avocados and clementines

You may have guessed from the title that I am in Southern California, not San Francisco this weekend. Yesterday I found myself at the Irvine Farmers Market (near UC Irvine), and it was really awesome. You Orange County readers out there should definitely check this place out if you haven’t yet.

For me, the strangest thing about this excursion was the seasons down here are so different than they are where I live. I haven’t seen berries, summer squash or eggplants in San Francisco for months. But the sweet aroma of ripe strawberries filled the air here in Irvine. I guess it makes sense, since in this neighborhood summer lasts 11 months of the year (Did I mention it was 87 degrees?). Honestly, the warm air and change of scenery was welcome.

Despite these oddities, the normal winter fare was abundant as well. Citrus is thriving, as you might expect in Orange County. There were also plenty of the standard winter greens and squash. Multiple vendors sold specialty eggs, meats and cheeses. And there was no lack of exotic Asian ingredients, which I appreciate.

There were only two things that annoyed me about this market. First, the hours are not nearly long enough, 8am-12pm. I think it would be better for shopper and vendor alike if they stayed open until 2pm. Also, parking was a real pain. Combat both of these problems by going early.

Since I am on vacation I do not have a list of purchases from this trip, but I do have plenty of pictures.

Have you ever been to the Irvine Farmers Market? Any tips or suggestions?