Edible Paradise celebrates the year-round abundance of the highest quality, freshest food grown on the Central Coast by our family farmers at the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets. If you enjoy preparing and eating locally grown food, this blog is for you!
Have you ever spotted this unusual, bumpy green vegetable at the farmers market and wondered what on earth it is? Meet bitter melon — one of the fascinating specialty crops grown by KT Farms at the Monterey Farmers Market!
Despite its name, bitter melon is actually a fruit — technically a member of the gourd family, related to cucumbers, squash, and melons. But in the kitchen, it’s treated like a vegetable and is especially popular in many Asian, Indian, and Southeast Asian cuisines.
Its bold bitter flavor might surprise first-time tasters, but bitter melon has a loyal following for good reason. When prepared properly, the bitterness mellows and becomes wonderfully savory and complex. It’s often stir-fried with garlic, eggs, onions, pork, tofu, or black bean sauce, and is also commonly added to soups and curries.
One traditional preparation tip? Slice it thinly, remove the seeds, and lightly salt the slices before cooking to help tame some of the bitterness.
Bitter melon is also prized in many cultures for its nutritional benefits and has been used for generations in traditional cooking and herbal practices.
One of the best things about shopping at the farmers market is discovering ingredients you may have never tried before — and KT Farms is a wonderful place to begin exploring the world of Asian vegetables. Stop by their booth and ask questions…you just might discover a new favorite ingredient!
The Monterey Farmers Market at the Del Monte Shopping Center is open until noon.
#bittermelon #asianspecialtycrops #asianvegetables #montereyfarmersmarketatdelmonte
It’s lavender season at the Monterey Farmers Market! 💜
You’ll find these ultra-fragrant bundles of lavender at The Monterey Ranch booth, filling the market air with their unmistakable calming scent. There’s something about fresh lavender that instantly feels like summer — beautiful, relaxing, and just a little bit magical.
Did you know lavender has long been associated with relaxation and stress relief? We love tucking little sprigs into drawers, linen closets, and beside the bed to gently perfume the room. And of course, who can resist a cozy Lavender London Fog latte or a lavender-infused dessert? Lavender also adds a lovely floral note to lemonade, baked goods, syrups, shortbread cookies, and even savory dishes.
Beyond its beauty, lavender is one of those simple pleasures that turns everyday routines into something special.
For even more inspiration, visit the Edible Paradise website for our special collection of lavender recipes and ideas. (Link in bio.)
Borba Family Farms’ booth looks like a Mediterranean dream this morning at the Monterey Farmers Market! 🍅🌿
Piles of fragrant basil sit beside perfectly ripe, deeply flavorful tomatoes, glossy purple striped eggplant, crisp green beans, and other baskets overflowing with summer abundance. It’s the kind of display that instantly inspires dinner plans — rustic pasta, grilled vegetables, fresh salads, homemade sauce, or a simple slice of tomato on crusty bread with olive oil and basil.
If it’s true that we eat with our eyes first, we’ve already devoured the booth. 😬 The colors, aromas, and freshness are absolutely irresistible today.
The Monterey Farmers Market at Del Monte Shopping Center is open until noon, so stop by and pick up some of the freshest produce around. Come take a stroll, meet your local farmers, and bring home the flavors of the season!
#mediterranean #borbafarms #delmonteshoppingcenter #montereyfarmersmarket
Good morning from the Monterey Farmers Market at the Del Monte Shopping Center! The market is absolutely bursting with color today — and the eye candy begins with these gorgeous bundles of statice in rich shades of purple and blue at Gatanaga Nursery’s booth. 💜💙
Fresh-cut flowers are one of the simple pleasures of market mornings, and these vibrant blooms practically stop shoppers in their tracks. Wander the market and you’ll also find baskets overflowing with colorful seasonal produce, beautiful greens, fresh berries, local foods, and all the sights and scents that make the farmers market so special.
Come stroll, shop, and soak in a little beauty with us today from 8 AM–12 PM at Del Monte Shopping Center!
Who can resist these golden little beauties?
Spade & Plow Organics has boxes and boxes of gorgeous yellow cherry tomatoes at the market today, glowing like tiny drops of sunshine. Sweet, juicy, and incredibly snackable, they’re perfect for salads, pasta dishes, charcuterie boards, roasting, or simply eating straight out of the basket on the drive home.
And yes — many people do notice a flavor difference between yellow and red cherry tomatoes. Yellow varieties are often slightly sweeter, milder, and less acidic than their red counterparts, with a smooth, almost tropical fruitiness that makes them especially popular for fresh eating. Their lower acidity can also give them a gentler, more delicate flavor that even some “non-tomato people” end up loving.
