Hollywood Farmers Market

In my 8 years living in Hollywood, I have only been to the Hollywood Farmers Market once. And that time was just because I was walking around for something else and stumbled onto it. Silly huh? It's less than 6 blocks from my house and one of the best Farmers Markets in Los Angeles.

At first, it was just because I never got around to it. This was happening... that was happening... I always wanted to but never remembered. Then, for a couple of years there, I was going out every Saturday night and waking up Sunday afternoons just as it was closing up.

Now I'm starting to feel so much more... I don't know... domestic? I don't know if that's the right word to describe it. I've always been pretty domestic, even when I was queen of the scene. Hell, I'd bring fresh baked cookies or banana bread to the club with me.

*CRACK* Eat the cookie, worm!

hee... not really. I'd just give them to my friends.

So, because I've been all homebodyish and introverted, spending my Saturday nights with a movie and my knitting, today I actually got my ass out of the house in time to go purposely check out the Farmers Market. I was also motivated by my recent, almost unhealthy obsession with figs. Fresh figs. You heard me. Could there be a more perfect food? One of the only places to still get them right now is the local farmers market and even then, only for a couple more weeks.

So off I go! Take a walk with me?


The first thing I had to take pictures of, on the way there, is the construction of the new W Hotel at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. It's just so HUGE and cool looking and I've kind of fallen in love with those 4 big cranes. You can see them from my apartment and the way they move is almost like a dance. Like they're these huge sentient beings...

They're especially pretty at night when there are tons of little lights inside the still hollow building, too. It looks like some massive fairyland castle or Blade Runner movie set. Sucks to see the outer walls starting to come in because those will be gone.


It's pretty cool looking from close up, too, and it's wild to think that a few years down the line, no one will remember what the subway stop there used to be like, without the massive hotel over it. I'm still getting used to it as a presence on the skyline.


Once I was past that, it's just a block down Hollywood to Ivar and the top of the Market. It stretches down about 2 1/2 blocks and 2 blocks wide, at Selma, and is filled with so many vendors, selling so much good stuff, I had no idea where to start. I'd given myself $40 to spend but the only thing I knew I wanted for sure were the figs so that left me pretty wide open.


THERE WAS SO MUCH GOOD STUFF! One of my favorites by far was The Goat Lady, (Soledad Goats) selling this unreal goat cheese in olive oil and herbs... sweetjesus, I almost died when I tasted it. Seriously. Died. I've always loved me some goat cheese but this stuff was like God's Goat Cheese or something. I so got a jar of my very own.


I tasted all kinds of different honeys, finally settling on some Sage Honeycomb. Awyeah... And raspberries... my favorite berry... were out in full force, multicolors and all.

Then... I saw the avocados...

Ohmygod, they were so big and ripe and perfect. As soon as I laid eyes on them, I knew my new mission was to make some homemade guacamole for dinner. That's right, as my dinner! Avocado, tomato, garlic, onions, lemon, cilantro... it's just a big, squished up salad which is perfect for that end of the day meal.

Soon, the hunt for ingredients would be on, but first I had to meet up with one of my favorite people, Eric.

He's been to the Farmers Market a lot and kindly agreed to show me around his favorite vendors. We've both been all antisocial lately so it was great to see him and shoot the shit while we fulfilled our quests.


Eric's quest was for salad fixings of the highest order. He also got a white eggplant, which we were told is the best kind of eggplant, able to be prepared any way you can think of and still be amazing. I'm curious to hear how his experiments go.


Me! And my haul - raspberries, lemons, honey, tomato, onion, FIGS!, cilantro, god's goat cheese, green onions, pomegranate, avocados (and in the back, chips I got on the way home). I could have definitely spent less but, for my first foray out, it was well worth it.


Avocado is so beautiful... my whole little guac making operation. (Coffee and Mimosa necessary for stamina and morale.)

The finished product

Thanks for coming along with me on this non-knitting escapade. I have the feeling I'll be hitting the Farmers Market a lot more often but I won't subject you to so many pictures about it. I'm getting pics from last week's GCP together and they should go up soon. Have a wonderful week...