Farmer's Market Report: Stone Fruit Season

The peaches and apricots are definitely bigger and more bountiful than a few weeks ago

I've missed the Wednesday Santa Monica farmer's market the last few weeks and had to have my mom pick up my vegetables for me, so I was happy to go to the market yesterday to check out what's new. Going to the farmer's market really gives me a first hand look and taste at what's at peak season so that I know what to order when I go to restaurants (and of course cook at home). Stone fruit season is getting close to reaching its peak with lots of fragrant apricots, peaches and hybrids. I saw a single stand with quite pretty heirloom tomatoes and just a basket or two of cherries, summer squash, peppers and grapes. I think cherries should be next up to reach its peak; I love those short few weeks of great cherries. Tomatoes aren't quite at their best yet, the last few batches of tomatoes that we've gotten from the farmer's market have been a little sour.

I didn't buy a lot because we have dinner plans most of next week, so we just bought some eggs, salad greens (italian mix: my favorite from Maggie's Herb Farm with arugula and radicchio), a bunch of herbs, potatoes and a dozen oysters from Carlsbad Aquafarm, which we had for dinner last night. While they were a good deal at 13 for $10, I was a little disappointed. They were a good size but too briny for me, and we bought what I thought was the less briny version, the Del Sol, which they soak to remove some of the brininess, although they were labeled as Lunas.