Playa Vista Farmers’ Market is back

BACK IN BUSINESS

The Playa Vista Farmers’ Market reopens for foot traffic with IRL dragon fruit and heirloom tomatoes

STORY BY SHANEE EDWARDS| PHOTOS BY LUIS CHAVEZ

Westsiders love their local farmers markets. A Saturday morning stroll through colorful flats of fresh vegetables, sampling exotic fruit and artisan bites from food stands while a live band croons, is a valued weekend treat — especially when the weather is warm and sunny.

But ever since late March the walkable community of Playa Vista has been denied such pleasures. Due to Governor Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home orders, Playa Vistans have had to adjust to online ordering and contactless, drive-thru pick ups of produce and other offerings.

Finally, on Saturday, Aug. 1, with temps hitting 80 degrees, the Playa Vista Farmers’ Market reopened for foot traffic – with a lot of safety protocols in place as required by the LA County health department. These protocols include mandatory masks, no sampling, queuing to enter the market, “no-touch” purchasing, and an 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. “Senior Hour” for customers over 65 and those with sensitive immune systems. Absent are the vendors preparing hot food along with live entertainers and the clown who makes balloon animals.

Playa Vista Farmers’ Market operator Mark Anderson, known by locals as “Farmer Mark,” was thrilled to be back in the community. But don’t think Farmer Mark has spent the time off baking sourdough bread and watching “Tiger King.”

“It’s been very, very hectic,” says Farmer Mark. “We’ve had to pivot and adjust with the closing of this market. We had farmers and food vendors dependent on this for their livelihood, so we set up an online, drive-thru, contactless delivery market and that’s a whole different animal than a live farmers market in terms of e-commerce, packag

A vendor poses with her colorful produce at the grand reopening of the Playa Vista Farmers’ Market on Saturday, Aug. 1 ing and delivering,” he says.

Farmer Mark only learned from Playa Vista Community Services that he could reopen the market the previous Monday, getting the paperwork that Wednesday.

As stressful as switching to online sales has been, Farmer Mark never considered abandoning the Playa Vista Farmers’ Market. “My passion is to support the local food movement, especially the local farmers. I felt honored and grateful to find this solution, even if it was a temporary solution, to generate some sales because crops in the field keep growing no matter what is going on in the COVID war,” he says.

Pedro Gallardo, owner of Pedro’s Organic Ranch in Fallbrook, California has been selling his exotic fruits like cherimoya, dragon fruit and loquats at the Playa Vista Farmers’ Market for the last four years. When the pandemic hit, he was lucky enough to sell his produce at other farmers markets. “I wasn’t really affected, but the people here were affected. They need food to eat. Now we’re back and we hope to stay here,” he says.

For Mynor Ixco of Cambria’s Stepladder Ranch and Creamery, famous for their small batch goat cheese, things were crazy when the pandemic first broke out. “There was a mad rush on the farmers markets. People were buying lots of cheese,” says Ixco.

But Stepladder Ranch continued to provide its cheese to the Playa Vista community online and also have a presence at Farmer Mark’s other farmers markets.

“I’ve been doing the Costa Mesa Farmers Market, so I’ve been able to spread the cheese love to Orange County!” Ixco says with a laugh.

Luke Lokhorst of Oma’s Puffers, makers of the delicious mini Dutch pancakes, is happy to be back at the market, even if they don’t yet have a permit for cooking the cakes onsite. Instead, he’s selling the cakes pre-packaged. Lokhorst says the pandemic has been a very difficult time for the business that’s “based on making the food fresh. LA isn’t handing out any permits for that. That’s why you don’t see any other vendors here making food.” Lokhorst says it could be next year before the county renews those permits.

In the meantime Farmer Mark insists shopping at a farmers market is the safest way to buy food. “It’s open-air, plenty of space and ventilation. And it’s the least amount of food handling you’ll find,” he says.

The Playa Vista Farmers’ Market takes place Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a special “Senior Hour” from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at 12775 Millennium Drive, The Runway Playa Vista.

HOMEMADE FALAFEL ON LETTUCE “BOATS” WITH LEMON-TAHINI SAUCE

Yield: 10-12 falafels, 5-6 lettuce “boats”

INGREDIENTS FALAFEL ½ medium brown onion 3-4 medium cloves of garlic ⅔ cup (packed) wild arugula— substitute: parsley, spinach 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (~ 1 ½ cups cooked beans) 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 3 tbsp oat flour—substitute: gluten-free or almond flour Pinch of cardamom powder 2 pinches of ground cumin ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional) ½ tsp coarse sea salt + more to taste ¼ cup rice crumbs – substitute: panko, bread crumbs LEMON-TAHINI SAUCE ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice ¼ cup tahini paste ¼ cup cashews soaked in water for at least 4 hours, drained 1 clove of garlic 2 pinches of coarse sea salt + more to taste 2-3 tbsp cold water, if needed TO SERVE 5-6 romaine lettuce leaves ⅔ cup small diced, cored Roma tomato ¼ cup thinly sliced Persian cucumber 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds Fresh herbs—parsley, scallions, chives

METHOD FALAFEL

Quarter onions and add to food processor along with whole garlic cloves. Process for about 30 seconds, until both are minced. Add all remaining ingredients with the exception of the rice crumbs and process for approximately 1 min, until mixture is creamy and homogeneous but a few bits of the garbanzo beans remain.

Transfer to bowl, cover, and set in the freezer for 30 minutes. This step is important in getting the mixture to the right consistency to pan-fry the falafel and so it does not break in the process. Be patient!

While you wait, prepare the lemontahini sauce. Method below.

Take falafel mixture out of the freezer and break into 10-12 even portions. Using your clean hands, roll into balls and flatten into disks. Carefully roll each disk over rice crumbs and coat on all sides. Lay flat on platter or board.

Heat a small to medium pan over medium heat (the smaller it is, the less oil you will need.) Once hot, add 2-3 tbsp of olive oil to pan. Pan-fry each falafel for about 2 min on each side, until crispy and golden. Remove from pan and lay on a piece of paper towel to remove excess oil. Do this in batches, if necessary.

LEMON-TAHINI SAUCE

Add all ingredients to a blender and process for 1 minute, until it is smooth and creamy. Add 1 tbsp of water at a time and blend until you obtain the desired consistency. Set aside.

TO SERVE

Arrange lettuce on a platter and place 2 falafels on each leaf. Top with diced tomato and add cucumber slices then drizzle lemon-tahini sauce over each “boat.” Sprinkle sesame seeds over sauce and garnish with fresh herbs.

RECIPE BY ALEJANDRA SCHRADER

Alejandra Schrader’s culinary career began after becoming a top finalist and fan-favorite on FOX’s MasterChef with Gordon

Ramsay. For recipes and more visit alejandraschrader.com. Alejandra lives in Playa Vista.