In March my favorite strawberry stand will open and I’ll be able to get fresh, ripe, juicy strawberries. To tide me over I visited the Hillcrest Farmers Market to see if they had fresh strawberries. Hillcrest has a really big Farmers Market with a good variety of vendors over 2 large blocks so I thought my chances were good.
The first block was full of prepared food vendors including one of my favorite bbq’s Corbin’s Q.
I bought half a rack of ribs from Corbin’s Q. Just right for a huge lunch.
Nice smoky flavor imparted from being grilled over red oak blended perfectly with the tender, juicy pork marinated in black pepper, salt, and garlic salt. I added a bit of their sweet sauce to give the ribs a bit of sweetness.
2nd visit I tried Lady G’s Cantina.
Pork lumpia had a thin crunchy shell while the pork and vegetable filling had tasty flavors. I prefer this style lumpia to lumpia that only has a meat filling.
Pancit was fresh, juicy, and nicely seasoned but I prefer pancit that has chicken blended with the noodles. Chicken stick had a nice char and a mix of sweet and slight tangy flavor. I found the chicken tender, juicy, and delicious.
The second block was filled with flowers, bakeries, produce, egg, meat, honey, and other vendors.
I found a bakery I’d never seen before and tried a few of their goodies.
Croissant had a mild buttery flavor and was very dense. Reminds me of Donut Bar donuts.
Apple danish had a mix of flavors from the sweet apple topping and the dense pastry. While the flavors are pretty good I prefer my pastries light and fluffy.
2nd visit I tried Prager Bros.
Prager Bros had big fluffy croissants. Nice crunchy outer later with lots of soft inside layers. Delicious buttery flavor.
French baguette had a crunchy outside with delicious fresh baked aroma and flavor. Crust not as thick as Bread + Cie’s version but the flavor is just as good.
Shortbread cookie had a nice crunch and full of sweet buttery flavor with a tiny bit of salt on the outside giving it a surprising slight salt flavor.
Prager Bros slots in my top 5 favorite bakeries in San Diego.
I noticed Yasukochi Family Farms grew Oceanside strawberries and bought a 3 pack for $12 while the 2nd time I visited they were 3 for $10.
Berries were firm, juicy, and had a delicious sweet flavor. Much more flavorful than supermarket berries but Williamson Produce is still my favorite strawberry grower as I find their strawberries to be the sweetest in town.
This time of year it seems citrus is the most widely grown fruit. I sampled various varieties and Lee mandarin seemed the sweetest. Valley Center Growers Inc. was the vendor and they were only $6 for a big bag.
I’d never tried one before but a google search revealed the Lee mandarin to be a cross between a Clementine mandarin and an Orlando tangelo. I really enjoyed the mandarin sweetness with the tartness from the tangelo minimized.
I arrived before 10am and found parking but it appears after 10am parking is hard to find. I loved the large number and variety of vendors at this Farmers Market. So much more to choose from than the UCSD Farmers Market.
3960 Normal St
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 299-3330
open Sunday 9-2pm
Making me want a pork sandwich from Corbin’s and some mandarin oranges. Great looking Farmer’s market.
Lots of delicious food at the market. 🙂
This market was fun when I visited. I want to try the Benedict place. I can’t wait for strawberries to be in season again! I’ve noticed many places selling blueberries now. Where do you recommend parking here?
You can buy strawberries at the Farmers market now. They are not yet great but they are better than supermarket strawberries.
I parked at the DMV parking lot.