.
Hi Pippa: Thanks for checking in.
Hi Teri: You got a gold star, too, I see. Congratulations on yours! (Husbands, when they know you well enough, know exactly how to manipulate; but honestly, I think we are better at it.)
What a delightful Localism post! I love Farmer's markets, especially when organic produce is available.
FANTASTIC POST!! The pics are making my mouth water. I LOVE spending Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market. GREAT JOB & GBU!
When I first saw the title out of the corner of my skimming eye, I thought, "oysters, peanuts and cheese" EWWW if they're together. Separately, great and YUMMY! That is an awesome farmers market. There is one here in Lake Arrowhead but they don't have oysters and cheese! I wish we had that.
Elizabeth ... thanks for your article. The Land Park Farmers Market at Sacramento looks like a fun place to be. Best wishes. Harrison
Thanks, Lola. You know, when I was a kid, like around 5 or 6, my father nicknamed me Lola. From the movie Damn Yankees.
Hi Elizabeth: Bet your father never called you Lola! What's a GBU?
Hi Amy: Yeah, oysters, peanuts and cheese does sound weird, but you know what? I bet a chef could make that combo appealing!
Hi Harrison: If you're ever around "these here parts," stop by.
This place looks awesome! Thanks for the post!
Hi C. Ana: Why, thank YOU, too.