Local flavor blossoms at farmers’ markets

What’s fresh and green and fun all over? Farmers’ markets, of course—and the 3^rd District is bursting with them. No longer just a place to find the makings for a locally-grown dinner, a thriving market is now a scene unto itself, complete with music, chatting, sampling, strolling and world-class people-watching.

Los Angeles is home to the largest concentration of certified farmers’ markets in the state, according to the county Agricultural Commissioner, which inspects the markets to ensure that all the produce is California-grown and being sold directly by the grower or grower’s representative. (That’s what makes it a “certified” market.) From the half-dozen certified markets that began in 1979, the county now boasts 124. Here’s a rundown on all of them, complete with times and locations. And if you’re inclined to explore the 31 markets located in our district, this list will get you started.

One of the biggest and best-known on anybody’s market list is the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, which comes to life every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ivar and Selma avenues, just off Hollywood Boulevard. Serving a diverse clientele, the market is as much a celebration of community as a destination for gourmet locavores seeking out the finest in heirloom tomatoes or French green beans.

Photographer Tali Stolzenberg-Myers spent a recent Sunday at the market. This gallery offers a taste of what she found.

Photos by Tali Stolzenberg-Myers

Posted 7/28/10