New Vendors at the Hillcrest Farmers Market!

There are a few new faces at the Hillcrest Farmers Market that you’ll be seeing each week. From seafood to cheeses these new vendors are sure to satisfy your taste-buds.

Poppa’s Fresh Fish Company, headed by Mark, offers delicious ready-to-eat treats such as shrimp and fish tacos, fresh sea urchins, and homemade ceviche. All prepared food is made with Poppa’s fresh seafood and fresh ingredients from other farmers market vendors. Alongside their prepared food Poppa’s offers fresh, never frozen, fish filleted right before the market. Dedicated to increasing the population of local seafood lovers, Mark is willing to give any market patron a quick tutorial on how to cook any piece of fish and recipes that work well. If you’re looking for a specific piece or type of fish Poppa’s also takes special orders. To learn more about Poppa’s Fresh Fish Company visit their Facebook page!

SonRise Ranch brings free-range chicken, beef, and pork to the Hillcrest Farmers Market. With many cuts available visitors are sure to find what they want. All the beef products have been one-hundred percent grass-fed from start to finish and all products have no antibiotics or hormones. The ranch prides itself on its self-sustaining, rotational feeding model where the different animals are put to roam at varying times in the same pastures.

TASTE Artisan Cheese will be providing the Hillcrest Farmers Market with an assortment of cheeses each week. Mary, who runs the booth, warns not to come expecting a certain cheese as the product offering will change each week. To see what cheeses will be offered each week join the TASTE mailing list on their website. The two cheeses that Mary does promise to have in stock every week are ricotta and burrata. Wondering how you will get your cheese before it sells out and needing time to shop further at the market? No worries, TASTE provides a “Park your Cheese” service where they will keep your purchased cheese cool until you have finished the rest of your shopping.

Make sure you visit these and all the other vendors at the Hillcrest Farmers Market each Sunday from 9am-2pm!

Hillcrest Streetcar Proposals

The Hillcrest Farmers Market welcomed a group of UCSD Urban Studies students this past Sunday in order to hear proposals of bringing a streetcar to the Hillcrest area. With their presentation set up along the walkway in front of the information booth plenty of market patrons stopped to hear about what a streetcar could bring to the the neighborhood. Alleviating traffic and parking issues, allowing for a convenient way to reach downtown, and adding some interest to the area were all cited as some reasons why a streetcar could be beneficial to Hillcrest.

While parents looked at the students' research, children were able to create pictures and drawings of what they thought the streetcar design should look like.

Check out upcoming Holiday events occuring at the Hillcrest Farmers Market at: www.HillcrestFarmersMarket.com!

Visiting Chef Series at the Hillcrest Farmers Market

The Visiting Chef Series appeared once again at the Hillcrest Farmers Market with Chef Jeff Rossman from Terra. Using fresh ingredients all found at the farmers market Chef Rossman cooked up some goat-cheese grits topped with fresh veggies, a dish that received rave reviews from all market patrons who attended the event.

See when the next Visiting Chef will be at the Hillcrest Farmers Market by checking back at HillcrestFarmersMarket.com!

Sunday, November 14th

With the beautiful weather this past Sunday, November 14th, it was definitely not feeling like fall at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. The nice weather encouraged the imaginations of visitors at the information booth who used various arts and craft supplies to make terrific creations. From paper cup jelly fist, to paper bag chickens, to pipe cleaner jewelry, arts and crafts were again a huge hit at the market.

Stay updated on upcoming holiday events occurring at the Hillcrest Farmers market by checking HillcrestFarmersMarket.com

The Hillcrest Farmers Market was back at it with arts and crafts this past Sunday. Creepy crawly bugs overtook the information booth as an abundance of spiders, caterpillars, and butterflies were crafted from popsicle sticks, paper cups, and pipe cleaners. Both children and parents alike took part in the crafting creating small bug-families to take home and play with!

Keep up to date with everything Hillcrest Farmers Market related at hillcrestfarmersmarket.com!

Halloween at the Hillcrest Farmers Market

Halloween was in full-swing at the Hillcrest Farmers Market this past Sunday. With costumed patrons strolling through the market, the Halloween spirit was felt early.

For those who didn't come decked out in their costumes, the information booth was equipped with resident face-painter, Carlos. Many faces were painted to complement costumes and were intended to be worn later in the evening. Witches, Frankensteins, lions, and other miscellaneous faces were seen walking away from the info booth. While waiting for their faces to be painted, many visitors fashioned a trick-or-treat bag they were able to use in the market-wide trick-or-treat. With a wide variety of vendors participating trick-or-treaters were able to garner treats ranging from the standard Halloween candy, to seed packets, to mini pumpkins.

For everything Hillcrest Farmers Market related be sure to visit www.hillcrestfarmersmarket.com

Plenty of patrons came out the Hillcrest Farmers Market last Sunday to get their jack-o-lanterns ready for Halloween and to take advantage of the availability of new seasonal veggies that are appearing as the fall and winter months are approaching.

