LA Farmer’s Market: Fresh Veggies and Mall Fashion

My sister, knowing that I am both a gardening nut and a food snob, suggested that we stop by the LA Farmer’s Market on our way home from the airport. Of course, in LA, “stopping by” anything seems to be a relative term thanks to failed city planning and crazy traffic. An hour later, we finally got to the Farmer’s Market on 3rd and Fairfax.

The LA Farmer’s Market has been around for 74 years. Built on Gilmore Island, which was owned by E.B. Gilmore, the Farmer’s Market started out as a grandiose idea to build lanes of filigree and fluff where artists could sell their creations. But the reality of the depression hit and what it ended up being was a haphazard gathering of wooden stalls and pickup trucks where vegetables and farm goods were sold. In my book, all the best markets need a good few wooden stalls and pick up trucks.

Today, the LA Farmer’s Market is closer to that original idea of filigree and fluff. Only in an LA farmer’s market would you find a Banana Republic and a Sur La Table. But all of that aside, the older part of the market still holds on to much of its rough, tumble and so much fun roots.

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Much of the farmer has gone from the market, but the fresh and delicious food that farmer’s markets always attract has flourished. Tasty treats tempt you as you walk through the stalls. Whether you are looking for gourmet cheese fondue or gratifying Chinese food, there is a place that can satisfy your pallet.

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The LA Farmer’s Market was a fun visit to see a historical location. Maybe it wasn’t Beverly Hills or Santa Monica or any of those other well known Los Angeles locations, but I think that it shows the best cross section of all that LA has to offer.