Start the New Year Right at the Farmers’ Market

By Stella Singer—

Now that the new year is upon us, there is a renewed focus for many of us on health-related goals. Start your year right at the farmers’ market, where you can find plenty of local fruits and veggies and get inspired by the variety of in season produce.

Although the Castro Farmers’ Market is closed for the season, check out the Divisadero Farmers’ Market, which runs at Fell and Baker streets on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm, or the Fillmore Farmers’ Market at O’Farrell and Fillmore streets on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm.

While you’re at the market, grab a head of broccoli to enjoy the essential vitamins, potassium, fiber, and calcium all packed into this one veggie. Broccoli harvested during the cooler months is often sweeter and very tender, so now is a great time to pick some up. At the market you can find broccoli varieties like gai lan, broccolini, and Romanesco, which can be cooked in very different and delicious ways. Look for broccoli with a uniformly green crown without yellow/brown spots or limp stems.

If you want a versatile (and crowd pleasing) companion to broccoli, look no further than potatoes. Potatoes are packed with all sorts of nutrients, especially if cooked with the skin on, and can be prepared countless ways. Fry, boil, bake, or mash them; potatoes can be incorporated into almost any meal. Vendors at the market offer an assortment of potatoes, from classic russets and Yukons, to fingerlings and blue/purple potatoes. Farmers at the market are a great resource if you’re trying to pick the perfect potato, so chat with them to make an informed decision. A good, fresh potato should have a firm texture and no green spots or sprouting. Potatoes at the market are often fresher than at the grocery store since they don’t travel as far to get to your plate.

The season for citrus is here, and, in California, that means a chorus of quintessential, show-stopping fruits, from itty-bitty kumquats, tangy lemons, and red-fleshed blood oranges, to easy-peel mandarins, tart grapefruits, and giant pomelos. The farmers’ market is the perfect place to try something new; maybe you’ll even find your new favorite citrus.

We’re all about pomelos, the gentle giants of the citrus family, this winter. The non-hybrid pomelo is an oldie but a goodie—they’re even known as “ancestor fruit.” Mandarins and lemons are also ancestor fruits. Crosses between these three citrus varieties are the foundation of almost all citrus seen today. For example, pomelos crossed with mandarins give us oranges. Pomelos crossed with oranges give us grapefruit. The old pomelo has been on stage for hundreds of years!

The pomelo is large at first, but, once peeled, the fruit itself is about the same size as a grapefruit. Pomelos can have almost a 1/2-to 3/4-inch-thick rind and pith. They taste similar to grapefruit, but are slightly sweeter. The Oro Blanco, Chandler, and Tahitian are some of the more common pomelo varieties you’ll find at the farmers’ market. When selecting a pomelo at the market, look for heavy fruit without any obvious soft spots or signs of rot. The heavier the juicier! The pomelo is great for snacking, adding to salads, or in a simple cocktail such as the Pomela Paloma.

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Pomelo Paloma

Whether you’re hosting family and friends for dinner or bringing drinks to a cocktail party, PCFMA’s Pomelo Paloma is a perfect make-ahead drink bursting with citrusy flavor. This delicious winter cocktail uses pomelos in their peak season (December through February) and is sure to be a new crowd favorite.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups pomelo juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons water
1 ¼ cups tequila or fresh farmers’ market fruit juice (pomegranate, orange, or lemonade)
1 cup club soda or sparkling water
tajin salt
grapefruit slices or wedges
fresh basil leaves

Prep

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine honey with water. Let simmer until honey is dissolved in the water.

In a large pitcher, combine the pomelo juice, lime juice, simple syrup, tequila, club soda, and stir to combine. If you’d like to make an alcohol-free version, substitute the tequila with some fresh farmers’ market juice. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Fill a small plate with a rim with water. Place a couple of tablespoons of coarse salt and tajin in another dish, stir to mix. Dip each glass into the water and then into the tajin salt, making sure it coats the rim fairly evenly.

Fill glasses with ice and pour the drink into the glasses. Garnish with a citrus wedge or slice and a basil leaf or two.

Stella Singer is a recent UC Berkeley graduate who writes and designs for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association. With a background in environmental journalism and science, she brings a keeninterest in food systems and sustainability to her work.

Farmers’ Market Finds
Published on January 15, 2025