Rey River Farms displayed their pumpkins at the information booth for market-goers to

purchase and then carve for free. Many took advantage of the carving tools provided and the promise of

provided clean-up to carve some elaborate jack-o-lanterns. While some templates were used many pumpkin-artists decided to use their imaginations and free-hand their carvings. There was plenty

of fun and mess to go around and for a few it was their first pumpkin carving experience.

Fall and winter vegetables are making their way into the stalls at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. Suzie's Farm will be offering broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, a variety of beans, kale, and beets. Along with many of the same veggies, J.R. Organics also has winter squash, okra, ornamental pumpkins, tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and a variety of root vegetables on display.

With produce changing often, be sure to visit all of the Hillcrest Farmers Market vendors to get the most this season has to offer!

The seasons are a-changin' at the Hillcrest Farmers Market which means so are the fruits that vendors can offer. With the summer fruits on the way out, vendors like Sweet Tree Farms, Koral's Tropical Fruit Farm, and Creekside Tropicals will now begin to provide fall and winter season fruits.

Sweet Tree Farms, headed up by Annie, is offering the last of their yellow peach and white nectarine selection but getting excited about new offerings they will stock. Asian pears made their appearance about a month ago while it was the first week for the pink lady apple. Also be sure to look out for the coming of persimmons, pineapple guava, and grapefruits.

Barry Koral with Koral's Tropical Fruit Farm aims to provide Hillcrest Farmers Market patrons with the best information regarding the produce, its nutrition, and preparation. Within the next few weeks Koral's Farm will be offering blood oranges, passion fruits, navel oranges, tangelos, guavas, and three types of persimmons.

Creekside Tropicals offers some of the more unique fruits at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. Dragonfruit (also known as Pitaya) will be available until December. Strawberry guavas (which are a tart version of the Mexican guava) are available and are perfect for salads, dressings, or smoothies. If you would like an unique decorative piece of fruit, Creekside Tropicals also offers Buddah's Hand (pictured) which looks like a cross between a lemon and an octopus.

Sunday morning at 9am – perfect time for a nice cup of coffee. At the Hillcrest Farmers Market you can find two coffee vendors that can provide you with a delicious cup-o'-joe made just to your specifications.

Divine Madman coffee began as the retirement project of owner RobinSherman. Robin takes a considerable amount of care in her product, roasting apound of coffee at a time and ensuring that all the beans are organic and fair-trade. Divine Madman offers coffee from each of the four coffee regions: Brazil, Asia, Africa, and Central/South America. If you still need some specialization Divine Madman will custom roast beans to your specification. For the brave or experimental, Divine Madman offer Kopi Luwak. What is Kopi Luwak you ask? Well, the coffee berry is a sweet treat for the Palm Civit (a cat-sized mammal) which makes up a large part of their diets. Although the outer part of the coffee cherry is digested, the harder, inner bean is not. These beans are gathered "later" and sold as some of the most expensive coffee. DivineMadman only sample Kopi Luwak at the Hillcrest Farmers Market and it is available to you at the discounted price of $300/lb.

Many San Diegans are familiar with the boxy-orange Joes on the Nose mobile coffee truck. Parked each Sunday at the Hillcrest Farmers Market Joes on the Nose offers patrons a surf-themed, tropical experience. Touted as a “full- beverage service” Joes offers drinks made with organic chocolate and coffee (which is also fair-trade). Joes on the Nose has been with the Hillcrest Farmers Market for almost two years, be sure to stop by in November to wish them a happy Hillcrest Farmers Market birthday!

The Hillcrest Farmers Market continually strives to provide its patrons with distinctive vendors. Some of the newest vendors show the uniqueness of the Hillcrest Farmers Market with their dedication to being green, healthy, innovative, and homemade.

Treats of Eden brings yummy snacks to the Hillcrest Farmers Market. You can snack on Janice's offerings all you want without the guilt because Treats of Eden's products are vegan, sugar free, gluten free, unprocessed, and raw. To see feedback about their delicioius snacks check out some of the reviews on their Facebook page.

If you're in need of mustard be sure to head over to the SoNo Trading Company booth. With eight homemade mustard varieties and special flavors that pop up around the holidays, all of your taste buds will be pleased. When you visit SoNo be sure to grab a freshly made sandwich comprised of local grass-fed meat, market veggies, and cheese along with a jar of your favorite flavor of mustard.

Mark and Rebecca with Happy Pantry have been on site with their unique offering of pickled and canned items. Happy Pantry offerings will be changing based on product availability and Mark's desire of what to try and can next. In the upcoming weeks be on the lookout for local tuna and Mark's favorite "Mean Beans," which are green beens pickled with dill and cayenne pepper.

If you need something to wash down all the food you've been eating at the Hillcrest Farmers Market, visit Brandon with Earth Water. With 273 dissolvable minerals and an alkaline level of 7.7 Earth Water is some of the best stuff around. Additionally, the water bottle is fully biodegradable and will break down within one to five years.

Be sure to visit these new vendors as well as keep your eyes open for new booths!

There are a few vendor faces at the Hillcrest Farmers Market that you may not have seen for a while. Some of our seasonal vendors have reappeared are are ready for business!

