Vine-ripened tomatoes from Farmer Fred’s stand at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market.
I can’t believe the difference in the flavor of food on our vacation compared to our new home in Arizona. We visit two Farmer’s Markets each week. Farmer Fred, as we call him, is friends with our Santa Barbara friends. We’ve visited his stand for years. The first night in town, we were invited to a barbecue that included Fred and his family. His wife sliced his flavorful tomatoes and made caprese with buffalo mozzarella, balsamic and basil. The next weekend after visiting the Farmers Market, I came home with a bag of Farmer Fred’s tomatoes and made caprese for appetizers and lunches — but used mint instead of basil — since that’s what I could find.
The flavor of these tomatoes brought back childhood memories when fresh vegetables from gardens were a staple in Snohomish, Wash. — and probably still are. The grocery store veggies I normally buy are tasteless.
A few of our delicious tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella with mint and balsamic.
Then there’s the fruit. The fruit stand next to Farmer Fred’s is unbelievable. Our favorite pluot is called Dapper Dandy. The ladies who own the stand call out “Dapper Dandy, tastes like candy!” It is the last week for Dapper Dandies so we’ve stocked up — and yes, eating them like candy.
A yellow peach (amazingly delicious) with Dapper Dandies.
Clam chowder and a fish taco at the Santa Barbara Harbor.
Our daughter called us on our drive back from the harbor where we had lunch of fish tacos and chowder at On the Alley. We said we wished Brophy Bros, the signature restaurant in the harbor, that owns On the Alley — to open one in Arizona.
“It won’t work,” our daughter insisted. “First is the fish, fresh off the boat in the harbor.”
Unfortunately, she’s right. I won’t get that taste of freshly caught cod topped with locally grown avocado, pickled onions, queso fresco & salsa blanca in Arizona. It logistically isn’t possible. So I’m enjoying it while I’m here.
Lastly, we were so disappointed to discover that our breakfast burrito place in Beach LIquors had been “poofed.”
Look what happened to our breakfast burrito spot!
We tried several Mexican restaurants and found one that fit our tastebuds perfectly inside a liquor store called Kim’s. It’s close to the house we’re renting — and the food is delicious.
Al Pastor tacos at our new “spot” called Kim’s Liquor Store. In the back of the store is a kitchen with Beto the chef cooking burritos, tacos, platos and daily specials.
I can’t figure out why we don’t have any decent Mexican food by us in Arizona. I think it’s the area where we live and if we drove 45 minutes to an hour south we could find some, but I’m not willing. I’d rather drive to Mexico if I’m headed down that way!
What a difference fresh produce and fish makes for flavor and enjoyment of meals. I wonder if I can start a garden in my backyard? I haven’t gotten the hang of gardening after years of trying in the desert. Western Washington was ideal for growing everything — and we had fresh seafood, too.
What are your favorite fresh fruits and vegetables where you live? Are you able to grow them yourself? Or do you have farmers markets nearby? What about fresh seafood?
Fresh produce is increasingly hard to come by in Phoenix. Over the last 15 years, the best local farms have had their leases cancelled and land sold to developers, shrinking the harvest and variety every few years. My favorites are freshly-picked strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, asparagus, and herbs, and my favorite farm (by far!) is Blue Sky Organic… the fall harvest season usually begins in mid-Oct and ramps up in Nov.
Gardening is finicky here, but broccoli and lettuces do great in fall and zucchini and bell peppers grow like crazy in summer. Herbs typically do well in the fall. Everything else seems to be hit-or-miss. The farmers must have green thumbs!
Thank you for all the advice. I might make it a project to try herbs and a few vegetables in the fall. We have a few large empty pots that might help with bunnies. The surrounding areas of Santa Barbara are agricultural, and the climate is ideal for growing. That’s why we have such good produce here.
Oh, that all looks delicious! Amazing how different store bought versus farmer’s market can be. We have a neighborhood farmer’s market that runs June-September so you are reminding me to take good advantage of it while it’s here. So glad you shared your tasty finds with us!
