Santa Barbara and Santa Monica are great markets, but they re so upscale, Morse says. This one is about community. A venture into this rural market uncovers some real treasures. Fava beans, a favorite of Hannibal Lecter and other connoisseurs, are for sale, as well as snow-white turnips, mild enough to eat raw. Multiflora nursery puts out a vibrant display of exotic herbs I ve never seen, such as rose campion, mugwort and mullein.
Decorative signs explain the uses for each plant.
Next door to Multiflora is Ribbonwood Ranch, doing a brisk business in fresh eggs. Chickens that lay brown eggs don t lay as well, explains the tall, strapping farmer filling patrons egg cartons. They eat an extra pound of feed per dozen eggs that s why they cost 25 cents more a dozen. Here is a list of certified farmers markets found throughout San Diego County.