One of the seasonal vendors back in action is Jarret from Bristol Bay Salmon Company. To the pleasure of many of the market's patrons, Jarret is back from his annual two month salmon fishing excursion with plenty of salmon for us all! Although he's back for awhile be sure to stock up for all your salmon needs because come June Bristol Bay Salmon Company will be off in search of King Salmon and will not be returning until after August when all their stock of Coho Salmon has been caught. To learn more about Bristol Bay Salmon Company (and to get some great recipes) check out their website.

Another exciting seasonal vendor is Tom King Farms owned by Dennis Stowell. He brings some of the freshest and unique products to the Hillcrest Farmers Market. He is currently supplying warm crops, like his famous heirloom tomatoes and a variety of melons. For more information about Dennis and Tom King Farms visit their website.

Finally, Andrea with Morocco Gold Dates has reappeared with her booth stocked full of Medjool Dates. She's present at the Hillcrest Farmers Market September through May so make a date and get your fill!

Many of our younger Hillcrest Farmers Market patrons were thrilled to see another arts and crafts project offered at the market, where the crafty visitors were welcomed to the information booth to create paper bag puppets. After some initial confusion about the logistics of the puppets, imaginations ran wild and foxes, aliens, bears, and puppet people started coming to life!




Upcoming Events:

September 26th: The Visiting Chef Series welcomes Frankie Terzoli from the Big Easy who will provide a live cooking demonstration in the heart of the market from 1-2pm.

October 3rd: Come meet and discuss the issues with Councilmember Todd Gloria while the information booth hosts Coffee with your Councilmember from 9:30-11:00am.

October 10th: To celebrate Columbus Day, boats will be crafted and "sailed" across the sea!

Be sure to stay current with our upcoming events by checking www.hillcrestfarmersmarket.com

This past Sunday at the Hillcrest Farmers Market artist Devon Browning created a captivating portrait, encouraging many market-goers to stop and admire her progress. Taking time to converse with aspiring artists who visited the information booth Devon discussed her technique and the inspirations for her pieces. Although the piece was not completed by the end of the Market-day it was off to a beautiful start. When she's not entertaining HIllcrest Farmers Market patrons Devon offers private art lessons. For contact information and to see more of her work visit her website at www.devonbrowning.com.

Make sure you check out www.hillcrestfarmersmarket.com for the next Artist at the Market series as well as all of our upcoming events.

There were sightings of superheroes, army-men, wild animals, and a few imaginary creatures at the Hillcrest Farmers Market this past Labor Day weekend. With Face Painting by Carlos making a reappearance at the information booth, Sunday, September 5th was a fun and creative day. With an ever-present line Carlos produced a non-stop stream of
Spider Men, butterflies, Iron Men, dinosaurs, jungle animals, and various other portrayals. Many market patrons expressed that the only reason for their visit was to get their faces painted for the holiday!

Look for Carlos in the upcoming weeks at the Hillcrest Farmers Market, until then he is available for parties and other gatherings. Contact the Hillcrest Business Association for more information.


Upcoming Events:

September 12th: Artist at the Market, Devon Browning, will be creating a live-art piece inspired by the Hillcrest Farmers Market from 9am-2pm.

September 19th: Arts & crafts returns with the creation of paper-bag puppets!

Visiting Chef Series at the Hillcrest Farmers Market

The Visiting Chef Series returned in full force Sunday, August 29th, with Rashida McElve from Edgy Edibles. Seating was limited as the demonstration began on how to make a watermelon and cilantro salad. The audience and passersby were able to taste how a few simple ingredients can make a delicious and refreshing dish.

After the salad-making demonstration was complete, Chef Rashida disclosed to the audience how to sculpt a watermelon basket--perfect for serving the salad she just made.

To learn more about Edgy Edibles or contact Chef Rashida visit www.edgyedibles.com





Upcoming Events:

September 5th: To celebrate the Labor Day weekend the Hillcrest Farmers Market welcomes back Face Painting by Carlos.

September 12th: Artist at the Market, Devon Browning, will be creating a live art piece from 9am-2pm. Stop by to see how the Hillcrest Farmers Market inspires art!

September 19th: Arts & crafts at the market!

It was HOT at the Hillcrest Farmers Market Sunday, August 22^nd. To combat the heat and make market-goers a bit more comfortable a cool arts and crafts project was offered at the information booth. Fan making was a big hit with visitors of all ages stopping by to create a fan to try and keep the heat at bay. With three types of fans, glue, markers, and glitter the final creations were not only practical but elaborate.

Upcoming Events:

August 29^th: The Visiting Chef Series returns with Rashida McElve from Edgy Edibles who will create a cool watermelon and cilantro salad. Join us in the heart of the market from 1-2pm to watch her demonstration.

September 5^th: The Hillcrest Farmers Market will celebrate the long weekend with Face Painting by Carlos.

September 12^th: Artist at the Market, Devon Browning, will be creating a live art piece inspired by the market at the information booth from 9am-2pm.