You’re so lucky to have a Farmer’s market like that. Washington has such delicious produce and seafood! We are going to stock up on produce before our drive home 😊 Maybe a garden is in you children’s future, if they don’t have one already? My mom started us our with radishes because they grow quickly.
You already have my answer EA, knowing where I live!
It must be such a treat to visit and have great food all around. Maybe there needs to be more time spent back in the home town??
I think you’re correct! More visits back home. When I stay with my best friend in WA, I get all the steamed clams I can eat, plus enjoy all their fresh veggies from their garden.
We only have lemon and lime tree in our house. Tried to grow some vegetables but the gardener is not interested in putting extra effort.
We had grapefruit and orange trees at our old house, but nothing but cactus and succulents in our new home.
I guess it’s the weather that determines what grows.
It is. In Washington we had all the rain. Here by Santa Barbara, it’s foggy and mild.
Yes, in Washington it rained 250 days out of 365 on average.
Yes and anybody can grow vegetables! In Palm Springs, when I tried tomatoes, they wouldn’t grow very big and ripen too quickly.
I remember the community vegetable garden in the university housing. Whatever we plant needs TLC and won’t grow well without it.
My mom had a huge garden in Snohomish and she grew everything from asparagus, lettuce, peas, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, spaghetti squash and zucchini. I think she enjoyed growing vegetables the neighbors didn’t have.
A labor of love. If these crops aren’t given full attention, they don’t bring in good harvest.
That’s true 😊
😍
I am soooo hungry after reading and salivating over your post. Everything looks so yummy and I’m with you about the tomatoes. Even here in the Midwest we often get mealy tomatoes that taste like nothing — just as you said. We’re in the hunt for the real deal!
Thanks so much for sharing the details and the pics…but I’m sad, too, that you lost your breakfast burrito place. I know you were looking forward to that! 😎
I am going to miss the tomatoes especially. I think I may try to grow my own at home! Our new taco/burrito place is fabulous, fortunately. We are on a first name basis with Beto, the cook. He makes us whatever we want — even if it’s not
on the menu. 😊
Cheers to THAT! A wonderful relationship, for sure! 😊😊😊
It is! The other night, I stayed home and hubby got tacos. He said, “Beto asked where you were. I got your two carne asada tacos.” I was inwardly fuming because I ALWAYS order Al Pastor. But Beto knew better than my husband — and I got my favorite tacos 😅
OMG! That’s the best story, ever! When your favorite chef/owner knows your tastes better than your spouse! Hilarious. I love it! 🤣🥰🤣
Right? 😅 I wonder if we can convince him to move to Scottsdale?
I mean…if you can do that…I’ll be on my way! Sounds like a great girl’s night out! 😎
👍🏼
Yes, growing up, I got used to fresh fruit and baked good stands. You’ve made me hungry. Gotta see what I can find instead of the bland stuff we find in the grocery store!!!
Baked good stands sound amazing! My mom baked pies, cakes, cookies and bread, so I guess we were covered. I would love to find better produce than our grocery stores. We asked at the farmers markets if they shipped, but no luck!
Growing up in California, I thought that everyone had the same abundance that we have in our grocery stores and framers’ markets, but I have learned that it ain’t necessarily so. And fish? I’ve learned to avoid ordering dishes made with ocean fish anywhere that doesn’t have an ocean close by. I don’t know anything about growing veggies in Arizona, but I have friends who live close to Palm Springs (where, as you know, it can get pretty hot) who have had good luck with a hydroponic tower garden.
Btw, my husband and I may visit Santa Barbarba next month for a few days, so I am taking notes. 🙂
The veggies in Palm Springs were great. We had two farmer’s markets a week. People don’t realize what a big agricultural state CA is. I don’t know anything about hydroponic tower gardens. I’ll have to look into it. If you visit Santa Barbara, I have lots of recommendations 😊
FYI, moving to Palm Springs from Seattle, my husband kept telling me not to order seafood in the desert!
