Guide to Fresh Local Foods

Guide to Fresh Local Foods

OUR GUIDE TO LOCAL FARMS AND FARM-FRESH PRODUCTS SOLD DIRECTLY TO CONSUMERS

Find farm-fresh meats, eggs, fruits and veggies, flowers, honey, nuts, soaps, wool and fiber goods, pumpkin patches,  nursery plants, trees, wineries and more
 
By Miriam Raftery
 
Photos by Miriam Raftery and creative commons images via Bing
 
May 21, 2020 (San Diego) – East County Magazine has compiled our region’s most comprehensive guide to local farms, ranches, nurseries and wineries offering direct-to-consumer sales through farm visits, u-pick orchards, curbside pickup, deliveries to neighborhood pickup points through community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, shipping directly to homes, sales at farm stands, or at farmer’s markets.  
 
San Diego County is home to more family farms (10 acres or less) than any other county in America—giving consumers here a delicious field of choices. Farm-fresh foods are nutritious and delicious. Many are organic. Plus you can avoid grocery store lines and get specialty items not available in stores. 
 
Our guide includes sources to buy these locally grown products:
 
  • Christmas trees
  • Ciders and apples
  • Eggs
  • Emu products
  • Farmer’s markets 
  • Fiber and wool products
  • Flowers, herbs and herbal products
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Hemp
  • Honey
  • Meat, poultry and fish
  • Nuts
  • Plants and trees
  • Pumpkin patches
  • Seeds
  • Soaps
  • Wineries and vineyards

 

Scroll down to view our full directory for each of these local farm product categories.

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LOCAL FARMS OFFER FRESH MEATS, EGGS, FRUITS, VEGGIES AND MORE DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR – OR PICKUP CURBSIDE

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: Creative commons via Bing

April 5, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) - If you’re looking to avoid grocery store lines and support local farmers while enjoying fresh, locally grown foods, there are now dozens of local farms and ranches eager to meet your needs.

The San Diego Sustainable Living Institute has a website listing dozens of local farms, including locations, that provide curbside service,shipping, and/or delivery during the COVID-19 shutdown.  View their site here: https://www.sdsustainable.org/san-diego-farms 


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

GROSSMONT CENTER FARMER’S MARKET LAUNCHES AS NONPROFIT: MALL REDUCES RATES FOR FARMERS AND DONATES 100% TO LA MESA PARKS

By Miriam Raftery

July 24, 2019 (La Mesa)—Samples of sweet tangerines, Moroccan olives, duck pate and doughnut peaches—along with free shopping bags—were among the treats welcoming shoppers at Grossmont Center’s inaugural farmer’s market today. Other tempting items included culinary herbs and teas, plump dates, lamb and duck sausages, hummus and tzatziki dips, marinades, sauces and more.

I picked up some microgreens, juicy citrus and ripe avocados, then spoke with market organizer Trevor Moore, also the public relations director for the regional shopping mall.

“We’ve decided to run our market as a nonprofit and donate 100% of proceeds to the La Mesa Parks and Recreation Foundation,” he says, adding that Grossmont’s owners, the Cushman family, want to help farmers and give back to their community. “We were charging farmers 8% of sales. We’ve cut that in half, to 4%.” That’s far below rates at other local markets, where charges range as high as 15%. 


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FARM-FRESH FOODS DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOU

Our Guide to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in East County

Updated January 27, 2013

By Ariele Johannson

Note: Please help us update this directory. If you know of any CSA programs we missed, please contact Ariele at arielejohannson@gmail.com or editor@eastcountymagazine.org. Farmers: Please send in any changes and visit our blog to connect with other farmers to help create a self-sufficient East County.

January 26, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Eating healthy means including plenty of fresh foods-- and the freshest of all are those grown here in East County. Have you thought about allotting part of your food budget to locally-grown organic fruits, vegetables, milk, meats, and more?


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

FREE EAST COUNTY PRODUCE EXCHANGE SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 IN JAMUL

By Blake Powers and John Chapman

The East County Produce Exchange is kicking off the New Year with an event on Saturday, January 26th. It will be held in the Jamul Hardware parking lot from 3:30-5:00. The Exchange is a monthly event in Jamul, where people come from all over the county to exchange freshly grown fruits and vegetables. The produce exchange is like a farmer’s market, but it is a free event. There is no money involved!

 You set out your produce on a table, and then walk around and take what you want from others, while others will take from you.  This month the exchange expects to have lots of oranges, lemons, chard, cabbage, broccoli, kale,  onions, and herbs.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

East County Magazine's Guide to Fresh, Local Foods

By Miriam Raftery

Growing concerns over food safety, environmental issues, health and desire to support our local economy have given rise to a new trend: consumers seeking out locally-grown and produced foods.

 

Sales of locally grown foods increased 25% in 2007 from $4 billion to $5 billion – and could hit $7 billion by 2011, according to a HealthFocus TrendScan report.  According to Packaged Facts, 69% of consumers surveyed agreed that local food is better for their personal health than food that has traveled across the country.  Buzzwords such as “food miles” the “slow food movement” and “locavore” (New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2007 word of the year) have entered the lingo.              


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.