{"id":244745,"date":"2011-12-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-23T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/farmers-markets-make-winter-shift-local-farmers-remind-shoppers-to-eat-seasonally\/"},"modified":"2011-12-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-23T08:00:00","slug":"farmers-markets-make-winter-shift-local-farmers-remind-shoppers-to-eat-seasonally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/farmers-markets-make-winter-shift-local-farmers-remind-shoppers-to-eat-seasonally\/","title":{"rendered":"Los mercados de agricultores hacen turno de invierno; Los agricultores locales recuerdan a los compradores que coman seg\u00fan la temporada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Kendra Atleework | Reportero SDUN <\/strong>

\"Farmers<\/a>
Seasonal squash is available at the Hillcrest and North Park farmers markets (Photo by Kendra Atleework)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

As summer turns to fall and fall to winter, local farmers markets register a distinct shift. Many consumers are accustomed to accessing the same fruits and vegetables year-round due to international produce shipments that supply large grocery stores. It is not uncommon to find tomatoes imported from Mexico when shopping at any major grocery store. <\/p>\n

However, Phil Noble, known as \u201cFarmer Phil\u201d to coworkers, points out the importance of eating locally and seasonally. \u201cIt makes sense to eat locally from so many perspectives. It\u2019s natural, your carbon [foot] print decreases and it\u2019s important to support the local farms,\u201d he says, \u201cIf you\u2019re not buying in season, you aren\u2019t supporting local farmers and eating sustainably.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hillcrest has a weekly, year-round farmers market, which takes place every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. North Park is also home to a farmers market every Thursday from 2 p.m. until sunset.<\/p>\n

Noble and his wife co-own Sage Mountain Farm. \u201cWe\u2019re proud to be part of the organic food revolution that is sweeping our country,\u201d he says. Located in Aguanga, about 30 minutes east of Temecula, Sage Mountain Farm started as a hobby in 2000, and now covers over 100 acres. <\/p>\n

Noble explains the produce available in his tent during summer and spring is not the same as the options offered in the fall and winter. He points out colorful squash varieties such as acorn, spaghetti, sunshine and New England pie, which are grown locally from October to December, available at his tent. Additional vegetables available only during colder months include peppers, eggplant, cucumbers and watermelon. <\/p>\n

Noble says much of the winter produce supplied by farmers markets is not even available at grocery stores, such as his farm\u2019s Italian heirloom garlic.
\nJoe and Goyo Rodriguez, owners of J.R. Organics, echo the importance of eating seasonally. They participate in both the Hillcrest and the North Park farmers markets. Joe Rodriguez says his farm offers fall and winter specials, such as spinach, squash, celery, peas, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. \u201cJ.R. Organics has been around for close to 30 years,\u201d Joe Rodriguez says of his 95-acre Escondido farm. \u201cI\u2019m a fourth generation farmer on this piece of ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

While eating seasonally may seem expensive to many shoppers, Goyo Rodriquez can offer strategies for eating locally on a budget. He suggests coming towards the end of the market, when many items are marked down, or shopping in bulk for better deals. <\/p>\n

Shoppers who cannot visit weekly markets can order food boxes of varying sizes and prices from a program called Community Supported Agriculture, of which Sage Mountain Farm and J.R. Organics are a part. Sales of food boxes, which consumers pick up bi-weekly or weekly, constitute 70 percent of J.R. Organics\u2019 revenue, Goyo explains. Consumers interested in signing up for this program can do so online at sagemountainfarm.com, jrorganicsfarm.com, or in person at a local farmers market. <\/p>\n

Noble advises locals to be watchful for carrots, beets, broccoli, and green onions, which will soon be harvested as winter deepens. He leaves shoppers with a few words of advice. \u201cKnow your farmer, know your food.\u201d Joe Rodriguez seconds this sentiment. \u201cWe appreciate the help of the locals,\u201d he says, \u201cKeep buying local.\u201d <\/p>\n

For more information on all the San Diego farmers markets, visit sdfarmbureau.org\/BuyLocal\/Farmers-Markets.php<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kendra Atleework | SDUN Reporter As summer turns to fall and fall to winter, local farmers markets register a distinct shift. Many consumers are accustomed to accessing the same fruits and vegetables year-round due to international produce shipments that supply large grocery stores. It is not uncommon to find tomatoes imported from Mexico when […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1348,"featured_media":244746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Farmers Markets Make Winter Shift; Local Farmers Remind Shoppers to Eat Seasonally","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1348"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}