This past week I went out and picked up some produce from 2 local farms that have been giving some nice fresh seasonal offerings. The first farm is Polito Family Farms out in Valley Center, east of Escondido.We first started out with Polito by going up to the Santa Monica Farmers Market and then after establishing a relationship with Bob Polito we were able to arrange pickups at their farm. Polito’s current offerings at The Linkery are blood oranges, persian lemons, tom’s tangerines, gold nugget mandarins, and oro blanco grapefruits.
The day was so beautiful. I had a nice drive up there and then was greeted by a nice and simple sign for their farm, which just set this tone of tranquility and easy living.
The second farm I visited was Valdivia Farms out in Carlsbad. Just like Polito, we started buying from Valdivia at the SMFM and then I began talking to the owner Francisco over the phone the past few weeks in trying to get a delivery system to the link, which we have set up but this time I went up there to pick up some fresh picked blueberries, tomatoes, and strawberries. Here is Francisco talking with a man who had traveled for miles just to see if there was work for him. Francisco is a nice, easy spoken man with a jokester sense of humor. He has had this farm for over 25 years and him and his family along with many workers tend these beautiful rolling hills. You can also find his offerings at the Hillcrest Farmers Market.
For anyone looking, Polito farms are also at the PB and (I think) little italy markets, and Valdivia is also at PB, Horton Plaza, and others.