What to Expect at the Market This Summer

Summer officially arrives in a little over one week! It’s time to make summer plans—vacations, camps, reading lists and completely unplanned laid-back beach days. It’s also time to whet your appetite for all the summer produce that will sustain you and your family through the season.

Here is a preview of what some growers will be bringing to the this summer:

Smit Orchards:

It’s always exciting to think about biting into summer’s juicy peaches and nectarines. These stone fruits, said Jason Hunter, will take center stage this summer. In addition, Hunter said shoppers could expect plums, apricots and their hybrid, pluots.

“[We will have] multiple varieties of peaches, a couple varieties of apricots, multiple varieties of cherries–Bing cherries and Rainier cherries,” said Hunter. “And blueberries for another two months.”

In August, Gala apples will be at the market.

Organic Only Farm in Fallbrook:

This organic farm will feature different varieties of all-natural fruits and vegetables.

“We have peaches—white and yellow peaches. We have plums and figs,” said Massey Koshin. Organic Only also started picking blackberries weeks ago. In addition, Koshin showed me the small Persian White mulberry, which they will have for the next month.

“Persian white mulberries are usually very sweet and have a low glycemic sugar index so they don’t affect [people with] diabetes,” Koshin said. “It’s very healthy.”

In terms of vegetables, Koshin said they will be carrying tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and bell peppers.

Kristina’s Farm:

Kristina’s Farm’s owner Kristine Burin has been bringing her produce exclusively to the Leucadia Farmers Market for years because “it’s an excellent market.”

“I grow locally and I grow everything seasonally,” she said. “It’s a small, family farm. I’m a true grower.”

In the summer, Burin will have cucumbers, squash, eggplants, tomatoes and basil. Her mixed salads are one of her best sellers.

While she’s not certified organic, she uses organic practices to grow her fresh produce. “I’m not certified organic but it’s organically grown. You can taste it,” she said.

Trethowan Organics:

five-acre organic farm will be bringing fresh fruits and some vegetables to market this summer. Like most of us who are looking forward to the upcoming season's bounty, Eva Trethowan said, “Summer is awesome!”

“[We will have] peaches and plums mostly,” she said. “Ours are really tiny because ours don’t come from the Central Valley. So it’s like a little tear-dropped shape.”

In addition to those fruits, Trethowan said they will have tiny Asian pears and as she put it, “lovely little apples.” Called the Anna Apple, Trethowan said “it’s like a fairytale apple. And that one grows really nicely because it’s low-chilled.”

Expect to find a little lettuce from the Trethowans, too.