Good Food’s Weekly Farmers’ Market Digest

Every week Good Food visits the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers’ Market and brings the latest news from farmers and chefs.

Laurel Almerinda is the pastry chef at Cassia and, along with Zoe Nathan, runs the bakeries at Milo & Olive and Huckleberry. This week, she’s shopping for tropical pineapple guavas, from which she makes a special guava butter. You can find her recipe here.

Plus, Market Manager Laura Avery talks to Romeo Coleman of Coleman Family Farms about his pineapple guavas. This week’s crop is his first of the season, with six other varieties coming soon to the market. He recommends that guava be eaten whole—skin, seeds and all—for the full tasting experience.

What You Should Buy This Weekend At the Farmers’ Market:

– The plump and juicy Crimson seedless grapes from Burkart Organics. We are near the end of grape season, so satisfy your grape fix while you still can.

– The Buddha’s Hand from Murray Family Farms kinda looks like Bart Simpson letting his hair grow out. The skin needs to be peeled, but the flesh has the texture and flavor of a lemony jicama.

– Spaghetti squash and butternut squash from Smith Organic Farms.

– Fresh Manteca beans from Two Peas in a Pod. Simply pop the beans out of the pod and boil them in water for about thirty minutes. You can expect a buttery flavor and a creamy texture.

– The Sun dried raisins from Scott Farms spent about ten days laid out and soaking up the sun. The raisins were made from an assortment of all their leftover grapes. Try them as a delicious addition in your morning oatmeal.

– Red Kuri pumpkins and Sugar Pie pumpkins from Tutti Frutti Farms.

– Yali pears from Penryn Orchard Specialties. The Chinese translation means singing bird pears, which gets its name because the stem area resembles the crook of a bird’s neck. As the pears ripen they release essential oils, so the sweeter ones will have a waxier feel.

Recipes for your Market Haul:

Two-Bite Grape Panna Cotta Pies

Toasted Oatmeal Brulee

Pear Clafouti with Pistachios

Shelling Bean Panzanella

Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk, Miso, and Lime

Pumpkin Rolls