Garden Plants | Joy Of Food At Los Altos Market
Everyone heads out to the Mountain View market on Sunday mornings. Run by the California Farmers’ Market Association, it remains the most attended in the Bay Area. But if you haven’t attended its twin in Los Altos on Thursday evenings, you are missing out. It’s run by the same group, and features a mix of fresh produce and food booths so you can enjoy dinner at the market, said Ryan Slover from the Market Association. You’ll find some of your favorites from the Sunday market, as well as some locals that are exclusive to Thursday nights.
“It’s a great opportunity to pick up some local produce mid-week, enjoy dinner, and stroll with the family.” Slover says.
The Thursday night market is seasonal, running from the first week in May through the last week in September. This year, the last market day is on Sept. 29.
Peter Dietzel, another Market Association official, adds that they plan to have several tastings throughout the summer. “Everyone who has gala apples, for example, will enter and we’ll have a panel and judge who has the best.”
If you aren’t an aficionado of farmers’ markets, you can’t get fresher produce than the Los Altos market unless you grow it yourself. Coming from just four miles away, Hidden Villa brings meat, eggs, and a variety of vegetables to the market. They are an educational farm that has day camps for kids, and all of their animals are humanely-raised and slaughtered.
When I ask Aspen Kvicala , the farm’s animal husbandry intern, if Hidden Villa’s chickens are free-range, she laughs. “You bet, because I’m the one who has to herd them up at night and get them inside, and it takes me forever. They’re the happiest chickens I’ve ever seen!” Harvesting their small selection on the day of the market, this is the locavore pick for those who like to eat as close to home as possible.
Most of the farmers come a greater distance to be at the market. Geri Prevedelli-Lathrop and her stepson drive from Watsonville each week. Their family-owned Prevedelli Farms goes back four generations. “While most people think strawberries when they think Watsonville, we have 32 different types of apples alone, plus boysenberries, ollalieberries and pears,” she said.
It’s all not eggs and berries at the market. There are baked goods, bread vendors, falafel stands, chicken, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, shaved ice and Afghan boulani. Local restaurants with stands include the Oaxacan Kitchen and Spot: A Pizza Place.
I am particularly smitten with a booth run by two Mountain View residents: The g:m:me bakery. It stands for “granny to mom to me,” representing the handing down of traditional Irish recipes like soda bread and scones. It’s run by Matt and
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