Marina's Farmers Market

Marina's Farmers' Market takes place every Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm, and it has recently moved to the Marina Village Shopping Center at 215 Reservation Road. After spending many a Tuesday at the Old Monterey Market Place, we thought we'd spend more time enjoying the sunshine and local flavors. It was a food booth from the Monterey Market, Maha's Catering, that gave us the news about this one. However, we weren't prepared for what we found in Marina.

First of all, June 29th happened to be very gray, overcast and breezy, so we traded in sunshine for a cooler, still pleasant afternoon. The Marina Market -- also known as Everyone's Harvest -- is remarkably busy, particularly when you consider that there are perhaps 20 tented booths, making this a locals-only sort of gathering. The focus is almost exclusively on fresh, organic produce, with a surprising variety of beautiful fruits and vegetables; well more than half of the booths are dedicated to the produce.


As for the prepared foods advertised in the Market brochure, the one booth is Maha's, which is very good news. Maha's Catering easily competes with the best of the brick-and-mortar Mediterranean restaurants in Monterey county, coming out ahead of most of them. You'll be hearing more about them -and perhaps getting a peek at their wonderful food -- at the Monterey Market write-up.

Three young performers offered the nicest surprise, one with a guitar, as they sang a lovely folksy tune at one end of the market. I admit that I'm not certain if they were selling anything, but their voices were terrific, and that alone is worth stopping by to hear if you are in Marina on a Sunday. Don't bring your terrier, as the market only permits assistant dogs near the food.

Written by MareWinds~
a.k.a. Mireille Larkins