If you haven’t tried golden cherry tomatoes before, today might be the perfect time to discover a new summer favorite. ☀️
#spadeandploworganics #tomatoes #montereybayfarmersmarkets
Ahhh… summer has officially arrived at the market…at least with the produce! 🍅☀️
The gorgeous organic tomatoes at Borba Family Farms are piled high right now — vibrant, sun-ripened, deeply flavorful, and wonderfully juicy. This is the moment tomato lovers wait for all year long.
Slice them thick for sandwiches, layer them with fresh basil and olive oil, toss them into salads, or simply enjoy them with a sprinkle of sea salt while they’re at their absolute peak. The fragrance alone says summer.
If you’ve been waiting for real tomato season, this is your sign to head to the market early and stock up!
The farmers market is open until noon. Come get your shopping done for the long weekend!
#tomatoseason #borbafamilyfarms #organic
Is there any flower that captures the feeling of summer sunshine quite like a sunflower? 🌻
These cheerful golden blooms are lighting up the market today at Gatanaga Nursery. With their bright faces and towering stems, sunflowers bring an instant sense of warmth, joy, and simple seasonal beauty to any table, kitchen, or front porch.
Fresh-cut and locally grown, they’re the perfect way to bring a little sunshine home from the market this weekend. Stop by early for the best selection — they never last long! ☀️
#sunflowers #gatanaganursery #floral #decor
Good morning from the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets Monterey Farmers Market at Del Monte Shopping Center!
Our first stop this morning is KT Farms, where crisp fresh daikon radishes and just-picked cucumbers are overflowing at the stand today. These beautiful cucumbers are perfect for weekend pickling projects, refreshing summer drinks, cool salads, and easy seasonal snacking.
Looking for inspiration? Be sure to visit our companion site, Edible Paradise, where you’ll find plenty of fresh new cucumber recipes to try this weekend. (Just tap on the link in bio to visit the website.)
The market is open until noon. Come by!
#daikon #asianvegetables #montereyfarmersmarket #delmonteshoppingcenter
The first stone fruit of the season has arrived at Stackhouse Orchards!
Sweet peaches, juicy nectarines, and beautiful plums are beginning to fill the market tables — one of the surest signs that summer is on its way. These early fruits are ripe, fragrant, and absolutely perfect for baking.
Maybe it’s time for a galette?
A rustic galette is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to celebrate stone fruit season — flaky pastry wrapped around bubbling fruit, served warm from the oven. Visit our companion website Edible Paradise for some of our favorite galette recipes and seasonal baking inspiration.
(See link in bio above 👆)
#stonefruitseason #galette #farmersmarketfinds #stackhouseorchards #edibleparadise
✨ Fresh from the oven and ready for the weekend ✨
The pastry case at Companion Bakeshop is filled with beautiful baked treats today — rustic pastries, fruit tarts, and freshly baked loaves of bread and all the little comforts that make a slow weekend feel extra special.
Whether you’re gathering pastries for brunch, picking up a loaf for the table, or simply treating yourself to something warm with coffee, this is the kind of stop that turns an ordinary morning into a good one!
Weekend pastries always seem to disappear quickly… so come early. ☕️
#companionbakeshop #monterey #freshbaked #weekendtreats #pastrylove
Good morning from the Monterey Farmers Market!
KT Farms’ table is overflowing with beautiful cucumbers today — from crisp slicing varieties to classic pickling cucumbers perfect for homemade pickles, refrigerator pickles, salads, and summer snacking. They also have bundles of fresh herbs that pair beautifully with the season’s produce.
There’s something about fresh cucumbers straight from the farm that simply tastes like spring turning into summer.
Find KT Farms today at the Monterey Farmers Market and stock up while the season is just getting started. The market is open until noon.
#montereyfarmersmarket #farmersmarketfinds #cucumberseason #picklingcucumbers #supportlocalfarmers
Opening Day in Carmel!
The Carmel Farmers Market at The Barnyard returns for the season today —join us from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a beautiful midweek market experience.
Wander through The Barnyard’s garden setting and discover what’s just come into season—fresh California-grown fruits and vegetables and all the simple pleasures that make market days so special. We can’t wait to welcome you back.
📍 The Barnyard Shopping Village
🗓 Tuesdays | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
#carmelfarmersmarket #thebarnyardcarmel #montereycounty #shoplocalcarmel #eatseasonal