Your vacation food options sound fantastic. We can get pretty good stuff at the farm markets here. Mostly I grow asparagus, rhubarb, and salad greens. Also some beets and carrots, some squash. I stick with frozen fish and shrimp, but fresh is certainly available. I just get to town once a week, so stuff usually has to last.
I loved my mom’s rhubarb pies. Now I bake them but they are dry stalks from the grocery store. Also, I loved my mom’s asparagus. I love how the stalks keep growing. Each morning I’d take a look to see what was new.
Yes, yes, to all of this. Buy local, buy fresh! And freeze while in season!
Thanks for the tip about freezing. I haven’t thought about that. We plan on going to the farmer’s market and loading up before we go home. My husband picked up a produce box from the grocery store.
After living in CA for years, and not back to the Midwest, the produce is sad. Everything we buy fruit or veggie looks like it’s already on its last leg, it has to be eaten within 2 days or it is BAD. I can’t remember the last time I had fresh strawberries or lettuce OR cucumbers. Watermelons this year have been awful too. When we buy them, we have to eat them within two days, because when I have cut into them they are already overly ripe… not nice. Sorry for the sad post, but I miss fresh produce.
I feel exactly the same way after living in CA for 35 years and moving to AZ. I expected it to be the same, but it is not!
Well, good news is you’ve been traveling back to CA, so you get some good produce that way. LOL – I’m stuck in the Mid-west. You should see the strawberries we get. Selling for over $6 and they look brown and spoiled almost.
Ugh! My friend came over with a bag of strawberries and asked if I wanted them! I think they might be from her backyard or a neighbors. They were perfect!
Fabulous! My daughter has had lots of raspberries and blackberries in her garden. Home grown is the BEST.
The caprese, clam chowder, and fish tacos have my stomach growling. 🙂 I hope you can garden, but I imagine in AZ with the heat, it might be hard. Even here in No. CA. we tried vegetables, but it didn’t work. I’m not a big gardener though, but we do have some good farmer’s markets.
The food is so good! We lived in Palm Springs for more than 30 years and I was a failure at gardening, I’d try different seasons, but it didn’t work. When I visit my kids in Berkeley, I see many beautiful plants and flowers, but not many gardens.
Interesting because Berkeley is a half hour away from us. 🙂
Are you east? I love shopping at the Berkeley Bowl when I visit. It has the freshest fruit, veggies, giant mushroom section and seafood.
We’re in Marin County. 🙂
I was thinking east my be hotter, but not Marin County? At least I don’t think so. My future DIL went to boarding school there. I don’t think the climate would be that much different than Berkeley?
We’re similar to Berkeley, but the climate has changed over the decades. We notice it after moving here over 20 years ago.
That’s interesting that it’s changed. Is it dryer or hotter?
Both. 🙂
😳
Mmm mmm. Drooling.
I will miss these treats!
Eating fresh always tastes better! And better for your health and immune system. Unfortunately, most of us don’t live where that’s possible every day of the year. If you have access to enough water, I wonder if you could grow some veggies and herbs in raised beds in your backyard. Container gardening is also popular here with those who don’t have garden space. In our town, you can’t throw a stone without hitting a Mexican restaurant! Some are definitely better than others, but we don’t lack for them. 💜
I tried a raised garden bed in Palm Springs and grew tomatoes. Because of the sun and heat, they would ripen about the size of cherry tomatoes, when they were supposed to be full-sized. I do think I’ll try herbs first in my back yard in raised beds or large pots. You’re lucky to have so many good Mexican restaurants. I didn’t think there would be such a difference from Palm Springs to Arizona! Maybe it’s a flavor or style we’re used to.
I’m a sucker for fresh peaches. They remind me of my grandmother. I do have two peach trees but they are still babies and so they haven’t produced fruit yet. This year I’m growing a pumpkin patch, although it’s not so much for eating as it is because I just adore pumpkins! You should see how happy I am wandering my little patch.
The fruit is so delicious here we stocked up tonight at a farmer’s market before we leave. What wonderful memories you have of your grandmother’s peach trees. We grew pumpkins growing up north of Seattle.
We have many farmers markets here
You are lucky!
And fresh seafood
👍🏼