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!