There are numerous Farmer’s Markets in Ventura County – on Saturday alone there are four different markets all within driving distance of each other.  Starting in Ventura, you have a medium size Market on the corner of Santa Clara and Palm Streets. (See my previous post in January of this year)

Another local Saturday Market in Ventura County is the one in ‘Old Town Camarillo’.  This one is different from the other markets available in that it is sponsored by the Camarillo Hospice and a portion of all sales goes to this cause.  The Camarillo Market is a Certified Market and is probably the largest one in the County, maybe only equal in size to the Thousand Oaks Market.

At the Camarillo Market you will find produce vendors, flower vendors and food product vendors.  There is also a booth for Kettle Corn, Tamales, and Coffee.  You can buy Olive Oil, Hummus and Flat Breads, and best of all, ‘Old Boney Mountain’ Hot Sauces and Grotto Dust.  The Old Boney Products are produced by Jeff Losey who own the company and has named it for ‘Old Boney Mountain’ which can be found in the National Recreation Area in Newbury Park and which also can be seen from his property.

My favorite produce vendor is Underwood farms which also goes to the Thousand Oaks Market.  If you miss a market day and need fresh produce, you can also go straight to the Underwood Farms in Somis and/or Moorpark, both of which are in Ventura County.

 

 

 

Shown below are some unusual varieties of well-known Vegetables.  The Romanesco is a form of Broccoli but is certainly much more fun.  Since it almost looks like a Castle, I have used in Children’s Cooing Classes when there was a ‘Kingdom’ Theme involved.  Next is my favorite type of Cauliflower – Purple and Yellow or Golden.  It is probably just my imagination but I do think the colored Cauliflower, especially the yellow one has more flavor than the white.  This may be true because there certainly has to be more Carotene in the yellow variety and carotene does provide flavor.

Next is the Purple and Green Cabbage which is not unusual in itself, but these are so fresh and so beautiful that you cannot help purchasing them and running home to use them.

 

 

 

 

 

Another produce vendor that you will want to stop at is the Tomato Booth from Beylik Farms.  They have Orange Tomatoes, Red Plum Tomatoes and Japanese Tomatoes.  The winter variety are grown in Green Houses, but they taste as good as if they were grown outdoors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to Underwood  and Beylik Farms there are numerous other Produce Vendors.  There are also booths selling artisan Greens such as Kale and other Greens.  One of the offerings that I love is the booth that sells Sprouts of different varieties.  I especially like the Sunflower Sprouts which are great on sandwiches and in salads.  Then we have the fruit vendors, selling Apples, Oranges and other Citrus fruit in addition to Strawberries (fresh picked the same day as being sold from local fields.

 

One of my favorite vendors is ‘Old Boney Mountain Hot Sauce Products’.  Jeff Losey, who is the owner and CEO of the Company donates his profits to organizations such as the Camarillo Hospice, Wounded Warrior and Newbury Park High School Football Team.  Old Boney Products are named after ‘Old Boney Mountain’ in the National Recreation Area in the Santa Monica Mountains located in Newbury Park.  Jeff and his family can view Old Boney Mountain from their home where the Peppers are also grown.

 

 

There are also at least two flower vendors – one sells live plants (this particular vendor goes both to the Camarillo Market and the Thousand Oaks Market.  Every Fall right before Thanksgiving, I buy my Pansy Plants from them.  The price is right and the plants are beautiful.  (Living in Southern California with hot summers, the Pansies do not survive beyond late Spring, so I have to replant them every year.  In addition to the Pansies, they also sell Orchid Plants and other shade plants.  *** There are other vendors selling cut flowers to take home to enjoy.

 

Last, but not least, are the prepared food vendors.  One sells freshly baked Artisan Bread Products.  Normally I will make my own Challah and other Egg Breads but this past Saturday I had not had the time to do so and wanted to make French for Breakfast on Sunday so I purchase a Brioche from this vendor.  It was very expensive ($10.00) and cost about 5 times what it would cost me to make it (not counting my time) but it was well worth it.  It was delicious and made not only great French Toast but excellent sandwiches as well.

 

 

 

 

Another Vendor sells Tamales, another sells different varieties of Hummus and Flat Breads and of course Kettle Korn.  If these aren’t enough, there are also booths selling handmade crafts, such as jewelry, shell items, wood items, etc.

 

Take a trip out here next Saturday (or whenever you happen to be in town) and enjoy the wares at the Old Town Camarillo Farmer’s Market.