Our Farmer's Market Is Finally Here!

Today Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles Medical Center Farmer's Market made its debut, to a lunchtime crowd of medical staff, nearby employees and members of the community who perused the stalls set up at Barnsdall Park's street level parking lot to enjoy their new weekly market.

In keeping with Kaiser's "Thrive" program, promoting healthier lifestyles, the market features fresh, mostly-organic produce (grown in Southern and Central California), baked goods, flowers, food stalls and live entertainment.
I bought some sweet strawberries ($6 for a 3-pack box), some lettuce and arugula, and lunched on Fijian Soul Food - a tasty fusion of Polynesian, Indian and African American cuisine. East Hollywood seems like the perfect place to have a diverse dish, of course!

The new farmer's market is open year-round every Wednesday from 12 noon to 6 p.m.

Farmer's Market, Highland Park Style

While riding the Gold Line home today I finally got to check out the farmer's market in Highland Park, called the "Old L.A. Certified Farmer's Market," which happens every Tuesday just outside the Highland Park Metro Rail station, an extremely convenient location if there ever was one! Right after stepping off the train, I quickly perused the L-shaped market grounds looking for a bite to eat, and maybe some produce to take home. The fruits looked - and tasted, judging from the sample slices - delicious, but a little pricey for my budget. I did get a jack cheese and pepper tamale from one of the food vendor tents, which was considerably larger than the average tamal.

But I actually spent most of my time there chatting with the community folk at the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council's outreach booth. I asked them about what was up with the Southwest Museum, which, since 2003, has been under the guise of the Autry National Center and currently under seismic renovation. To my surprise, they informed me the museum is actually open, but only on Saturdays. I was also introduced to and had a chat with Ruth Anne Tarletz, a former member of the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council who currently organized a Northeast L.A. area peace march that got a lot of community participation. Guess that's what I do as a community leader -- talk shop with other community leaders.

My train ride continuing back home was an easy few steps away. It may not be as big as the one in Hollywood every Sunday morning - but then again, what farmer's markets are? - but it's definitely worth checking when you're in the area.