An Anniversary That’s Marked by Sweet Surprises

The Hollywood farmers market celebrated its 11th anniversary Sunday with many delights and surprises. Half a dozen vendors had cherries, of which the best were large, low-acid Brooks from Murray Farms of Arvin, the earliest growing area in California. The stand also had Royal Rainier (yellow with a pink blush), Tulare and Flavor Giant, all better than the prevailing Burlats.

Mark Silber of Grenada Hills’ Papaya Tree Nursery made one of his occasional appearances, offering lusciously juicy and sweet Big Jim loquats, small but exquisite Oroblancos and pods of Santa Fe carob, once touted as a major crop for California but now found mostly in health-food stores as a chocolate substitute. His parents, David and Tina, brought an exotic display featuring miracle fruit (eat one and the sourest lemon tastes sweet), yellow pitahaya (a juicy and mild-flavored spineless cactus pear), outlandish, squid-shaped Buddha’s Hand citron and jaboticaba, a grape-like Brazilian fruit with a spicy hint of cinnamon.

Laura Ramirez had excellent Pinkerton, Fuerte and Hass avocados, along with beautiful Eureka lemons and unusual egg-shaped, deeply blushed Spanish sanguinelli blood oranges. From Nipomo, the Pudwill stand brought the first blueberries and raspberries of their season, and blackberries.

Dede and Jon Thogmartin of Colton had their unusual agretti, slender, tubular greens with a mineraly flavor reminiscent of beet leaves and chard.

Customers were thrilled to see goat cheese vendor Emily Thompson back. She makes fabulous cheeses near Ojai using milk from goats pastured in Chino. Having been out of the markets for almost two years, she resumed cheese-making just last week and had fresh La Bastide roundels, plain or rolled in cracked pepper, dill or herbes de Provence, and boutons de culotte (“trouser buttons”) marinated in olive oil with herbs.

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Hollywood farmers market, Ivar Avenue between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards, Sundays 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.